Political Science Cyber Newsletter
Number 19 - June 7, 2004
Political Science CyberNewsletter
Number 19 - June 7, 2004
Salutations. The past academic year has been a bit of a blur, but
even a cursory glance at a highlight reel would accurately suggest
it has been another very, very successful year. In fact, our success
would almost be embarrassing -- if it weren't so well deserved and
the product of such hard work. A political science major once again
won one of the top two awards (in the last three years we’ve won
four of the six – two Carpe Diem winners and now two valedictorians),
another major won the Social and Behavioral Sciences Divisional
Presidential Award for Excellence, Dr. Federici was honored with
the college’s Teaching Excellence award, and Dr. Morris was asked
to take over as Director of the college’s Honors Program. Moreover,
10% of all students graduating with Latin Honors were our majors
or minors, approximately 20% of the students graduating Summa Cum
Laude were ours (5 majors and 2 minors), and over 33% (5 of 14)
students completing the Mercyhurst Honors Program were also majors
& minors. Further, as they walked across the stage at graduation
I counted fully 9 majors or minors headed off directly to either
graduate or law school. Considering that a number of the graduates
have jobs or job interviews lined up, and that a couple decided
to take a year off before continuing their academic pursuits,
this is very impressive. Before congratulating any individual students
though, I feel strongly compelled to make three quick points.
One, and I am intentionally writing this first, while we do have
individual student accomplishments to highlight, it would be a mistake
to allow this to diminish the accomplishment shared in common by
both this year's graduates and all of our alumni -- completing a
college degree. Nationwide, only 25.9 percent of the population
25 years and older are college graduates. In short, graduating from
college is an event worthy of celebration, something nearly 3/4ths
of all adults cannot claim.
Two, it is my distinct pleasure, year after year, to work with
such wonderful majors, minors, alumni, and colleagues. We have increasingly
gained a reputation as one of the premier programs, perhaps the
premier program, on campus. That reputation is spreading beyond
campus as our alumni numbers climb; and as you live your lives with
integrity, excel in your careers, and thrive in law and graduate
school. After 15 years at Mercyhurst (I started when I was 9) I've
grown to deeply appreciate the circle of people who've entered into
this niche we call the Poli Sci department. And, because it is
a rather rigorous program, you can take extra pride in your degree.
Three, I apologize preemptively for any errors or omissions. Between
my computer problems (hopefully over now that my hard disk finally
fried and was replaced), the pace of the end of this term, spring
reviews, the war and the presidential campaign -- and any other
excuses you can think of -- there are sure to be mistakes. Indeed,
due to the computer problem I had to forego asking current majors/minors
for lists of their accomplishments, activities, honors, internships,
etc.
Now, let me get to the new news. First, this year’s graduating
class (listed below) is another one of those classes whose graduation
left faculty with bittersweet emotions, but they also leave behind
a trail of excellence, and recognition by others of that excellence.
Jill Burick (Major)
Brian Cagle (Minor)
Michael Carr (Major)
Ashley Dubose (Minor)
Aaron Clepper (Major)
Ashley Gardner (Minor)
Patrick Collins (Major)
Andrea Hashim (Minor)
Stephanie Davision (Major) Johnathan
Kowalczuk (Minor)
Joe Delgado (Major)
Kimberly Meerhoff (Minor)
Kelly Diskin (Major)
Steve Paterno (Minor)
Justin Farione (Double Major)
Janet Strukely (Minor)
Carlo Garofalo (Major)
Jill Gloekler (Major)
Erin Hooks (Major)
Troye Kovach (Major)
Caroline McGrath (Contract Major)
Caitlynn Miller (Double Major)
Ryan Moton (Major)
Kristina Rutsky (Major)
Brianne Sergi (Major)
Kyla Smith (Double Major)
Consider the following:
Jill Gloekler won the Bishop’s Award for Academic Excellence, i.e.
she was the college’s Valedictorian. Jill finished her college
career with a perfect 4.0 and a minor in biology (she tutored for
them and completed 39 science credits, plus labs). Jill also completed
the honors requirements (and was a very active member including
editing their publication), served as editor of the Freedom Zone,
presented papers at national conferences, did volunteer work in
the community, went on two mission trips, was the college’s Truman
Scholarship nominee, etcetera! Jill plans on taking a year off
before pursuing her doctorate in public health (probably with an
international focus). An MD is also a possible route.
Patrick Collins, who graduated Summa Cum Laude (above 3.9), was
selected as the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division winner of
the Presidential Award for Excellence. Besides his stellar work
in the classroom, Pat served on the J-Board, Chaired a campus committee,
was an MSG representative for two years, an officer in Pi Sigma
Alpha, etc. Pat is planning on either law or graduate school next
year.
