Fred Drogula

An internationally recognized historian of the Roman Republic, Fred Drogula will join the University of Virginia’s Department of Classics in fall 2027 as the Melville Foundation Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor.

Drogula’s research has reshaped the study of Roman political institutions by challenging long-held assumptions about how the Republic functioned. Rather than interpreting ancient government through modern political frameworks, he examines how Romans themselves understood power, authority, and constitutional order. His work has deepened scholarly understanding of the ancient world while offering new perspectives on questions that continue to inform the study of democracy, governance, and civic life.

Drogula currently teaches at Ohio University, where he serves as the Charles J. Ping Professor of Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities, Professor of Classics, and director of the Ping Institute for Teaching of the Humanities. He is the author of several influential books, including Commanders and Command in the Roman Republic and Early Empire and Cato the Younger: A Life of the Collapse of the Roman Republic. His most recent book, Spheres of Control: The Origins of Government in Early Rome, explores the origins of the Roman Republic. He has published numerous articles and book chapters, delivered lectures throughout the U.S. and abroad, and contributed to The Oxford History of the Roman World.

Teaching has remained central to Drogula’s career. Before entering academia, he spent several years teaching Latin at the high school level, an experience that shaped his philosophy as an educator. He has since earned national recognition for creating classrooms defined by discussion, intellectual curiosity, and active engagement. In 2025, he received the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) Excellence in Teaching Award, one of the discipline’s highest honors for undergraduate instruction.