About the Center | Department of History

About the Center

Contact Information:

Professor Geoffrey D. W. Wawro, Director

Professor Michael V. Leggiere, Deputy Director

Telephone: 940/565-2288
Fax: 940/369-8838

Military History Center
Department of History
P.O. Box 310650
University of North Texas
Denton, TX 76203-0650

Vision

To make the Military History Center the premier destination in the United States for the study of Military History.

Mission
  • To acquire the best Military History faculty in the United States.
  • To create a vibrant, active Center that will attract first-rank graduate students with job and book potential.
  • To focus national and international attention on UNT as the institution for Military History.
Strategy
  • The Center will maintain institutional focus on Military History as a central pillar of the History Department.
  • High profile publications by the Center's leading military historians will guarantee national attention.
  • Attention and focus translates into new faculty hires at the middle and senior rank.
  • The Center will continue fundraising to support graduate student and faculty research.
  • New course development, a PhD with a concentration in Military History, and special events will broaden our regional and national footprint.
Goals
  • New faculty hires in Military History.
  • Research support for graduate students and MHC faculty.
  • Funds for public outreach: conferences, seminars, symposia, and talks.
The Importance of Military History

The brutal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have driven home again the centrality of military history to modern politics and statecraft. The causes, conduct and termination of these conflicts require careful study and analysis, for which the Military History Center is esteemed. We consider options for high-intensity conflicts as well as the slow-rolling war on terrorism in the broad, deep context of military history, from the ancients to the present.

Since the Vietnam War, opportunities for American students to study military history in a serious way have receded owing to a general rejection of war studies at the university level. Military history -- the driver of world politics -- has either been removed from curricula, or diluted to an almost unrecognizable form. The opposite trend is underway at UNT. UNT's commitment to the research, teaching and public presentation of military history has made our Military History Center an international leader in the field.