Announcing the Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. Professorship in International Security
The Fletcher School is honored to announce the establishment of the Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. Professorship in International Security, a permanent tribute to a scholar whose half century of leadership shaped the contours of global security education. This endowed professorship, made possible by the remarkable generosity of alumni, faculty, friends, and matching support from Tufts University, ensures that The Fletcher School’s excellence in international security will continue to thrive well into the future.
Professor Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. — a scholar, mentor, public intellectual and trusted advisor — joined Fletcher in 1971 and founded the International Security field of study and International Security Studies Program (ISSP), establishing it as a global center for rigorous inquiry, critical thinking and strategic pedagogy. For over fifty years, his visionary leadership guided generations of students through nuanced understandings of crisis management, strategic thinking and policy analysis — teaching them not what to think, but how to think.
Beyond the classroom, Pfaltzgraff’s impact resonated in corridors of power. He founded the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis (IFPA) and served governments, military institutions and global audiences as a pre-eminent voice on defense, alliance strategy, counter-proliferation and security architecture. His counsel shaped national debates and influenced strategy at the highest levels. As a mentor, he served on more doctoral committees than any other faculty member at Fletcher, leaving a lasting imprint on scholars, policymakers and practitioners across the globe.
To honor Pfaltzgraff’s extraordinary contributions, Professor Richard H. Shultz, Jr., a distinguished scholar and longtime director of ISSP, led the effort to establish this professorship. In doing so, he had many outstanding partners, most importantly Nihal Goonewardene F73 and Patricia Brown, Fletcher director of development. Shultz’s unwavering commitment and strategic guidance were instrumental in honoring the legacy of his mentor — and ensuring that Fletcher remains a beacon of excellence in international security.
“Bob’s plan was not just to establish an International Security field at Fletcher,” says Professor Shultz, “but to also buttress it with a program of experiential learning for students in crisis exercises, conferences focused on strategic challenges, and engagements with senior level civilian and military leaders.” He continues, “Bob had an amazing vision, sustained to this very day at Fletcher through ISSP. He was such a difference maker for all of us.”
As Dean of The Fletcher School, Kelly Sims Gallagher, welcomed this professorship as both a tribute to Fletcher’s history and a bold step toward its future.
“With the establishment of this professorship, we are able to honor Bob’s legacy and ensure his influence is sustained for generations to come so that future students of international security will continue to be able to be trained at Fletcher as Bob wished,” says Dean Gallagher.
Professor Abigail Linnington F04 F13 has been appointed the inaugural Pfaltzgraff Professor. A Professor of Practice in ISSP, she brings an exceptional blend of academic rigor, strategic insight, and service. A graduate of West Point and Fletcher, she teaches national security, strategy, civil resistance and security sector reform — and was recipient of Fletcher’s James L. Paddock Teaching Award in 2022.
Retiring at the rank of U.S. Army Colonel after 25 years, Linnington’s leadership includes serving as special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as key roles at the Department of Defense in European security and special operations planning. Her extraordinary career exemplifies the values — intellectual discipline, mentorship, leadership, and service — that define Pfaltzgraff’s enduring legacy.
This endowed professorship, and Linnington’s appointment as its inaugural holder, stands as a powerful affirmation of Fletcher’s dedication to developing thoughtful, strategic leaders ready to engage the world’s most pressing security challenges. It ensures that the spirit of inquiry, integrity and mentorship embodied by Pfaltzgraff continues to thrive.