William Anthony Hay lives much of his life analyzing the past, trying to encourage students to live examined lives of their own.
Hay, an award-winning scholar whose recent accolades include being elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, enjoys his role as a bridge between scholarship and promoting intellectual engagement among students. At a young age, Hay became fascinated with history and literature. Now, he uses his position as an associate professor of history at Mississippi State to encourage young scholars to find their own intellectual spark.
"One of our goals at the university is to have students leave with more than they brought and enter their next stage in life with an intellectual curiosity," said Hay.
With a background at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Penn., and author of several books, Hay works to stay tuned in to the most current thought on history and related fields. Recent works explore British politics during the age of the American and French Revolutions. He also reviews books regularly for the Wall Street Journal and other national publications.
Hay takes pride in assisting with MSU's Institute for the Humanities, which helps expose students and the greater university community to many authors and artists from across the United States and overseas.
"Students shouldn't just get this in the classroom," he said. "The university is about pursuing the life of a mind long after they leave campus."