Stephanie Davison (Cum Laude) debated long and hard between offers
from the number one Masters program in Natural Resource Management
(Indiana University) and the number one Environmental Law school
(Vermont). She was also accepted into Masters programs at Pace,
UC-Boulder, and the University of Montana.
Joseph Delgado (Summa Cum Laude), 1 of 20 students selected nationwide
as a Ralph Bunche scholar last year, was accepted and offered substantial
awards at four of the top political science Ph.D programs. Joe eventually
chose Ohio State over Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia. Dr. Ripley
approved of that choice J
Caitlynn Miller (Cum Laude and a Mercyhurst Honor Scholar) chose
graduate school over an offer with the government, eventually choosing
the George H.W. Bush School in Texas (following Shannon Miles recent
route) over George Washington University. Now two of their best
students will be from Mercyhurst.
Michael Carr (another Summa Cum Laude despite not only a poli sci
degree, but 23 credits in Math and Computer Science and three years
of basketball) accepted an offer to attend law school at Dickinson
(Penn State).
Ashley Gardner (Summa Cum Laude), accepted an offer from Seton
Hall where she will study in their Diplomacy and International Relations
program. This past spring, Ashley and Kristen Hudak (’05) chaired
the most successful Academic Celebration yet.
[Editor’s Note: I recognize this is getting long, so will go to
an abbreviated format, but just can’t stop yet.]
Kristina Rutsky was accepted at Akron’s law school, but has deferred
for a year. Brian Cagle (Mercyhurst Honor Scholar) is off to pursue
his doctorate in history at Villanova. Caroline McGrath is also
off to graduate school, but the editor’s brain can’t recall which
university she chose. The same is true for Andrea Hasim, who is
pursuing her MFA. Several other of this year’s graduates are going
the job route (at least initially). Several had job interviews lined
up, others jobs. For example, Justin Farione started his job in
the banking industry last week, Steve Paterno and John Kowalczuk
have jobs waiting in DC, and Janet Strukely (Magna Cum Laude) will
be dancing with the St. Louis ballet. Kimberly Meerhoff (Summa Cum
Laude and Mercyhurst Honor Scholar) will be returning in the Fall
to student teach. In sum, all of this years graduates are to be
commended and should celebrate their accomplishments.
Finally, two brief notes relevant to both current majors and alumni:
Alumni, it is not too early to start planning a return visit during
homecoming. We will once again gather all alumni who return (and
all current majors and minors who wish to attend) creating a chance
for people to touch base, network, share their post Mercyhurst path,
etc. Homecoming is set for the weekend of September 24 th . As far
as timing, there is likely to be an event on the upcoming election
(that some of us may be involved with). The time frame for that
event is 10:00-11:00. We will set the Political Science Past and
Present event for 11:00-12:00, so people can still get to the tailgate
party and the football game (kickoff at 1:30 I believe).
Alums in graduate school and current students, please see the announcement
at the very end of the newsletter regarding an on-line simulation
contest with great rewards; especially if you are interested in
working for the government.
Finally, finally, for those of you waiting with worms in your mouths
(baited breath), the 2004 version of the Summer Reading List is
the next-to-last thing in the newsletter. We hope you’ll find a
few whose brief descriptions grab your interest enough to put them
in your summer reading pile of books. Additionally, several alums
included book, and even movie, recommendations in their updates.
I’ve left them in their information for this year, but sometime
next year may introduce a new “Alumni Book & Movie Recommendations”
section to one of Cybernewsletters. So, if sometime down the road
you get a request for recommendations, hopefully you’ll all contribute.
p.s. This weekend was not only the anniversary of the courage,
victory, and losses of D-day, but also marked the death of former
President Reagan. In the middle of a heated political campaign,
and falling so closely on the heels of Memorial Day, George Tenet’s
resignation, the prisoner abuse scandal and continuing violence
in Iraq, it is hard not to reflect on the impact American politics
has on the lives of everyday people here and around the world.
WHO’S DOING WHAT (Alumni):
Kari Wells ’99 (Major) - graduated from the University
of Maine a few weeks ago with an MA in History (specialty in political
history). Congrats. In September, she begins the Ph.D. program.
Kari continues to work as the Reunion Giving Officer at the University
as well.
Rich Johns ’03 (Major) – just finished year one
of the graduate program at Duquesne. He sent the following update
to “old Doc Clemons” [Ed. Note: that’s “ol Doc Clemons”] Anyway,
Rich reports that “my first year at Duquesne was fantastic.
