In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, national security naturally rose on the public-policy agenda. It should come as no surprise, then, that security studies would rise also on the agenda of America’s premiere school of public administration. In his strategic vision speech last spring, Dean Mitchel Wallerstein highlighted the need for “credible and substantial internal expertise” in security studies as a primary goal for Maxwell.

This fall, Public Administration added a concentration in international and national security policy; its four courses filled up immediately. But perhaps the biggest draw was History of American Strategic Practice, if not for the subject matter, then for its teacher: Montgomery C. Meigs, a decorated four-star general recruited to fill the Louis A. Bantle Chair in Business and Government Policy. (Meigs was one of three new faculty hires this fall bolstering national and international security.)

“We’re facing huge national challenges that require a lot of tough decisions and lots of work to support those decisions,” he says. “People going into government -- many of whom will wind up in some aspect of defense or intelligence -- need this expertise in their toolbox.”

Meigs joins the Maxwell School after two years as Slick Professor of World Peace at the University of Texas, Austin. Previously, he served in the U.S. Army for 35 years, most recently commanding Army forces in the U.S. European Command; before that he commanded NATO’s stabilization efforts during the Kosovo air campaign. Meigs, who also serves as a military analyst for NBC News, holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin.

“Monty is a deep thinker who can develop a very sophisticated policy analysis about contemporary issues,” says Jeffrey Straussman, chair of public administration. “It’s rare to find someone with his wealth of experience who also has an academic background and a natural ability to teach.”

Meigs was attracted to Maxwell by the opportunity to build an area of expertise at the nation’s top public policy school. While teaching, he also serves as advisor to the P.A. concentration on security policy and chairs a committee developing a University-wide certificate program in security studies.

“We’re trying to put together a critical mass in security studies,” says Meigs. “Once we get this going, it will put Maxwell and Syracuse University in the front rank of places that do this kind of work.”

The first step is introducing a wider worldview. “People need to understand that national security is a function of international security,” says Meigs. “We have perspectives about the world based on our own cultural lens and interests, and everyone out there is looking at us from their own perspectives. We have to understand our allies better. We have to understand the countries that don’t like us very much. We need to better understand how people look at us, as opposed to how we look at the world.”                                                                                                                                                 -- Renee Gearhart Levy

This article appeared in the Fall 2004 print edition of Maxwell Perspective; © 2004 Maxwell School of Syracuse University. To request a copy, e-mail dlcooke@maxwell.syr.edu.