Posted by BEN BEAUMONT – In the spirit of our “Academics for the Real World” philosophy here at the Clinton School, today we will welcome presidential historian, bestselling author and television commentator Michael Beschloss to Sturgis Hall for a noontime speech. Beschloss, NBC’s official presidential historian, embodies this philosophy because of his unique ability to take a very academic approach toward presidential history, while at the same time writing and presenting it in a way that appeals to the masses.
Beschloss does not own a PhD. in history. In fact, his highest academic degree is an M.B.A., and he was studying political science as a 24-year-old undergraduate when he published his first book, Kennedy and Roosevelt: The Uneasy Alliance, about the relationship between F.D.R. and Joseph P. Kennedy.
While this book and seven others by Beschloss received high praise from the main-stream media, it was not as welcomed by the academic community of historians. It seems Beschloss’ lack of a PhD, his celebrity status and his political approach, irk many academics. Rhodes College professor and fellow Clinton School speaker Michael Nelson discussed this “misguided” attitude of academia in a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Here’s an excerpt:
Michael Beschloss is a good-looking man. He has a soft, pleasant voice. He is on television all the time, it seems. His books about modern American history are reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post Book World, even in Time and Newsweek. … His highest academic degree is an M.B.A., and he is a member of no college or university faculty.
Beschloss is an intellectual lightweight, right? Wrong, but there is no shortage of academic historians who think he is. Their attitude is misguided. More to the point, it reveals a weakness in the scholarly community that is part guild mentality, part celebrity envy, and part disciplinary retreat from the vast terrain of political history.
Regardless of his academic credentials, it’s impossible to argue against Beschloss’ popularity. Sturgis Hall will be packed to the brim today with people eager to hear from him. We’re excited he’s here.
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