Mikaberidze first LSUS faculty to be named Boyd Professor, LSU System’s highest honor

History professor Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze became the first LSUS faculty member to earn the rank of Boyd Professor, the highest and most prestigious academic rank in the LSU System.

History professor Alexander Mikaberidze became the first LSU Shreveport faculty to be designated the rank of Boyd Professor, the highest and most prestigious academic rank in the LSU System. The LSU Board of Supervisors voted Mikaberidze to the Boyd Professor rank as he joined five other LSU professors in the Class of 2025.

Mikaberidze, who has established himself as an internationally renowned historian who’s profoundly shaped the study of Napoleonic and military history, has authored an extraordinary body of work. “There are two words that best summarize Alexander’s contribution to Napoleonic historiography: prodigious and irreplaceable,” wrote Michael Broers, University of Oxford professor, in one of 31 letters of support as part of Mikaberidze’s nomination. “They are not always terms readily accorded to scholars, but Alexander is one of a very rare, select band to whom they both apply.”

His 2020 book, “The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History” won the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Prize and the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for Military History.

A subsequent work, “Kutuzov: A Life of War and Peace,” detailed the perspective of Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Golenischev-Kutusov, who ordered a controlled retreat that sacrificed Moscow but ultimately stopped the French Grande Armee from capturing all of Russia in the early 19th century. Mikaberidze captured his second Distinguished Book Award from the Society for Military History, placing him in an elite category of historians recognized multiple times for groundbreaking research. With much of the established body of research from this era focused on the French perspective, Mikaberidze’s work places Napoleon’s France within a global context and perspective, analyzing its impact around the world at that time and into the present.

His three-volume series on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, extensive translations of Russian memoirs, and co-editorship of “The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars” further attest to the enduring significance of his contributions. Mikaberidze has authored or edited/translated more than 30 books, with countless research articles and presentations delivered.

“His publications, awards, invitations to speak, his reputation for diligence, his collegiality and respect for his students, as well as his incredible work ethic all demonstrate that Dr. Mikaberidze is worthy of the distinguished and highest professorial rank of the Boyd Professorship,” read a joint letter from LSUS Provost Helen Taylor and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Tibor Szarvas. “He is revered around the world for his attention to detail, his persistent digging into obscure primary source material, and his command of narrative, ‘makes his subject come wonderfully alive,’ says Times Literary Supplement in a review.”

Mikaberidze is currently a Fulbright Scholar and a regular invitee to the Smithsonian Institute and Museum, where he offers day-long seminars and other discussions. Other top honors among a litany of recognition include The John Elting Prize (2016) from the Napoleonic Historical Society, Legion d’Honneur (2011) from the International Napoleonic Society, and a two-time LSUS Professor of the Year from the Student Government Association.

Mikaberidze joined the LSUS faculty in 2007 as a history faculty member and as the Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair for the Curatorship of the James Smith Noel Collection. This collection is the largest private collection of antiquarian books, prints, and maps in the United States (close to 250,000 volumes). A student favorite, Mikaberidze brings his knowledge and love of history to the classroom, famously dressing as Napoleon for one class each semester.

“Dr. Mikaberidze is a truly exceptional faculty member in all three traditional areas of teaching, research and service,” said LSUS Chancellor Robert Smith. “In addition to being an internationally renowned scholar, he also gives exceptional service as a faculty member here on campus, participates fully in service, and consistently earns outstanding teaching evaluations.”

The honorific was established in 1953 by the LSU Board of Supervisors after brothers David and Thomas Boyd, former faculty members and presidents of the flagship university.

Nominations for the Boyd Professorship are initiated in the college, routed for review and support at the campus level, then considered by the LSU Boyd Professorship Review Committee, which seeks confidential evaluations from dozens of distinguished scholars in the candidate’s field of expertise. Once endorsed by the review committee, the nomination is forwarded to the LSU president and Board of Supervisors for consideration.

Dr. Mikaberidze shared the following message with our campus community:

THANK YOU for the many kind messages and words of support! I am truly overwhelmed by this outpouring of encouragement, and I hope you will forgive this single message as my way of thanking you and expressing what is in my heart.

Having spent the past eighteen years at LSUS, I have come to see it as a community of remarkable people - colleagues, students, and staff - who challenge and encourage one another to grow, improve, and reach beyond what we ourselves thought possible. Whatever I may have accomplished has been possible only because I have been helped, sustained, and inspired by this environment. I am also deeply mindful of the broader Shreveport-Bossier community, which welcomed me so warmly. Their support and encouragement have reminded me, time and again, that what I/we do cannot exist in isolation, but flourishes when it is rooted in a community that values learning, service, and progress.

This honor, then, is less mine than it is a testament to our collective spirit. I am VERY proud to have spent so many years here, and I am grateful beyond words for the colleagues and students who have made each year meaningful and inspiring. To each and every one of you, I owe a debt of profound gratitude. To be the first Boyd Professor at LSUS is not an individual achievement - it is a shared milestone, and I hope that when I return from overseas, we can celebrate together.

Whatever lies ahead, I will carry this recognition as a reminder of the many hands and hearts that have shaped my path. THANK YOU - all of you - for making this journey so rich and rewarding!