Jeff Strickland

Background

About Jeff Strickland

I am an academic leader with more than two decades of experience in public higher education, including senior administrative roles in honors education, department leadership, and university-wide strategic initiatives. I currently serve as Executive Director of The John Martinson Honors EDGE at Montclair State University and Professor of History. I lead a cross-college academic unit that supports top-performing students through high-impact learning experiences focused on creativity, leadership, interdisciplinary thinking, and public engagement. I secured a $5 million philanthropic gift to support the program’s expansion and developed a five-year operational plan aligned with an $18.5 million institutional investment. My work includes overseeing curriculum development, experiential programs, faculty partnerships, and national initiatives in innovation and student success. Previously, I served as Chair of the History Department for seven years, where I expanded enrollment, redesigned core curriculum, and built new programs in public and digital history. My scholarly background in the U.S. South, race, and historical memory continues to shape my commitment to the liberal arts as a foundation for inquiry, citizenship, and professional development. I am a 2025–26 participant in AASCU’s Becoming a Provost Academy and a 2023–25 Higher Education Academic Leadership Fellow. I also serve on Montclair State’s Strategic Framework Team and Middle States Self-Study Committee. Over the course of my career, I’ve secured more than in external funding, including multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. My leadership is guided by collaboration, transparency, and a deep belief in the power of higher education to expand opportunity, advance knowledge, and prepare students to shape the future. Whether leading honors or the liberal arts, I strive to create academic communities that are student-centered, faculty-supported, and mission-aligned.