My grades were great and I made a lot of wonderful friends (but
not like those from the Hurst!!). Now I am working in
Columbus, OH for Working America, which is a Non-profit organization
affiliated with AFL-CIO. It's interesting and I'm having a
great time. Well I hope everyone is doing well. I'm
off to work. Take care.”
Kristen Brown ’03 (Contract Major) – who followed
Stacey Tate (’02) to Syracuse’s Maxwell School (the #1 rated MPA
program) reports that like Stacey, she is graduating “with a job!!
I will be in the Management Development program at MAXIMUS. I
start July 12. It is a governmental consulting group and I
will be working on initiatives such as welfare reform, education
reform, and child welfare policy.” Congrats Kristen.
Sherrie Weldon ’97 (Major) – reported in after
a long absence. Since her last report Sherrie had a brief, but
productive stint in public affairs for Florida State University
in Tallahassee. Her mission there was to help the University
shed its notorious ranking as the Nation’s Number #1 Party School. They
enacted a number of high profile public policies to crack down on
underage drinking and clean up loud parties in residential neighborhoods.
Sherrie says she “moved away from Florida’s capital city just two
months before the ballot counting debacle of the 2000 Presidential
election. From what I hear, I got out just in the knick of
time before the whole world converged upon the place. One reporter
visiting there to cover the unfolding election battle summed up
the experience of living in Tallahassee perfectly when he observed
that the ‘best restaurant in town is the Whataburger.’ Since then,
I’ve been living in the beautiful San Francisco Bay area working
for a high tech public relations agency. I’ve spent the last
few hectic years directing public relations programs for a number
of clients, including Sony and Hewlett-Packard. (You probably
don’t want to hear about how much I appreciate the mild winters
here. But I do have to point out that I paid my dues: I
moved to Florida to escape the cold northeast winters, but I had
to escape to California to avoid the miserably hot Florida summers).”
However, this week Sherrie informed me (Congrats) that she and her
husband Lou are moving to New York City. She accepted a great job
offer from a competing agency as Director for their IBM and Fuji
Photo Film PR accounts. It was an unexpected surprise...especially
since they loved the Bay Area and hadn't planned to leave anytime
soon. But they always thought they “wanted to try city living
at some point, so this seemed like the chance.” Sherrie also sent
along a temporary email so as not to miss the much anticipated reading
list J and suggested (another idea for the future!) we add movies
to the summer list. Here are her suggestions:
The War Room (1993) - A great documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992
presidential campaign directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker.
Primary (1960) - Documentarian Robert Drew and was given a week
of round-the-clock access to Kennedy as he toured the cities and
towns of Wisconsin, campaigning against rival front-runner Hubert
Humphrey in the state's pivotal primary election. An intimate look
at old-style campaigning before the television era.
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1993) - Documentary
about the career and views of linguist and media critic Noam Chomsky.
Good introduction to the concept of media agenda-setting. Directed
by Peter Wintonick and Mark Achbar.
Jule Gardner ’95 (Major) – was impressed enough
with my alliteration in the request for information (sanity season
starting) to reward me with both an update and the chance to
get together for lunch . She’s heading off to God’s country for
a visit (Salt Lake ity, the Tetons, and then a cabin in the mountains
of Montana (just north of Yellowstone). Jule was in State College
in May for the Pennsylvania Press Awards. She won four this year,
three from the Pennsylvania Women's Press Association and a Keystone,
the state award presented by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Press Association.
I pressed for details and here’s the explanation. “Details are:
PWPA is open to women (and men who are members of PWPA) from all
newspapers -- large metropolitans and small weeklies – who compete
in one big contest. I won a third place award for columns, honorable
mention for news story (about a Millcreek Catholic school principal
clubbed to death by her husband, who suffers from dementia), and
honorable mention for sports (feature on the Browns/Steelers rivalry).
The Keystone (a second place) was awarded in my circulation division
for spot news (the initial article on Brian Wells, the pizza delivery
man who robbed a bank and blew up).”
Frank Kostic ’01 (Major) – 1LT Kostic just completed
his Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law. Although
very relieved to be done Frank recognizes that “now the real work
starts, studying for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam (what a bitter sweet
day raduation is).” Frank is also looking forward to his wedding
and getting on with life. In his case that includes the fact that
he “was accepted into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. I leave
for Ft. Lee, VA for JAGC training in January. I will be there
about 4 weeks then to University of Virginia to the JAGC University
for the remaining 11.” Frank plans on homecoming at the ‘Hurst.
Amanda Bhame ’00 (Major) – was excited to report
that she is engaged to a 'Hurst graduate and they are getting
married next year (April). Congrats! Amanda is still the Development
Coordinator at Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services.
