McDaniel College announces new National Security Program

McDaniel College announces Francis Grice, associate professor of political science and international studies, as the director of the college’s new National Security Program.

The National Security Program pairs with any program of study and provides McDaniel students with robust knowledge, skills, and experience in national security as well as the ability to specialize in an area of interest, such as interstate conflict, intra-state political violence, cybersecurity, ethics, and human rights.

Grice has coordinated with other McDaniel political science faculty, as well as faculty in computer science, history, philosophy, sociology, among others, with interests in this field to offer the 34-credit program.

“While it has strong roots in Political Science, national security is a field that increasingly spans across multiple disciplines,” said Grice. “The design of the program will empower students to take numerous electives in departments with relevant courses across the college in a fluid and dynamic way.”

Selected through a competitive application process, students for the program are recognized as National Security Fellows upon completion of the program.

The students choose from 50-plus courses that include “Cold War as Global Conflict,” “Nonviolence: Gandhi, King and Mandela,” “Artificial Intelligence,” “National Security in a Changing World,” “The Nuclear Age,” and “Gender, Violence, and Crime.” They select three significant pre-professional experiences from Model United Nations, European Union, Arab League, and other security simulations as well as opportunities to intern, collaborate with faculty on research, and various summer programs.

Fellows receive a $250 grant to spend on a National Security-related event or project during their junior or senior year. They also benefit from dedicated National Security advising and guidance and may participate in Foreign Service Preparatory sessions.

For students who do not want to commit to the level of the Fellows program, there is an option to sign up as an affiliate to receive information about events, job and internship opportunities, and professional development activities.

Before coming to McDaniel in 2014, Francis Grice taught for three years at the United Kingdom’s Joint Services Command and Staff College in his native Great Britain. His research focuses on security studies and international relations, especially in China, North Korea, Japan, and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Currently, he is examining the security factors that influence the rise and fall of totalitarian regimes.

Grice teaches “International Relations of the Asia-Pacific,” “International Law & Organization,” and “Heroic Leaders & Evil Tyrants” courses. He also coaches the college’s National Model United Nations team.

He published “The Myth of Mao Zedong and Modern Insurgency” in 2019 and also has written several articles, including “Tibetan Insurgency and Resistance” in “The Handbook of Terrorist and Insurgent Groups: Tactics, Strategies, and Characteristics,” “The Improbability of Popular Rebellion in Kim Jong-un's North Korea and Policy Alternatives for the USA” from the “Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs 4,” and “4 Frightening Ways North Korea's Nuclear Weapons May Actually Be Used” in “The National Interest.” Grice co-edited “The Palgrave Handbook of Global Counterterrorism Policy” and “The Future of US Warfare.”

Grice earned a Ph.D. in defence studies from King’s College London and holds a master’s degree in international relations and modern history from the University of St. Andrews as well as a master’s degree in international public policy from the University College London. He resides in Baltimore.

For more information about the National Security Program, visit www.mcdaniel.edu/national-security-fellows-program.

Additional information about Francis Grice can be found at www.mcdaniel.edu/directory/francis-grice.

Visit www.mcdaniel.edu for more information about McDaniel College.

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McDaniel College, founded in 1867, is a four-year, independent college of the liberal arts and sciences offering more than 70 undergraduate programs of study, including pre-professional specializations and student-designed majors, and over 20 graduate programs. One of 40 “Colleges That Change Lives,” McDaniel emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop the unique potential in every student. Represented by the Green Terror, its 24 athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. A student-centered community of 1,800 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students offers access to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., plus a European campus in Budapest, Hungary. www.mcdaniel.edu