SPOTLIGHTS Formicola Honored as Woman of the Year
Jo-Renee Formicola, professor, department of political science, Seton Hall University, received the Woman of the Year Award in March, 2015. The honor recognizes outstanding leaders at Seton Hall who have made significant contributions to the success of women at the university. It was given as part of the celebration of Women’s History Month and the Seton Hall University Women’s Conference.
Senior Associate Provost Joan Guetti applauded Formicola’s passion and work ethic. “She shows great consideration and respect,” said Guetti, who described Formicola as a role model for everyone at the university.
A member of the university community for more than 31 years, Formicola was the first woman selected as the acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She received numerous recognitions during her career including being named as New Jersey’s Political Scientist of the Year.
In addition to her service as acting dean and department chair, she is a highly accomplished author and scholar focusing on the relationship of church and state. She has written or coauthored nine books, the most recent being Clerical Sexual Abuse: How it Changed US Catholic Church-State Relations (2014). She has been a longtime APSA member and participated extensively in the Organized Section on Religion and Politics, where she serves on the board of the Journal of Politics and Religion.
The award especially recognized Formicola’s legacy of constructive mentorship to both students and faculty for more than three decades. In her acceptance remarks Formicola said, “This is very gratifying, but unnecessary, for something that you do naturally.”
Formicola was quick to emphasize that no one can do everything alone and that Seton Hall itself is the result of the group efforts of its entire community. “I got my PhD when I was 40. I couldn’t have done it without the support of others.” She continues to inspire not only through her scholarship and classroom teaching, but also through life lessons of perseverance.
Political Scientists Prominent among New Andrew Carnegie Fellows
Carnegie Corporation of New York has named 32 Andrew Carnegie Fellows as the inaugural class of a major annual fellowship program that will provide support for scholars in the social sciences and humanities. APSA is delighted to see many political scientists selected as Fellows. The Fellows will receive awards of up to $200,000 each, which will enable them to take sabbaticals in order to devote time to their research and writing.
The Andrew Carnegie Fellows are an exceptional group of established and emerging scholars, journalists, and authors whose work distills knowledge, enriches our culture, and equips leaders in the realms of science, law, business, public policy, and the arts.
Read more about this distinguished group of scholars in the following pages under “Members among New Andrew Carnegie Fellows.”
Maxwell Named Director
Angie Maxwell, Blair Professor of Southern Studies and assistant professor of political science, has been named director of the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society.
As director of the Center, Maxwell will organize the Blair Legacy Conference on Southern Politics and Society, manage the Blair Center-Clinton School Poll, and oversee the new minor in Southern studies that begins this fall.
“Diane Blair was an expert in Southern politics, an activist, and a role model who helped forge a path for women in academia,” Maxwell said. “I am proud that we are able to continue her legacy of scholarship and civic engagement through the Blair Center.”
Maxwell is the author of the critically acclaimed book The Indicted South: Public Criticism, Southern Inferiority, and the Politics of Whiteness (University of North Carolina Press, 2014) and is currently working on a new book with Oxford University Press, tentatively titled The Long Southern Strategy.
In addition to her several edited volumes, Maxwell’s research has also appeared in the academic journals Southern Cultures, Social Science Quarterly, Race and Social Problems, and the Journal of Black Studies, among others. Maxwell has been a featured author at the Arkansas Literary Festival and has made multiple appearances on MSNBC programs.
A Harry S. Truman Scholar, Maxwell received a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate in American studies from the University of Texas.
Gay Appointed Dean of Social Sciences
Claudine Gay, Harvard University professor of government and African and African American Studies, and a distinguished scholar of mass political behavior, has been appointed the dean of social science by Michael D. Smith, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Gay, who will begin her new role in July, joined the Harvard faculty in 2006, and has served as director of graduate studies for the department of government for the past five years. With teaching and research interests that include American political behavior, public opinion, and the politics of race and ethnicity, Gay has investigated the effects of descriptive representation on citizens’ orientations toward their government, the role of neighborhoods in shaping the racial and political attitudes of black Americans, the roots of competition and cooperation between minority groups, and the effects of concentrated poverty on political engagement.
“Professor Gay has long demonstrated a deep commitment to education and the FAS’s efforts to build an outstanding faculty,” Smith said. “She has been a trusted adviser on faculty and decanal searches, serving on or chairing many review and search committees. As divisional dean, Professor Gay will continue her efforts to strengthen the faculty and advance our teaching and research missions.”
“I am excited to listen to, and learn from, my divisional colleagues as we work together to advance teaching and research in the social sciences,” said Gay.
Before joining the Harvard faculty, Gay was an assistant professor of political science at Stanford University from 2000 to 2005 and an associate professor from 2005 to 2006. Gay received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford, and earned her PhD from Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where she was awarded the government department’s Toppan Prize for best dissertation in political science.