She noted that presently they are working with Liberians and Somali
Bantus (they receive refugees from other countries as well- Rwanda,
Burundi, Iran, Ethiopia, as well as others). She still enjoys her
job and feels blessed to be working with such wonderful people.
Tammy (Duke) Connelly ’00 (Major) – serving as
Webmaster for Cato found time to send this update: “ Things in the
DC metro area are good, although I won't be living in this area
much longer. Edward was promoted in February and is now an officer
in the Marine Corps. His new assignment is in Okinawa, Japan.
Come the middle of this October, we will be packing up and leaving
the continent. I am very excited! I will be leaving Cato after
4 years, but I may be able to do some contracting work while we
are there. It's a 3 year tour so I'll get a job, but not right
away. I want to enjoy the culture and try to get adjusted. I'm
thinking I'll probably begin to look for work after the new year
(2005). Meanwhile, I've been ordering a ton of books in anticipation
of occupying my free time in between jobs, so I look forward to
seeing the reading list. Mostly the books I've bought are on some
aspect of Japanese culture (etiquette, language, tourism), but I've
also ordered a few other interesting titles. And I still have
the book by Bill McKibben on my Amazon wish list. I would really
like to stop by and see the campus before we leave in October.
I'm sure in 3 years with limited trips back to the States I won't
recognize the campus, although I'm not sure I would now anyway.
[Ed. Note: How about homecoming?] I'm still working very hard
trying to finish building the Cato website's content management
system. I would very much like to see most of it in place before
I have to leave. So, despite the excitement of the future, I am
still hard at work!”
Rob Vescio ’96 (Major) – sent a note explaining
that his job (Government Relations Specialist – i.e. their lobbyist)
with the Pittsburgh based law firm Tucker Arensberg is going well.
Rob reports really enjoying lobbying, but fears that the travel
will eventually take its toll. Rob is constantly on the road,
driving all over Pennsylvania attending fundraisers and weekly trips
to Harrisburg for session days. He is hopeful that he’ll be able
to find some of the summer reading list in audio version to help
with the drive. On the personal side, Rob is t-minus 4 months
away from conceding bachelorhood. Plans for the wedding are coming
along, but he is discovering how amazingly costly a one day event
can become.
Beth Stoessel ’01 (Double Major) – and Andrew
Olson ('01) got married on Saturday (06-05-04) in NH. Congratulations
and thanks for squeezing in the time for the update. Beth says they
weil “then be off on a honeymoon cruise in California/Mexico.
My life is currently work and wedding, so not much other news.
We've settled into our new house (new last fall) and are busily
plugging away at work. I am slowly but surely climbing the government
pay scale (hoping for a promotion - read "raise" - again
this year, which is kind of rare in gov't work, so I'm not getting
my hopes up too much). When we get back from the cruise... I get
to work work work to pay off the wedding... who knew you could
spend $1,000 on FLOWERS and think to yourself, hmm... is that enough
flowers?” [Ed. Note: See how a little thing like weddings can
bring alumni from different eras together, Rob?]
Billy Byrnes ’02 (Double Major) – sent along
this note: “ Happy Summer to you! I see the political science
department is shining as usual. Upon reading the Monday Morning
online like I do every week, I saw wonderful graduation news.
Congrats to Dr. Federici and his well-deserved Distinguished Teacher
Award. Also, way to go David Del Vecchio, who though not a Poli
Sci Major, learned most of his intelligence in the poli sci dept.
classes. [Ed. Note: Dave is a R/Iap major] As for me, I just recently
finished my coursework for my master's program. All that remains
is the thesis which will hopefully be writing itself by the end
of the summer (depending on how much research I get done). The
topic will certainly be available in the next issue of this newsletter,
but it will have to do with economic justice. Even though I have
yet to finish completely, I did get a job teaching religion in high
school. I will be part time at my Alma Mater, Archbishop Mitty,
in San Jose. It is sad to leave Berkeley which has grown on me
the past two years. It is nice having organic and vegetarian restaurants
and markets on every corner, plus no WalMarts and few Starbucks.
Have a wonderful summer. Suggested summer reading book: The
Secret Life of Bees - Peace, Billy”
Diane (Ashmore) Dean ’95 (Major) – sent along
the following brief update. “Hi Doc, Hope you are well, I have my
hands full with the kids now 2.5 and 9 months old. I am knee deep
in playgroups and preschool visits, teething and night terrors.
