A history professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs died Wednesday.

John Scott Strickland joined the Maxwell faculty in 1984 as an assistant professor and was named associate professor in 1990. Strickland served as the history department’s undergraduate director for many years as well, according to a Syracuse University News release.

Strickland’s teaching and research focused on the history of the United States with an emphasis on the American south, religion and African American history in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, according to the release. In addition, he co-directed the master’s program in documentary film and history.