Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Global Research Institute hosted a book launch for “Might of the Chain: Forging Leaders of Iron Integrity,” written by retired two-star Admiral Mike Studeman ’88. Held in Earl Gregg Swem Library’s Hive Event Space, the event featured a moderated discussion with Pamela Eddy, associate provost for faculty affairs and development, followed by an audience question and answer session and reception.
Studeman led thousands of intelligence professionals over his 35-year career in the Navy, culminating in his role as commander of the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence. His book, which he described as an “Aesop’s fables of leadership,” shares lessons on leadership, integrity and resilience through stories from his national security and intelligence career.
During the discussion, Studeman reflected on the importance of ethical leadership, adaptability and decision-making in high-pressure environments. He emphasized that leadership is a lifelong learning process, shaped by the experiences and mentors individuals encounter. He described leadership as an ongoing journey, where the best leaders strive to improve daily.
“You are essentially a mash-up of all of the leaders you’ve ever experienced in life,” Studeman said. “The best leaders are the ones who try to be a better leader tomorrow than they were yesterday. They’re constant learners. They never feel like they’ve mastered and figured it out. They’re just on a long journey of trying to be an even better leader.”
Eddy, who moderated the discussion, noted that ‘Might of the Chain’ presents leadership in a relatable and accessible way for emerging leaders.
“What I really appreciated about the way the book was written was the accessibility of it,” Eddy said. “Especially for emerging leaders that are college students, it’s a first foray into how do I start thinking about leadership? It’s very relatable. So it’s a way for people to think, I, I could do that. That sounds like me.”
The event drew a mix of students, faculty and community members. Among the audience was Margaret Xu ’25, a Navy veteran and kinesiology major, who engaged with Studeman during the question and answer session.
Xu reflected on her transition from military to civilian life, noting that while leadership in the military is structured and directive, civilian leadership allows for more individual choice. In both stages of her career, Xu has aimed to maintain personal integrity and moral leadership.
“Now that I am on the civilian side after separation, it is still a principle that I greatly want to live by,” Xu said.
She also discussed the differences in leadership styles between officers and enlisted personnel, explaining that enlisted ranks often have less autonomy in decision-making.
“The enlisted ranks do not always have the same freedoms that officers do, but integrity and moral leadership remain just as important,” Xu said.
Xu added that her military experience provided her with a strong understanding of both good and poor leadership, and that Studeman’s emphasis on ethical decision-making resonated with her.
The event was part of GRI’s ongoing book launch series, which began last year and has since grown in response to faculty interest. Ryan Musto, GRI’s director of forums and initiatives, explained that the series originally focused on faculty books but was expanded for this event to feature an alumnus.
“It started last year when we were going to host a book workshop for a faculty member here, Steve Hanson, and it was a great success,” Musto said. “It actually generated a lot of interest amongst some faculty members from across campus.”
Musto noted that Studeman’s event marked the first time GRI invited an alumnus as a featured author.
“With Admiral Studeman, it’s a bit different because he’s not on campus all the time,” Musto said. “We saw this programmatic offering as a way to bring in such a leader to campus, a very distinguished alum.”
Although the event was well-attended, GRI hopes to increase student participation in book launch events. Musto highlighted that while students were present, a significant portion of the audience consisted of faculty and professionals.
“We saw great student turnout at smaller sessions with Admiral Studeman, like his lunchtime talk on naval intelligence and his meeting with our Global Scholars program,” Musto said. “We are always looking for ways to make these events more accessible to students across different disciplines.”
Beyond personal leadership, Studeman addressed broader challenges in politics, business and national security. He criticized the current political climate, arguing that poor leadership and division are eroding public trust.
“We have so many poor examples of leadership,” Studeman said. “Imagine kids growing up today, looking at powerful people, and saying, ‘I want to be like them.’ But if those leaders don’t operate from an ethical foundation, they will only divide and disappoint.”
He emphasized the need for collaborative problem-solving and compromise in leadership.
“You have to be willing to listen to others and you have to be willing to compromise,” he said. “If leaders refuse to do so, they are setting themselves up for failure.”
Studeman also reflected on the role of AI in leadership and communication, sharing his experience using ChatGPT while writing his book.
“I actually submitted my content to a ChatGPT program to try to condense the key things as I worked,” Studeman said. “And what I got back was less than what I had expected. The emphasis wasn’t in the right place, and it just looked too hard to bring up to standards.”
While AI can be useful, Studeman emphasized that strong leadership and storytelling require human depth and creativity.
“These machines don’t provide the flair, style, and vibrancy that authors can,” he said.
Xu, drawing from her background as both a veteran and a student, echoed these concerns.
“When people are influenced uniformly, it impacts their ability to make decisions,” Xu said. “AI is just one more influence, so we need to be mindful of the influences we allow near us.”
The book launch and discussion reinforced GRI’s role in fostering interdisciplinary conversations at the College. Studeman, reflecting on his return to campus, emphasized the importance of integrity and staying true to one’s values as a leader.
“If you start to become inauthentic, people can’t trust you because they’re not sure that’s you,” Studeman said. “There is a price for inauthenticity, and it may be something that’s silent and nobody ever tells you, but it’s there.”
GRI plans to continue its book launch series with upcoming events featuring faculty authors and guest speakers.
For students interested in leadership, policy or intelligence careers, Musto encouraged engagement with GRI’s research initiatives, forums and mentorship opportunities.
“When students get to meet with practitioners who have impressive real-world experience, it enriches their understanding of applied research and real-world challenges,” Musto said. “We’re excited to continue hosting these events and hope to see even more student participation in the future.”