Looking forward to the summer days at the beach and the park and
nights filled with fighting the mosquitoes. Anyway have a great
summer, and best to all. Diane Hope you enjoy the photos, Jen 2.5
and Scott 9mts.” Well, I did enjoy them. While both very cute,
I must admit that Jen reminded me of Diane, especially a somewhat
devious smile lurking behind the sweet, innocent, cute one. When
pressed, Diane admitted that, as I suspected, “what goes around
comes around.” She would also probably pay seriously good money
for more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Brad Rybczynski ’95 (Major) – left the employ
of Erie County (NY) Legislator Ed Kuwik after spending most of '03
with him. Earlier Brad was the victim of some rather shady staff
realignments within the ranks due to political affiliation. In
other words, because he stayed true to his affiliation as a Democrat
he was not welcome to be member of the Republican majority staff.
Although Erie County has since returned to the control of the Democrats
in the legislature. Brad did not return because he was offered and
accepted a position with the Buffalo Building & Construction
Trades Council as Executive Director. The BB&CTC is an organization
made up of 18 member unions and over 10,000 individuals. His duties
include lobbying local, state and federal elected officials as well
as marketing the trades to public and private owners undertaking
building projects in the area. During his stint with the legislator
he also began consulting work for a local banquet facility. He
modernized marketing efforts to individual consumers as well as
to the general public. Gross profits for February alone were up
over 1000%. Brad has found it is nice not to have to be beholden
to a party machine for employment. He also works out of his house
and couldn't be happier. His children, Walt and Madeline, are doing
very well and will turn two in June.
Chris Ferretella ’02 (Major) – wrote this update
“Well, it's two years of law school down and one to go. After
six straight years of school the school scene is starting to get
played out. I'm looking forward to getting through the seventh and
finally moving on to the ‘the real world.’ As for this summer, I
am an intern at the law firm of Davidson & O'Mara in Elmira,
NY. It's a small firm with eight attorneys, but that is a big firm
around here. I'm getting a lot of good experience researching, writing
and going to court. In two weeks on the job I feel as like I have
become an expert in writing summary judgment motions. One of the
attorneys is also in a race for a NYS Assembly seat, so I will be
able to dabble in politics this summer as well.” Chris’s summer
plans include four weddings, some small road trips across the Northeast,
and catching as many MLB games in as many different cities as possible.
He also suggested a book. Noting that “After finals (I know I must
be a glutton for punishment) I picked up "D-Day" by Stephen
Ambrose. Although, I am only about a third of the way finished,
I can say it is a thorough look at the build up to and events of
the "day of days," often related by stories from the soldiers
(emphasis on the word thorough). It's an interesting read for anyone
looking to celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary.”
Bill Melville ’99 (Minor) - before taking the
editor job, he made his first and only appearance on local television----
a news roundtable program on our local PBS station. Bill says it
was fun. He reports that “My focus has been on column writing
lately, and there are a number of good topics to mine here in Central
Ohio--- our public transit system wants to build a passenger rail
system yet is mired in financial troubles and ethically-questionable
hirings (a board of trustee member was picked to take a 20 hour
a week, $100K job). I'm writing a column prior to the election reminding
our local readers to ‘thank their legislators.’ We had a brutal
election ad cycle last year, in which every legislator insisted
they were tough on crime and strong on school. Ohio's school funding
system is still a mess (30 percent of school districts were on the
March 2 primary ballot asking the public for operating dollars)
and all they seem to care about are social issues (concealed weapons
laws, DOMA) while the economy has not turned around. Term limits
have not served our state well. Our Speaker of the House and his
aides are now the targets of a federal investigation. One-party
rule has not been a smooth ride lately ... I had the good fortune
to hear Madeleine Albright speak a month ago. Our company was the
print media sponsor for the speech, so I got to meet her and get
a photo taken with her. She's a excellent speaker and did a smooth
job of keeping partisan politics out of the picture. We've been
hit hard with the Bush and Kerry ads. We might be chosen as the
site for one of the fall debates. I can't wait. Here's a few items
for your summer reading lists --- Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the
Vietnam War by Doug Brinkley; the author had full access to Kerry's
war journals and though it gets a little bogged down in military
history at times, the young Kerry comes along as a more complex
man than I imagined. But it's not always a glowing portrayal of
the man---- plenty of vets were ticked at his role with Vietnam
Veterans Against the War. Anyway, an interesting read in the summer
leading up to the election. --- Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward---
it's gotten a lot of hype, but most of it is deserving. Woodward
paints an interesting portrait of a marginalized State Department
and an administration which painted itself in a corner on the Iraq
war decision. A good read, but The Brethren remains my favorite...
A note on Woodward: being a member of the same industry, I can tell
you he has the power every reporter wants - sources talk to him
because they know it will turn out worse for them if they don't.
