Prof. Nina Silber Awarded Jon Westling Professorship in History
The Jon Westling Professorship in History was created through the philanthropic support of Trustee Emeritus Richard B. DeWolfe and other donors, and honors former Boston University President and Professor of History Jon Westling. The professorship is awarded to an outstanding faculty member working in any subfield of history.
Professor Nina Silber is an accomplished and influential scholar and a leader in her field. The current Chair of the Department of History, she also has an outstanding record of training graduate students and of service to the University and the broader scholarly community. In addition to three co-edited volumes, Professor Silber (of no relation to former Boston University President John Silber) has four single-authored books, which together have established her as a leading voice in both Civil War history and women’s history. Her most recent book, Fighting the Civil War in New Deal America (University of North Carolina Press, 2018), is achingly timely, speaking clearly to how the struggles of that time continue to shadow us, as highlighted by the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol. In her scholarly work there is not only a rare combination of quality and quantity but also public impact and scholarly range across sub-fields. In addition to writing for The New York Times and the Washington Post, Professor Silber has worked on public history projects at museums and in film and television. She publishes prize-winning books that are widely cited and have had major impacts in a variety of different subfields. And she has trained a substantial number of graduate students who are making their own mark. In recognition of her work and impact on the field, Professor Silber was elected president of the Society of Civil War Historians (2018-2020).
Former University President and Professor of History Jon Westling, who recently passed away, was not only a great scholar of history and a dedicated administrative leader at BU, he was also a passionate teacher.