Jentleson Selected as Chair
Bruce W. Jentleson, professor, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, has been selected as the 15th Henry A. Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress Kluge Center. His nine-month tenure as Kissinger Chair will begin in the fall.
While in residence, Jentleson will complete his forthcoming book Transformational Statesmanship: Difficult, Possible, Necessary. The book focuses on twentieth-century world leaders who made major breakthroughs for global peace and security, drawing lessons for key twenty-first century policy challenges. Jentleson will use Library of Congress holdings including the Harry Truman, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Henry Kissinger papers; documents related to the Middle East peace process; and the Foreign Relations of the United States volumes to further his research.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected for the Kissinger Chair,” said Jentleson, “and look forward to the opportunity to both gain from and contribute to the Kluge Center.”
Jentleson’s career spans both public policy and academia. From 2009 to 2011 he was senior advisor to the US State Department Policy Planning Director. He was a senior foreign policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore during his 2000 presidential campaign, in the Clinton administration State Department (1993-94), and as a foreign policy aide to Senators Gore (D-TN,1987–1988) and Dave Durenberger (R-MN, 1978–1979).
In 2014, Jentleson was a Distinguished Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and is now a Global Fellow there. Other research appointments include the Brookings Institution, US Institute of Peace, Oxford University, International Institute for Strategic Studies (London), Australia National University, and as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in Spain. He holds a PhD from Cornell University, and received the Harold D. Lasswell Award for his doctoral dissertation. Among his other books is American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century (W. W. Norton, 2013, 5th edition).
Farrar Appointed Dean
Margaret Farrar has been appointed as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of political science at John Carroll University. Farrar will begin serving as dean in July, 2015.
She most recently served as associate dean at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Among her many administrative responsibilities and accomplishments are the following: helping to lead and manage 33 academic departments and programs with 180 full-time faculty as well as gaining experience in strategic planning and communications, academic department and program review, faculty development, department chair development, visiting faculty hires, diversity initiatives, and new program development. Farrar also served as a Title IX officer for five years, managed all budgets in her areas of responsibility, and served as provost’s budget officer for academic department goods and services.
Farrar, a Cleveland native, is also an accomplished scholar. She has published Building the Body Politic: Power and Urban Space in Washington, DC (2008, University of Illinois Press) as well as numerous articles, book chapters, and reviews. She received her undergraduate degree from The College of Wooster, her MA from Virginia Tech University, and her PhD in political science from Pennsylvania State University with a graduate minor in women’s studies. (Photography by Stephen Folker)
New Award Named for Meier
The Midwest Political Science Association has established a new annual award recognizing outstanding scholarship in politics, public administration, and public policy in honor of Kenneth J. Meier, distinguished professor and director of the Project for Equity, Representation, and Governance at Texas A&M University. The inaugural award will recognize the best paper in bureaucratic politics, public administration, or public policy presented at the 2015 MPSA conference and is scheduled to be presented at MPSA’s 74th annual conference in April 2016 at the Palmer House in Chicago.
In addition to serving as the Charles H. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University, Meier also directs the Project for Equity, Representation, and Governance; the Texas Educational Excellence Project; and the Carlos Cantu Hispanic Education and Opportunity Endowment. He also holds a joint appointment as a professor of public management at the Cardiff University School of Business (Wales). Meier is considered a leading authority in two areas of research—the role of public organizations in public policy and race and politics.
Among Meier’s career achievement awards are the H. George Frederickson Award, the C. Dwight Waldo Award, the John Gaus Award, the Charles Levine Award, and the Association of Former Students Award for Research. He is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and has been an Advanced Institute of Management Fellow (United Kingdom), a Research Fellow of the Danish Institute for Social Research, and a Big XII Faculty Fellow. Meier has served as president of the Public Management Research Association, the Midwest Political Science Association, and the Southwest Political Science Association. He is also a former editor of the American Journal of Political Science and is currently the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.
Perhaps more important than his scholarship, Ken Meier has influenced countless members of the discipline and continues to mentor graduate and undergraduate students while maintaining a highly productive research agenda. He has served as a chair or member on over 60 dissertation committees and over 30 MA committees. The award, proposed and initially funded by Meier’s current and former students in the department of political science at Texas A&M, was first announced at this year’s “Meierpalooza,” an annual celebration held during the MPSA conference.
Individuals serving as chairs and discussants at the 2015 MPSA conference may nominate outstanding papers in politics, public administration, and public policy for the Kenneth J. Meier Award at http://www.MPSAnet.org/Awards. Donations may be made to the Kenneth J. Meier Award fund online at http://www.MPSAnet.org/Awards/MakeaDonation.