Karen Petho ’99 (Major) – sent me an update.
Karen says there’s not much new at work (contractor for Lockheed
Martin @ the Federal Aviation Administration as a member of the
Environmental and Safety Team), but things are going well. She did
update me though on her experience so far volunteering for the DNC.
“Sarah Lelle ’00 and I have been chosen to be Team Captains with
Boston 2004. They are a non-for-profit that was created to host
the event and other festivities associated with the convention.
Our role is to be responsible for a group of volunteers and co-lead
at least two training sessions. So far they have only had one
training session, back in March, which I was unable to attend, and
I have not heard too much from them since. I have sent a couple
e-mails to the volunteer coordinator expressing my concern about
fitting in these training sessions before convention week (last
week of July) and ave not received any information about future
sessions. There are many volunteers, I think a couple thousand,
but they seem very disorganized. Maybe it will all come together
in July, hope so.”
Steve Justi ’03 (Minor) – wrote from overseas.
But of course, is prohibited from disclosing any information about
his duties or whereabouts. But as one who pays attention to the
news, I’ve surmised Steve is in a dangerous, harsh, and hostile
land. It must be, it prompted him to quote Wilson’s lesson of the
Centaur "A headship of the mind over the body is a headship
for all." Some of Steve’s fellow soldiers jokingly say that
they couldn't have imagined that they would see an army philosopher.
He took it as a compliment, and has enjoyed their interest in learning
about the leadership ideas of Wilson to Hitler, Plato to Machiavelli,
Fromm, and Spencer. One of the platoon leaders for his company is
a fellow Mercyhurst Alumni; First Lieutenant David Mares. He
was a criminal justice major. Anyway, wherever you are Steve, stay
safe.
Jody Robinson ’01 (Major) – played hockey this
year in Bridgeport, CT for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the The
American ockey League. When he last contacted me he wrote that
“Things are going well as we battle for the regular season championship
with the Philadelphia Phantoms. Life is pretty good right now,
I can’t complain. I started the year with the New York Islanders
who are our NHL affiliate. It was a great experience to train
with some of the best hockey players in the world. I’m looking
forward to our playoffs and hopefully earning an NHL contract for
next year. “
Jennifer Krause ’02 (Minor) – stopped in recently
to say hello. Jen is in Erie for the summer, working as an intern
at MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton, LLP, on State Street.
Jen just completed her second year at the UC Davis law school .
Ed McIntyre ’98 (Major) – opened his own law
practice in Franklin, PA and continues to coach 7 th and 8 th grade
basketball at St. Stephens School in Oil City. [Ed. Note: I had
an enjoyable lunch and visit with Ed this Spring.]
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS:
Spring term was a blur. Our Ad Hoc topic was Women in American
Politics, led by Keith Forrest (ABD from Umass). One highlight was
the Academic Celebration. As mentioned earlier, two “of ours” were
co-chairs and a number of students were active participants. For
example, Kim Meerhoff presented her Honors Thesis on the Salem Witchcraft
Trials, Mike Foglio presented with Ms. Keiko Miller, and J.J. Mikulec
and others from the Model UN Club, helped organize a panel (see
below) on Rwanda (on the 10 th anniversary). They also helped faculty
research their roles. Faculty participants included Drs. Ripley,
Federici, and Clemons. Rwanda is a reminder of the fact that the
US can also influence lives (and death) by not acting. Dr. Morris
also joined Dr. Livingston, Dr. Donahue, Dr. Owoc, Dr. Jones, and
Dr. Tobin on a panel on Gay Marriage titled “Right, Wrong, and Gay;
Disciplinary Perspectives on Gay Marriage. Another highlight was
the Annual Pi Sigma Alpha induction dinner and lecture on May 6th.
Lt. General Josiah Bunting III, a noted author and former president
of two colleges as well as Superintendent of VMI, spoke on Leadership
& American Democracy, and another strong group of students
joined the National Honor Society. A large number of our majors
and minors also presented their research at Mercyhurst’s first annual
poster symposium. And much more….
FACULTY NEWS:
Dr. Federici was promoted to Full Professor this
year. He will be working on several projects this summer including
an introduction for an edited book on Orestes Brownson's political
theory and a chapter in an edited book on the political economy
of Wilhelm Ropke. Dr. Federici will present the Brownson work
as a paper at the APSA Meeting in Chicago in late August. He would
like to thank all the students who nominated him for the Teaching
Excellence Award. It was a great honor. [Ed. Note: And well-deserved,
eh? Congratulations.]
