Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Jeffrey Engel

By: Angelina Garbarino

Dr. Jeffrey Engel, an assistant professor at The Bush School, has been passionate about history from a young age. After high school in Omaha, Dr. Engel attended Cornell University where he was mentored by Walter LaFeber, a renowned historian of U.S. foreign relations. Dr. Engel subsequently received his Masters and Ph.D. in American History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and studied at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University.

Early in his graduate studies Dr. Engel was fascinated by the local implications of diplomacy, which guided his graduate work and continues to influence his current research. His master's thesis examined the 1922 Washington Naval Conference, which had a dramatic impact on the local population resulting in the layoff of thousands of jobs because of the dissolution of naval shipyards. Engel's doctoral dissertation again focused on the theme of local affects of diplomacy, but also sent him back to England where he had done research as an undergraduate. His initial hypothesis about the post-WWII competition between the U.S. and England about the future of commercial aviation proved inaccurate, and evolved into a study of the two nations' attempts to gain supremacy in the field. The dissertation later became Dr. Engel's first book titled Cold War at 30,000 Feet: the Anglo-American Fight for Aviation Supremacy, and he simultaneously edited a collection of essays exploring diplomacy's human and regional impact, titled Local Consequences of the Global Cold War.

After graduate school Dr. Engel became a Principal Investigator at the National Parks Service in Washington D.C., followed by an Olin Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University, and then a move to the University of Pennsylvania. While Dr. Engel admits he wasn't specifically looking at a public service program for his next position, after meeting the Bush School faculty and students, and being impressed by the their enthusiasm and passion, he was happy to come to College Station in 2004.

Since his arrival, Dr. Engel has quickly acquired the respect of students and faculty. He uses humor and historical references to enhance the subject matter, resulting in classes that are both challenging and entertaining.

This upcoming spring Dr. Engel expects to publish a book titled The China Diary of George H.W Bush: The Making of a Global President, based on research done at the Bush presidential archives.

For more information on the education and employment of Dr. Engel click on the following link: http://bush.tamu.edu/faculty/jengel/