Three Distinguished Faculty Members Named LSU Boyd Professors

The LSU Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Sept. 4 to name Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Dr. James Garand, and Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk as Boyd Professors. The Boyd Professorship, established by the LSU Board of Supervisors in 1953, is the most distinguished and highest professorial rank awarded by LSU. The honor recognizes faculty members who bring honor and prestige to the university through national and as appropriate, international recognition for outstanding achievements.

The newest Boyd Professors are:

• Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Fred C. Frey Endowed Chair, Department of History, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, LSU A&M
• James Garand, Emogene Pliner Distinguished Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, LSU A&M
• Peter Katzmarzyk, Marie Edana Corcoran Endowed Chair in Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes and Associate Executive Director for Population and Public Health Sciences, Pennington Biomedical Research Center

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"This is a historic moment for LSU. Since it was established 73 years ago, only 85 faculty members from across all of LSU's campuses have ever been named Boyd Professors," said President Wade Rousse. "It is a tremendous honor that reflects the lasting contributions of these faculty members. On behalf of the LSU family, I extend my sincere congratulations to Drs. Sheehan-Dean, Garand, and Katzmarzyk."

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 Chancellor, President, and Board of Supervisors for consideration.

With this distinction, a Boyd Professor's compensation is elevated to reflect the stature of LSU's most distinguished faculty, with a salary set at no less than the 95th percentile of full professors in comparable disciplines at peer public institutions across the southeastern United States. They also receive an annual stipend to further support their research and scholarly pursuits.

"Boyd Professors represent the highest levels of academic and research excellence at LSU," said Chancellor Jim Dalton. "The title is both an honor and an important responsibility. These scholars are recognized as leaders not only among our faculty but also among their peers around the world, helping us in our pursuit of becoming a top 50 public research university. Today, we celebrate the many accomplishments of Drs. Sheehan-Dean, Garand, and Katzmarzyk, and look forward to what they will achieve next."

Please join us in congratulating these faculty on this outstanding accomplishment.

Aaron Sheehan-Dean
Fred C. Frey Endowed Chair
Department of History
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
LSU A&M

Sheehan-Dean is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar of nineteenth-century U.S. history, with expertise in the Civil War and Reconstruction, the history of the U.S. South, and early American history. Since arriving at LSU in 2013, Dr. Sheehan-Dean has published three single-authored academic monographs, five edited volumes, thirteen articles and book chapters, and the most recent edition of a well-regarded U.S. history textbook. Since joining LSU, Dr. Sheehan-Dean's scholarly productivity and body of work have surpassed what most historians are able to publish over the course of their entire careers, placing him at the very top of the historical profession.

He is the author of Why Confederates Fought: Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia, The Calculus of Violence: How Americans Fought the Civil War, Reckoning with Rebellion: War and Sovereignty in the Nineteenth Century, and Fighting with the Past: How Seventeenth-Century History Shaped the American Civil War. Awards for The Calculus of Violence include the Tonous and Warda Johns Family Book Award from the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association, the Distinguished Writing Award from the Army Historical Foundation, the Jefferson Davis Book Prize from the American Civil War Museum, and a Choice Outstanding Academic Title designation.

In addition, Sheehan-Dean has shaped the field through major editorial projects, including The Cambridge History of the American Civil War and A Companion to the U.S. Civil War. He is a series editor for the University of North Carolina Press's "Civil War America" series and has held leadership and editorial roles in professional organizations and scholarly publications. His work as a co-author of American Horizons: U.S. History in a Global Context, now in its fifth edition, extends his influence to students and instructors across the country and beyond.

At LSU, Sheehan-Dean has taught courses in the Civil War, southern history, and U.S. history; directed and served on graduate student committees; and served multiple terms as chair of the Department of History. Maintaining such a prolific scholarly record while serving as department chair is rare, given the significant administrative responsibilities of the role. His record reflects not only his distinction as a scholar but also his effectiveness as a leader and his tremendous service to LSU.

James Garand
Emogene Pliner Distinguished Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
LSU A&M

Garand is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar of American politics whose research examines public opinion, electoral politics and behavior, legislative politics, domestic political economy, and state politics.

Over a career spanning four decades at LSU, Garand has published approximately 100 articles and chapters, co-edited two book-length collections, participated in over 200 professional conferences, and mentored dozens of students who have gone on to make their own marks in academia and professional areas. With an h-index of 40 and over 5,600 citations (Google Scholar), his work has appeared in leading political science journals, including American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Politics, and British Journal of Political Science.

Garand has received multiple university-wide honors, including the LSU Senior Rainmaker Award (2009), the LSU Distinguished Research Master Award (2006), the LSU Foundation Distinguished Faculty Award (2001), and the LSU Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award (1997). His professional accolades include the Manning Dauer Award from the Southern Political Science Association (2025) for "exceptional service to the profession" and the Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Public Policy Section of the American Political Science Association (2023). A longtime member and leader of the American Political Science Association, Garand has championed its regional affiliates and held leadership positions including president and vice president of the Southern Political Science Association. In 2025, the association created the "James C. Garand Mentoring Award" in his honor, an endowed award to be presented annually.

Taken together, Garand's scholarship, professional service, and mentorship have established him as a leading voice in his field. His research addresses consequential questions across the discipline, appears in its most respected journals, and has shaped both scholarly debate and public understanding. His influence also extends well beyond his own publications. Through collaboration, advising, and professional guidance, he has supported students and junior colleagues and helped prepare successive generations of scholars and practitioners. Few scholars combine this level of research distinction with such sustained service to the discipline and commitment to developing others.

Peter Katzmarzyk
Marie Edana Corcoran Endowed Chair in Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes, Associate Executive Director for Population and Public Health Sciences
Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Katzmarzyk is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar of obesity whose research examines physical activity, sedentary behavior, obesity, chronic disease prevention, pediatric health, and health disparities.

Katzmarzyk has produced more than 745 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific and medical journals, including The Lancet, The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and The New England Journal of Medicine. According to Clarivate's Web of Science, he has 58,000 citations in the world literature, an H-index of 109, and has been named a Highly Cited Researcher for six consecutive years, placing him among the top 1% of scientists globally. His work has advanced scientific knowledge and informed public health guidelines and interventions designed to reduce the burden of chronic disease.

Katzmarzyk was among the first investigators to demonstrate that public health considerations should encompass not only people's leisure-time physical activity levels but also their patterns of sedentary behavior. Using daily sitting time as a measure of sedentary behavior, his research was the first to show that sedentary behavior itself is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality; the 2009 paper reporting these findings has received more than 1,200 citations. The findings have since been replicated in studies worldwide and have contributed to the inclusion of sedentary behavior guidelines in public health messaging from the World Health Organization and several countries.

Since joining the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in 2007, he has secured nearly $58 million in funding as a principal investigator from agencies and organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Heart Association, and other nonprofit organizations and foundations.

Katzmarzyk is a fellow of the American Heart Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, The Obesity Society, and the Human Biology Association, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American College of Sports Medicine. In 2015, he delivered the Paffenbarger Lecture at the College's annual meeting, an honor considered among the highest distinctions in the field of physical activity epidemiology. In 2022, he received the College's Citation Award, another of its highest honors.

Katzmarzyk has served on numerous national and international committees, including the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Evidence-Based Practice Committee at the American College of Sports Medicine. Through these roles, he has contributed to shaping public health policies and practices.