The Big Ten Leadership Program selected Friederike Baer, associate professor of history and the division head for Arts and Humanities at Penn State Abington, as a fellow for the 2023-24 year.

She was nominated for the fellowship based on her demonstrated exceptional abilities and administrative promise. 

ALP is an intensive, yearlong professional development experience that addresses the challenges of academic administration at major research universities.

It will support Baer and other fellows in developing advanced leadership and managerial skills and their understanding of universities as dynamic and inclusive institutions in the diverse, complex and evolving higher education landscape.

It was created by the Big Ten Academic Leadership Alliance, the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. 

Baer is one of six ALP fellows from Penn State who will collaborate with faculty and executive-level professional staff from universities across the country during workshops and seminars.    

“I’m excited because this fellowship is for academic leaders with a proven record of excellence who are interested in further developing their leadership skills in higher education,” Baer said. 

Baer is a distinguished scholar who earned a doctorate in early American history from Brown University. Her research focuses on the experiences of German-speaking people in North America from the 1770s to the late 19th century. 

Baer’s latest book, “Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War”, earned the 2023 Society of the Cincinnati Prize for her groundbreaking reimagining of Britain’s war against American independence from the perspective of the German soldiers, a people uniquely positioned both in the midst of the war and at its margins.  

Read more about this prestigious fellowship and Baer’s scholarly contributions on Penn State Abington’s website.

Friederike Baer on Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War