Former physics major, Jack S. Levy ’70 chose Mudd for its breadth in academics. And it’s a good thing he did because somewhere along the way, he fell in love with a different science—political.

“Mudd’s superb reputation—combined with the fact that it was small, accessible and broader academically than most technical schools—was attractive to me,” says Levy, who was named the 2007-08 president of the International Studies Association, considered the world's premier organization for the study of international politics. “It opened doors and allowed me to find my true passion, while at the same time giving me a solid undergraduate education.”

Levy didn’t totally abandon the sciences—he still earned his degree in physics—but soon after kissed the Sunshine State goodbye and headed to the University of Wisconsin Madison for his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science.

Fast-forward 37 years and Levy is one of the preeminent political scientists in the country. A professor at Rutgers, Levy's research focuses on war and peace. And in true Mudd form, he collaborates with students in his work. One such project built upon his longstanding research on preventive war. Levy’s team investigated and contested the common notion that democracies do not fight preventative wars. In their argument, they identified conditions under which democracies are most likely to do so.

Prior to Rutgers, Levy, author of “War in the Modern Great Power System, 1495-1975” (University Press of Kentucky, 1983), held prestigious positions at the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas, Austin, as well as visiting or adjunct positions at Tulane, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and New York Universities.