2021–2022 Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence

Paul Lockhart

Paul Lockhart, Ph.D., professor of history, received the 2021–2022 Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence for his dedication to student success and award-winning research that has brought national and international attention to Wright State.

Throughout Lockhart’s time at Wright State, he has become an authority on military history. He has worked on several extensive public history projects, including a large collaborative commemoration of World War I.

Lockhart is a leading historian of 16th and 17th century Denmark and Scandinavia and has worked alongside history professors in Denmark and England. His research has been recognized internationally, and he has received several awards and fellowships.

Lockhart’s colleagues from around the globe say his expertise is extensive and outstanding.

“Lockhart is that rare kind of historian who is able to produce erudite scholarship of the highest academic standard, while at the same time also writing in a narrative style for a popular audience,” said Kim Wagner, professor of global and imperial history at the Queen Mary University of London. “There can be little doubt that Lockhart is an outstanding scholar, teacher and administrator.”

Lockhart’s most recent book, “Firepower,” explores 500 years of the history of firearms. The book has received widespread acclaim and positive reviews in the Wall Street Journal and The Daily Beast. Wagner commended Lockhart’s work on “Firepower” along with his books “The Drillmaster of Valley Forge” and “The Whites of Their Eyes” for bringing history closer to the public. Lockhart has authored seven books in total.

“As a genuine Renaissance scholar, Lockhart’s linguistic abilities are furthermore unrivaled, and he makes effective use of no less than nine European languages in his scholarship,” Wagner said. “Having seen parts of the manuscript for his forthcoming book, I can say with some confidence that this represents the high mark of his prestigious scholarship and literary skill.”

Lockhart was elected to the Royal Society for Danish History for his significant contributions to Denmark’s history. Four of his books focus on the history of Scandinavia, particularly the history of war in early modern Scandinavia. Membership in the Royal Society for Danish History is incredibly prestigious and is rarely extended to foreigners.