Dr. Morris has a wide variety of projects planned
for the summer. In addition to doing a lot of kayaking, he will
be busy working on papers and familiarizing himself with the Mercyhurst
College Honors Program. Beginning in June, Dr. Morris will replace
Dr. Candee Chambers as the Director of the Honors Program. He
also plans to give a lot of time to the Pennsylvania Lake Erie Watershed
Association, including helping to organize watershed education efforts.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Morris was a logical choice for the Honors Program,
and I can’t resist pointing out that we are the only department
on campus where all four faculty teach in the Honors Program. Indeed,
I can’t even think of another department that has more than two
members who teach in the Honors Program. Anyway, Congrats.]
Dr. Ripley wishes to offer his enthusiastic congratulations
to both Dr. Federici and Dr. Morris on their respective recognitions.
After teaching four classes in Spring Term, taking students to the
big Model UN competition in New York city (including at the UN)
and helping to organize the Model UN debate for the Academic Celebration
(traveling back in time to focus on the Rwanda tragedy) he is particularly
looking forward to gardening, family, and reading.
Dr. Clemons will once again take his work, and
his vacation, out west. If the stars all align correctly, that means
he will not be on campus from the middle of June until at least
early August. As usual for summertime, he will generally be checking
his email at least once a week, and his phone every ten days or
so. Work projects will include finishing up three or four chapters
and a prospectus for a new co-authored text, responding to a publishers
request for a prospectus for an American Foreign Policy text, and
preparing for his four Fall Term courses (Vietnam War, Geopolitics,
American Government, and a graduate course for the OL program).
The stack of books for reading is ridiculously high, but hope springs
eternal.
2004 SUMMER READING LIST
* = New to this year’s list.
POLITICAL SCIENCE NOVELS (Old and New):
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley [In some ways, more relevant
than ever.]
Reversible Errors – Scott Turow [Death penalty: lawyers,
judges, police, crooks, the media, victims, the public, and politics
all mixed together.]
Protect and Defend – Richard North Patterson [Brutal Supreme
Court nomination process, a thorough abortion debate, & politics.
Believable, informative & readable.]
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver [An evangelical
minister, his wife and four daughters arrive in the Belgian Congo
in 1959 and cultures clash. A new classic penned by my favorite
author. Awesome writing. Fascinating place]
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood [With John Ashcroft
in place as Attorney General, this classic feminist novel had to
return to the list.]
In Dubious Battle - [My favorite Steinbeck....still.]
Maximum Bob - Elmore Leonard [Florida, alligators, criminal
justice, and the judge who always gives the maximum sentence.]
Nervous Conditions - Tsitsi Dangarembga [Women's lives,
Africa, and colonization]
1984 - George Orwell [If you've never read it, you need
to.]
Billy Budd - Herman Melville [Much better than Moby Dick.]
The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison [A story about, not for,
children. About the power of culture, of stereotypes, of words,
and of pain. Oprah endorsed :)]
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand [Libertarianism's most famous
expression.]
Skinny Legs and All - Tom Robbins [Politics, race, religion,
art, lust, a Can o' Beans, a spoon, and a sock - not for minors.]
Prelude to Foundation - Issac Asimov [His entire sci-fi
foundation series consists of 7 novels full of politics, psychology,
plot twists, and riveting characters]
*Atonement – Ian McEwan [WWII era tale of “love and war,
childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness,” by a masterful British
author.]
POLITICAL SCIENCE NONFICTION :
Long Shadows: Truth, Lies, & History – Erna Paris [A
telling story about history]
John Adams – David McCullouch [Pulitzer prize winning author
( Truman ) makes one of the most important founding fathers
seem real. A better read than Truman]
Double Billing: A Young Lawyer’s Tale of Greed, Sex, Lies, and
the Pursuit of a Swivel Chair - Carmeron Stracher [You need
more than the title?]
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation - Joseph
Ellis [The intertwined lives of Adams, Burr, Franklin, Hamilton,
Madison, and Washington. This history shaped our politics then and
now. A great read.]
King Leopold’s Ghost - Adam Hochschild [Colonialism in
the Belgian Congo was a brutal horror portrayed as humanitarianism.
Revisit Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” as fact. Also, nicely ties
in with Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible.] How Democratic is the
American Constitution? - Robert Dahl [This political science
giant’s book is a very readable and thought provoking examination.]
Out of Order: Arrogance, Corruption, and Incompetence on the
Bench -
Max Boot - [Dr. Federici “judged” this book worthy.]
The Courage to Stand Alone - Wei Jingsheng [Letters and
essays by one of China’s most celebrated dissidents. Used in Dr.
