Troy Paddock – a history professor at Southern who specializes in topics related to imperial Germany and propaganda in World War I – has been bestowed with one of the most prestigious faculty recognition awards by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.
Paddock was recently designated as a Connecticut State University Professor for his excellence in the areas of creative activity (research), teaching and service. The process includes a peer review.
Southern, Central, Western and Eastern Connecticut State universities can each have up to three such professors. Paddock fills a Southern vacancy, left by the recent retirement of David Levine, who had been a professor of art history. He joins Vivian Shipley, professor of English, and Elliott Horch, professor of physics, as part of Southern’s contingent of CSU Professors.
“Our students are fortunate to have a scholar with Dr. Paddock’s credentials participating in their education,” said SCSU President Joe Bertolino. “Twice the chair of his department, he has taught many different courses in history, seven of which he created.”
Bertolino pointed out that Paddock has earned several faculty awards during his 23-year tenure at Southern. In 2008, he was promoted to a full professor, and was selected as the recipient for the Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees Research Award. In 2015, he earned the SCSU Faculty Scholar Award, and in 2017, was chosen for the Robert Jirsa Service Award.
One of his most recent works includes authoring the book, Contesting the Origins of the First World War: An Historiographical Argument, published by Routledge Press. He has written multiple book chapters and articles, and has presented papers at various state, national and international academic conferences. Paddock has been a panelist at forums at Southern that focused on World War I and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He was recommended for the award by Southern’s CSU Professorship Advisory Committee, led by chair Adiel Coca. Several Southern faculty members were among those offering letters of recommendation, including Tim Parrish, professor of English.
“I am not a historian, but I have read professor Paddock’s outstanding work, and its deep insight, compelling arguments, and lucid writing that make his work accessible even to someone not in his field,” Parrish wrote.
“No matter my field of specialization, it is easy for me to recognize a prolific scholar who is publishing books, monographs, articles, and book chapters with competitive publishers and refereed journals, and also serving as editor of the work of his peers…Professor Paddock has made me smarter with his approachable, astute writing and public presentations. And he has managed to make his research of ‘The Great War’ serve as a lens through which to see and think about the politics of our time.”
Chelsea Harry, assistant chair of the Philosophy Department, lauded Paddock for his ability and willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries and called him a “world-class academic.” She also pointed out his work with students.
“Dr. Paddock clearly shares his multi-disciplinary expertise with his students, no doubt broadening their horizons and even challenging their conceptions about disciplinary borders,” she said.
He earned his Ph.D. in late modern European history from the University of California at Berkeley.
“There are so many talented and hard-working faculty at Southern who are deserving of this honor,” Paddock said. “I am honored and humbled that the CSU Professorship Advisory Committee recommended me, and that (Provost Robert Prezant and President Joe Bertolino) agreed. I am also grateful that Tim Parrish nominated me for this honor.”
