James Hedtke, Ph.D., came to Cabrini College to make a difference in students’ lives.
“I am fully committed to Frances Cabrini’s philosophy of providing students with an 'education of the heart.' This is a place where people strive to do extraordinary things,” says Hedtke, who joined the history and political science department in 1973 and became a full-time faculty member in 1983. He says coming to campus every day is a joy.
Hedtke describes his teaching philosophy as simple and straightforward. “I always strive to be competent, fair, enthusiastic about the material, and genuinely concerned about the welfare of the students,” says Hedtke.
Hedtke earned a bachelor's degree of science from Saint Joseph’s University, a master’s from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. from Temple University.
His research interests include the American presidency, the United States Civil War, and World War II, as well as research on the Freckleton Air Disaster, which took place in 1944 when a United States Army Air Force B-24 Liberator crashed into the center of the English village of Freckleton, Lancashire.
Hedtke has authored two books, Lame Duck Presidents: Myth or Reality, and Civil War Professional Soldiers, Citizen Soldiers and Native American Soldiers of Genesee County, New York: Ordinary Men of Valor, the latter of which he edited and researched with students.
He writes book reviews for Choice, a higher education magazine, and is a member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) Speaker’s Bureau.
He also has made numerous presentations to area audiences on the presidency, terrorism, and the American Civil War, including one at the Pennsylvania Civil War Show commemorating the war’s 150th anniversary.
A native of Batavia, N.Y., Hedtke has a passion for baseball, gardening, and traveling. He also maintains an intense curiosity about the American Civil War. He is married and lives with his wife, Judy, in Broomall, Pa. They have three daughters.
Contact Information:
James Hedtke, Ph.D.
Professor, History and Political Science
Grace Hall, Room 249
610-902-8336
james.r.hedtke@cabrini.edu