ACTIVITIES
Elizabeth Bennion, political science professor, Indiana University, South Bend, moderated a forum for candidates seeking seats on the South Bend Common Council. The forum was sponsored by the IU South Bend Political Science Club, the American Democracy Project, and the League of Women Voters.
Cheryl Boudreau, associate professor of political science, University of California, Davis, presented a workshop on American politics titled “Racial or Spatial Voting? The Effects of Candidate Ethnicity and Ethnic Group Endorsements in Low-Information Elections” in April at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Christine Ingebritsen, director of the Center for West European Studies and chair of Hellenic studies program, University of Washington, discussed contemporary political and social developments in Norway in February, as well as ways to connect the universities in Norway to the Seattle community.
Mike Henderson, assistant professor of research and director for the Public Policy Research Laboratory, Louisiana State University, conducted a public discussion titled, “What do the people want? Findings from the 2015 Louisiana Survey,” in April at Louisiana Tech University.
Matthew Holden, Jr., Wepner Distinguished Professor in Political Science, University of Illinois, Springfield, and former APSA president (1998–1999) presented the keynote address for the 2015 Abraham Lincoln Association.
Guy Lachapelle, Secretary General of the International Political Science Association, and professor, political science department, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, presented a guest lecture on “The Global Development of Political Science” at Ball State University in March.
Adria Lawrence, assistant professor, political science, Yale University, presented a public lecture in the Historiography of the Middle East Series at University of California, Los Angeles in March.
Peter Lawler, Dana Professor of Government, Berry College, presented a guest lecture “The Blessing of Technology as an Intricate Trial of our Free Will” at Lee University in March.
J. Patrice McSherry, professor of political science, Long Island University, and visiting professor, Alberto Hurtado University (Santiago, Chile), presented “Operation Condor and Human Rights in Chile and South America” in the international academic study abroad program “IHP Human Rights Chile” of Observatorio Ciudadano in coordination with World Learning and the School of International Training in Santiago, Chile, in both October 2014 and April 2015. She also recently published “The Víctor Jara Case and the Long Struggle against Impunity in Chile” in Social Justice.
S. N. Nyeck, assistant professor of political science, Clarkson University, delivered a presentation titled “Contractual Schemes in Africa’s Political Development: Conceptualizing Old Practices and Establishing Relevance with New Governance Models in the 21st Century” to the general assembly meeting of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research (CODESRIA) in Dakar, Senegal, in early June.
APPOINTMENTS/PROMOTIONS
Mneesha Gellman, assistant professor of comparative politics, Liberal Arts Institute, Emerson College.
Sean Kelly, professor, political science, California State University, Channel Islands, will be one of 10 scholars serving on the Dirksen Congressional Center’s National Advisory Council, a national council designed to help Americans get a deeper understanding of how the US Congress works.
Daniel T. Kirsch, associate professor of political science, Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Sergei Kostiaev, acting deputy chair of the department of applied political science, Financial University in Moscow, Russia.
AWARDS
Christopher Alcantara, associate professor, department of political science, Wilfrid Laurier University, has been awarded the 2014 International Council for Canadian Studies Pierre Savard Award and the 2014 Canadian Studies Network-Réseau d’études canadiennes Prize for the best book in Canadian studies. The winning book, entitled Negotiating the Deal: Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements in Canada (University of Toronto Press), was also a finalist last year for the Canadian Political Science Association’s Donald Smiley Prize.
David Fott, professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has received the William Morris Award for Excellence in Scholarship in the social sciences from the UNLV College of Liberal Arts.
John Gould, professor of political science, Colorado College, has been named a 2016 Fulbright Scholar and will travel to Slovakia to research the politics of nationalism and sexual minorities in that country and beyond. He also will teach at the Institute of European Studies and International Relations at Comenius University.
Ravi Perry, an assistant professor in political science at Mississippi State University, was recognized as a 2015 Hero Citizen by The Andrew Goodman Foundation in January.
Carsten Vala, associate professor, Loyola University, Maryland, has been awarded a grant through the Core US Fulbright Scholar Program to study the politics of China’s rapidly growing investment in Latin America, with a specific focus on China’s influence on the copper industry in Chile. Vala will travel to Chile for his research from August to December 2015. During that time he will also teach two courses on Chinese politics and Chinese globalization at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago and offer public presentations on the contemporary politics of China.
Christian Welzel, chair, political culture research, Center for the Study of Democracy, Leuphana University, received both the Stein Rokkan Prize (awarded by the European Consortium of Political Research) and the Alexanxder L. George Award (awarded by the International Society of Political Psychology) for his monograph Freedom Rising: Human Empowerment and the Quest for Emancipation (Cambridge University Press 2013).
