The newest member of the LBJ School's permanent faculty is Assistant Professor Frank Gavin, a historian with teaching and research interests in U.S. policy and national security affairs.

Gavin, who has a Ph.D. in diplomatic history from the University of Pennsylvania, believes that one of the most effective methods of examining U.S. foreign policy is through in-depth historical analysis. His retrospective approach aims at using "lessons of the past" in understanding how the policymaking process works and why certain policies succeed and others fail.

When asked why he opted to teach at the LBJ School instead of a history department, Gavin explained that he was drawn by the School's "nontraditional" environment. He said he found the practical relationship between research and teaching as well as the real-world experience of its faculty and students appealing. He was also enthusiastic about the high level of interaction between faculty and students, which he described as "a unique situation."

Gavin came to the School from the University of Virginia, where he directed the Presidency and Economic Policy Project at the Miller Center for Public Affairs. He previously was a John M. Olin Postdoctoral Fellow in National Security Affairs at Harvard University's Center for International Affairs and an International Security Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

This spring, Gavin taught two courses, one that examined U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century and another that explored the future of U.S. international relations.

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May 14, 2001

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