Ripley’s Political Dissidents Seminar. ]
*Under the Banner of Heaven – Jon Krakauer [Great author
tells tale of politics and religion – and Mormon fundamentalism.
Reads like a novel.]
The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Thomas Friedman [Engaging
NY Times writer makes the globalization of the world, economically
and politically, a fun read.]
Locked in the Cabinet - Robert Reich [Former Secretary
of Labor's humorous and insightful tale of the highs and lows of
bureaucratic life.]
Barbara Jordan: American Hero - Mary Beth Rodgers [An amazing
woman’s life is chronicled. It was a life of firsts, of meaning,
and of importance.]
*A Problem From Hell – Samatha Powers [Pulitzer Prize winning
examination of US policy and genocide.]
*Mountains Beyond Mountains – Tracey Kidder [Inspiring tale
of one person making a big difference.]
*The Duel - John Lukacs [Prominent historian/spoke here/Dr.
Federici recommends]
A Necessary Evil - Garry Wills [This well-written polemic
argues that government is more than a necessary evil. From the founding
to today.]
Common Sense and a Little Fire - Annelise Orleck [History
you don’t know. 4 women who played vital roles in shaping American
politics, education, and labor.]
A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold [A legendary environmental
book.]
Envy of the World: On being a Black Man in America – Ellis
Cose [Critically acclaimed examination of a key issue.]
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Dee Brown [Still heartbreaking
and informative history of our nation's war against the American
Indians; masterfully written.]
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic – John DeGraaf [Entertaining
attack on consumerism. Consider buying it on one of your credit
cards!]
Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization
– Christopher Manes [Given the current view that all environmentalists
are terrorists, buying this attempt, based on social/political theory
to justify direct action by environmentalists could put your name
on a list somewhere. Pay cash for this one.]
*The Impossible Will Take A Little Longer – Paul Loeb [Essays
and excepts about the difficulty but possibility of making social
and political change.]
*My Life – William Clinton [Sure to be a major political
memoir.]
*Secrets – Daniel Ellsberg [Important history of Vietnam
and Pentagon Papers.]
*Perfectly Legal – David Cay Johnston [Tax system indictment
that claims those earning between $30,000 to $300,000 are the big
losers. Pulitzer Prize author]
*Bush I – [Grab one of the many books about the workings of the
current administration (Bob Woodward, Richard Clarke, Karen Hughes,
John Dean)]
CLASSIC AND NEW NOVELS & GENERAL INTEREST NONFICTION :
I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb [Lamb spins another
can’t-put-down novel. Twins, mental illness, loss, love, suffering,
redemption, i.e. life.]
Les Miserable - Victor Hugo [Broadway play closed now,
better as a book anyway.]
The Plague - Camus [This book could have been listed as
a political science novel. Can you figure out why that is true?.]
The Source - Michener [Judeo-Christian heritage, Islam,
set in Palestine.]
The River Why - James David Duncan [Families, fishing,
life, and metaphysics - a classic? Well, it is a Pacific Northwest
cult classic.]
Slaughter House Five - Vonnegut [So it goes, still his
best.]
Pride and Prejudice - Austen [Jane's work is part of Columbia's
core curriculum.]
*All Loves Excelling – Josiah Bunting [This year’s Pi Sigma
Alpha speaker’s novel about a college student.]
*Empire Falls – Richard Russo [This very talented author
scores another hit.]
Life of Pi – Yann Martel [Imaginative defense of zoos,
belief in God, and survival]
The Botany of Desire – Michael Pollan [Co-evolution. A
fascinating look at the interactions between four plants and humans.
Apples, tulips, pot, and the potato.]
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King [Part
biography, a King makes learning about writing quite amusing. Concludes
with a list of great books to read]
A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present -
Howard Zinn [Zinn’s left-wing history is vividly written. It includes
history usually omitted, people usually ignored. This revised and
up-dated book is thick, often sad, but ultimately hopeful.]
The Good Book – Peter Gomes [An articulate and engaging
attack on not taking the Bible seriously and on its use and abuse.]
.]
Angela’s Ashes - Frank McCourt [Better yet, get the book-on-tape
unabridged version of this Pulitzer Prize winner, read by the author
himself.]
Christianity and the World Religions - Hans Kung [Paths
to Dialogue with Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.]
On Writing Well - William Zinser [Title.]
A History of the Arab Peoples - Albert Hourani [12 centuries/500
pp../well-written]
The Art of the Personal Essay - Phillip Lopate [Food
for thought - great essays .]
Why Christian? – Douglas John Hall [Professor Hall has
a dialogue about doubt and belief, with a composite representative
speaking for those on the edge of faith.]
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