Frank Varney Adjunct Professor of History

Bio

B.A., William Paterson University
M.D., Cornell University
Ph.D., Cornell University

Areas of Expertise

Ph.D. – US history, Roman history, Greek history, Chinese history
Undergraduate – history, anthropology, archaeology, certification in secondary education

Courses I Teach

US History 101
History of Rome
On Memory (FYWS)
US Presidency

“I teach because I want to provide to our students the kind of support my teachers gave to me. There is, in my opinion, nothing more important than the ability to think critically. I try to reinforce that concept to my students so that they realize how important it is to educate themselves so that they can make informed life decisions.”

Current Research

My second book was recently published, and I have speaking engagements booked through Augst of 2024. So I am taking a break from research and writing for the moment.

Awards and Recognition

Awards (at Dickinson State University)
2018 Educator of the Year
2017 VPAA Research Grant
2016 Nominated for Outstanding Professor of the College of Arts and Sciences.
2015 Nominated for Innovative Professor of the Year.
2014 Awarded an honorary membership in the Order of the Iron Brigade.
2014 General Grant and the Rewriting of History was among the finalists for the Albert Castel Award, given every other year for the best book dealing with the controversies of the Civil War.
2013 General Grant and the Rewriting of History listed among “Best Civil War Books of 2013” by Civil War Monitor.
2013 Distinguished Professor of the year (the highest honor awarded by DSU)
2013 TRIO award as Outstanding Faculty Member (voted by DSU students)
2011 VPAA Research Grant

Awards (at Cornell)
2007 Knight Institute Teaching Fellowship
2007 Nominated for the Steven and Margery Russell Award for Teaching Excellence. (The highest honor the Cornell College of Arts and Sciences can bestow). I was the first graduate student to be so honored.
2007 Seminar “Using Primary Sources to Solve History’s Puzzles” selected as a model course by the Cornell University Day College Program.
2006-2007 Buttrick-Crippen Course Design Fellowship (to design a research methods course).
2006 Seminar “Gettysburg: An American Tragedy” selected as a model course by the Knight Writing Institute
2006 Meisel Conference Travel Grant
2005 Cornell Provost’s Diversity Fellowship
2005 Cornell Graduate School Conference Grant
2004-2005 LaFeber-Silbey Research Travel Grant
2003-2004 Cornell Graduate School Research Travel Grant
2003-2004 Mellon Dissertation Research Fellowship
2002 Seminar “The American Civil War: Defining a Nation” selected as a model course by the Knight Writing Institute .
1998-1999 Sage Fellowship