University of Arkansas History Professor Awarded Mellon Fellowship

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Randall Woods, the John A. Cooper Professor of History

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas history professor Randall Woods spent two weeks in England this April as a Paul Mellon Visiting Professor at Cambridge University.Woods conducted a seminar for doctoral students and served as keynote speaker for “The Age of Lyndon Johnson” conference.Woods, the John A. Cooper Professor of History in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has written an acclaimed biography of President Johnson. He was chosen as a Mellon Fellow by Tony Badger, the Paul Mellon Professor of American History and master of Clare College at the University of Cambridge, who noted Woods’ expertise on Johnson’s administration

“It was an honor to represent the University of Arkansas and Fulbright College at Cambridge,” said Woods. “We discussed American foreign affairs during the Johnson administration. Clare College has a strong American history program, and I enjoyed working with their doctoral students.”

Woods had two individual meetings with each of the students in addition to three seminars a week with the 12-member group.

Woods is known and respected internationally for his knowledge and understanding of the Johnson administration. He shared the conference stage with historians and scholars from Columbia University, the University of Cambridge, the University of East Anglia and the University of Oxford.

The Paul Mellon Professor of American History at Clare College hosts an annual international conference, choosing an expert to headline the meeting, and Badger had many reasons for choosing Woods to serve as this year’s Mellon Fellow. Woods is the author of seven books that examine American society, diplomacy and policy against a variety of historical and political eras, including Vietnam and the Cold War. His 2006 work, LBJ: Architect of American Ambition, is widely regarded as one of the premiere studies on the controversial American president. He has also written a biography of Sen. J. William Fulbright.