Professional Resources
UT Permian Basin Faculty Profile
Academic appointment and university affiliation.
Leadership Insights
Perspectives on student success, institutional collaboration, and higher education leadership.
Academic Scholarship
Historical research, publications, military history, and strategic studies.
Honors and Recognition
Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award — University of Texas System (2017)
Recognized by the University of Texas System Board of Regents for excellence in university teaching and a sustained commitment to student learning and success.
About Dr. Michael Frawley
I am a higher education administrator, tenured Associate Professor of History, and published scholar at the University of Texas Permian Basin, where I currently serve as Dean of Student Success. My career has combined a passion for teaching and historical scholarship with a commitment to helping students succeed and strengthening the institutions that serve them.
Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, I developed a lifelong love of reading during the long, lake-effect winters of northwestern Pennsylvania. I earned bachelor's degrees in History (2000) and Political Science (2001) from Pennsylvania State University–Behrend, a Master of Arts in Social Science from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (2007), and a Ph.D. in History from Louisiana State University (2014).
My administrative career has focused on student success, academic advising, retention, enrollment growth, and institutional collaboration. As Dean of Student Success, I oversee a broad portfolio of academic support programs and services, working with colleagues across academic affairs, student affairs, and enrollment management to improve the student experience. I believe effective leadership begins with listening, building relationships, and creating an environment in which people can work together toward shared institutional goals.
Throughout my tenure, I have helped develop new student support initiatives, strengthen transfer pathways with community colleges, implement student success technologies, and improve coordination among campus services. I have also been involved in developing UT Permian Basin's One Stop student services center, helping bring essential student services together in a more accessible and coordinated environment.
Alongside my administrative responsibilities, I remain actively engaged in historical scholarship. My research focuses on American economic and military history, particularly industrial development, labor, and the relationship between economic resources and military capabilities during the Civil War. My book, Industrial Development and Manufacturing in the Antebellum Gulf South: A Reevaluation, was published by Louisiana State University Press in 2019.
Whether working with students, collaborating with university colleagues, or conducting historical research, I have always been interested in how institutions function, how they respond to challenges, and how thoughtful leadership can help them achieve their goals.