Renowned security/intelligence expert named first director of APSU Institute for National Security and Military Studies
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Last spring, Austin Peay State University announced it was creating the state’s first Institute for National Security and Military Studies, and now – with a new Bachelor of Science in National Security Studies set to begin this fall – the university has hired a renowned security and intelligence studies expert to lead this new program.
On Feb. 1, Dr. Matthew Crosston, senior research fellow for the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel, will become the inaugural director of Austin Peay’s new institute. Crosston is also senior advisor for the Research Institute for European and American Studies in Athens, Greece; senior fellow at the China Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research in Nanjing, China; executive vice chairman of ModernDiplomacy.eu; and a former professor of strategic intelligence and global security at the American Military University.
“I am deeply honored and humbled about being offered the opportunity to become the institute’s inaugural director,” Crosston said. “Regardless of anyone’s background, professional career or personal interests, the fact of the matter is that everyone cares about the subjects we will address at the institute, everyone has a take, everyone finds what we do fascinating. That is a heavy but inspiring responsibility about which we are all wildly passionate.”
The institute, housed within the APSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, will oversee three areas of focus:
- Educational programs (both credit and noncredit).
- Military outreach activities.
- Interdisciplinary research on national security, intelligence and military life.
“Austin Peay, with its proximity to the Fort Campbell Army Post, is the state’s leading provider of higher education to military-affiliated students, and we’re not only proud of this fact – we take it very seriously,” APSU President Mike Licari said last spring. “This institute will allow us to provide exemplary and unprecedented levels of educational and professional programs not only to these students but also to other individuals who are interested in advancing their careers in national security.”
In the coming months, Crosston will fine-tune the program and help develop the institute’s identity. He plans to use his experience and expertise to garner it an international reputation.
“While the original idea for this may have started with the goal of being an important organization for the state of Tennessee, it is my hope and intention to drive the institute into becoming one of the world's major contributors to and make the name Austin Peay synonymous with the study of national security and military affairs in every way possible,” he said. “If it is good to live in interesting times, then these are interesting times indeed!”
Crosston earned his doctorate in political science from Brown University, his Master of Arts in the politics of transition and development from University College London and his Bachelor of Arts in Russian Studies from Colgate University. He serves on the advisory board of the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and he recently advised on the development of two new doctoral programs at St. John’s University and North Carolina State University, in Homeland Security Management and International Security, respectively.
More information on Crosston, including his extensive publication record, is available online at https://brown.academia.edu/DrMatthewCrosston.
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