David Petraeus Joins CUNY Faculty, Brings Intern Experience

General Petreaus is now Dr. Petraeus and will be teaching a 1-1 load a the City University of New York.

General Petreaus is now Dr. Petraeus and will be teaching a 1-1 load a the City University of New York.

The Hill (“Petraeus takes taking job at New York college“)

Petraeus will be teaching at the City University of New York beginning in August, the school said Tuesday, where he will be a visiting professor of public policy at the Macaulay Honors College.

The former CIA director and four-star general is taking the job less than a year after resigning from the CIA amid revelations of his affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.

Before joining the CIA, Petraeus was recognized for his role commanding U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and as the architect of the “surge” in Iraq.

Petraeus said in a statement that he would be teaching a seminar that “examines the developments that could position the United States — and our North American partners — to lead the world out of the current global economic slowdown.”

In announcing the hire, the university lauded the retired general for a long military and public service career — as well as his writings and PhD from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

“CUNY is profoundly honored to welcome Dr. Petraeus to our academic community,” CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said in a statement.

“With his appointment, our students will have a unique opportunity to learn about public policy firsthand from a distinguished leader with extraordinary experience and expertise in intern,” he added.

That’s an unfortunate edit. I wait with bated breath, though, to learn how an IR degree and a background in counterinsurgency translates to fixing the global economy.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Triumph says:

    Remember that Patraeus was actually a member of Broadwell’s dissertation committee at the LSE. Although their relationship was consensual, most universities have prohibitions against sexual relationships between students and those evaluating their work.

    Really strange that CUNY would give him a gig given his transgressions.