Political Science CyberNewsletter

Number 16 - June 9, 2003

Another academic year has come to a conclusion and it was another very successful year for the department.   Last year when we had the Valedictorian (Chris Roos) and one of our double majors (Billy Byrnes) was the Carpe Diem award winner, I assumed it would be some time before we had another year like that. Shockingly (because it happens soooo rarely) I was wrong.

On behalf of all the faculty, I can state that we are regularly proud of our students and our alumni. It doesn't take outside validation in the form of awards or prestigious jobs. Seeing individuals learning, growing, gaining new skills, contributing to their communities, and living satisfying lives is enough. However, the other stuff helps let the outside world (especially Mercyworld) know what we know: our majors and minors are a very impressive group. The top two awards (excluding valedictorian) that the college gives are the Carpe Diem award and the Catherine McAuley Undergraduate Adult Student award. This year's Carpe Diem winner again is a political science major -- Casey (CJ) Kilroy. Casey will be a double major after returning next year to complete her musical theatre degree (and advise the Ambassadors Club), but she has completed her political science degree and graduated. The recipient of the Catherine McAuley award was Kathy Antus, a business major and a political science minor.  In addition, Kristen Brown (contract major) and Danielle Aloshen (minor) were the winners of the Division awards chosen by the seven academic divisions on campus. Both of them, along with Kathy and Casey, were honored at a special dinner the night before graduation. Overall, 17 majors and 8 minors graduated with political science degrees. All of them are to be congratulated, wished well, and urged to stay in touch as they head off to work, law school, graduate school (at least four), Americorp, and marriage.

While on the subject of awards, I want to mention that despite the quality of our graduates, the cupboard is far from bare. Just two of next year's senior political science majors help make this clear. Let me briefly tell their stories. Joe Delgado was one of 20 undergraduates from across the United States to gain acceptance into the 2003 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute sponsored by the American Political Science Association, funded by the National Science Foundation, and housed at Duke University. This intensive five-week academic program is a wonderful opportunity. Room and board, books, transportation costs, and tuition for two 3 credit courses, as well as a $1000 stipend were provided. Additionally, besides taking two courses (one on quantitative methods and the other on race in American politics), the prestigious Stanley Kaplan Co. will offer GRE preparation and representatives from top graduate programs throughout the U.S. visit the institute to recruit these exemplary students. Jill Gloekler was awarded the Betsy L. Lantz Honors scholarship at the honors award function. This award is given annually to the most deserving student with a liberal arts major. Unfortunately, extremely dangerous conditions in East Africa caused her to cancel a very ambitious research project she had worked on for most of this year. Jill had her plane ticket and shots, had gotten clearance from IRB boards at Mercyhurst and in Uganda, had researched the literature and designed a survey, etc. She was headed to a village in Uganda, where an experimental health care cooperative (UHC) is changing health care delivery, to study the impact on health. Jill will get there eventually, but everyone involved, here and in Uganda, recommended she cancel her trip. Meanwhile she's learned a great deal and will use a lot of her hard work as the basis for her political science honors thesis.

To conclude, I want to thank my colleagues in the department for all their work in making this dept. such a wonderful opportunity for students who want to get a good education. The mutual respect and good natured camaraderie we share helps create a situation wherein the hard work, expertise, and talents of Drs. Federici, Morris, and Ripley can best serve our students. Also, I offer these words, taken from composer/philosopher Paul Hindemith, as advice to not only our graduating seniors, but to all of us -- most certainly including myself. "Your task it is, amid confusion, rush and noise, to grasp the lasting, calm and meaningful, and finding it anew, to hold and treasure it."

Also, attached at the end of this missive is the eagerly awaited 2003 edition of the Summer Reading List. As usual, the list covers political science novels, political science nonfiction, classic and new novels, & general interest nonfiction; with new additions to this year's list denoted by the use of an asterisk (*).  Current students should also note the opportunity for next fall mentioned under departmental news.


WHO'S DOING WHAT (Alumni):


Stacey Tate '02 (Major) - will graduate with her MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse on June 27 and then start her job at Public Financial Management in Philadelphia on August 11. Her position is serving as a financial consultant for state and local governments in areas such as debt management, investment management, pensions, and general financial planning. This is a company she had wanted to work for since September. She interviewed with them on-campus in October, took their online personality and math test in November, went to Philadelphia last month and had 6 interviews.  Two weeks after that she was offered a position as a consultant.  The company is a private financial consulting firm. Public Financial Management, Inc. (PFM) is head quartered in Philly. They have 21 offices that cater to the different regions throughout the country. Stacey says she is "excited about working for them because I get a great mix of working in the private sector while working for the public sector." She begins August with a three month training course in Philadelphia.  PFM hired about 20 people who will all train together. After the three month training is over they get to choose three cities where they want to locate.  PFM then locates them to one of our three choices. Stacey is also excited about not being a poor student anymore, admitting that "the salary, and the benefits are better than I ever thought I would get first year out.  The opportunity for advancement is unbelievable; many consultants become senior consultants in about 3 years. I can't believe that my sleepless, crazy, sometimes ridiculous job search is over." If anyone wants to check out PFM you can go to www.pfm.com

Jule Gardner '95 (Major) - as reported in the local paper, recently headed off to Harrisburg to accept an award. Jule, who writes for the Erie Times-News was named in the Enterprise Reporting category for an annual statewide contest sponsored by the Associated Press Managing Editors Association. The story she won for was a feature she wrote on delivering tragic news to families -- as part of the job of being coroner, ER doctor, cop -- and how that affects the bearers of bad news. The story, which I read in the paper, was picked up by several newspapers throughout the country. Jule also recently reported in, and let me know that she was asked to teach a journalism class at Mercyhurst this fall. [Ed. Note: This will be a nice chance for Mercyhurst students to not only take a class from someone in the field, but someone who earned their Master's in journalism at the top program in the country (Columbia).]

Kari Wells '99 (Major) - and I recently communicated when I contacted her to ask about a professor at the University of Maine (where Kari works and is working on her Master's) who is using my (co-authored) public policy book in her summer graduate course -- proving once again what a small world it is. Kari is to the point where she has begun researching her masters thesis.  Her topic is educational censorship in the Maine Public School System. She is currently identifying cases she wants to focus on and locating individuals to interview. She reports that, "Most of the work will need to be done this summer so I can begin writing in the fall. One difficulty I am having is with the ACLU archives.  There are complete sets of the archives at New York Public Library and Princeton but they can not be borrowed so I will have to find time to travel (which is difficult since I work). Oh well, that is what vacation time is for and the traveling will be a research adventure."

Jennifer Kraus-Bach '94 (Major) - is finally done with her tenure at the Governor's office Jen says the ride has been fun, but she's ready to head off and start a new chapter in her work life. And, she has landed a position working in an administrative position with the local branch of a non-profit. She also landed multiple bonus points (now having nearly as many positive bonus points as Neal Hammill '93 has negative bonus points). These points were accumulated by updating me not only about her change in jobs, but also her new email address -- and stopping by. As I recall she is also very near the end of her MPA program.

Gina Giachetti '93 (Major) - a Special Agent with the DEA says that her job is still basically the same despite all the HomeLand Security changes. She is taking a summer off from her graduate studies because a little one is well on the way. Gina is expecting a baby boy in August of this year. She and her husband bought a 5 acre ranch  and she says that she believes she has "truly become a cowgirl. Life is good."

Jeri (Wasson) Simora '93/02 (Major) - finally took care of some administrative and credit details this academic year, and is officially an alumni.  Jeri is expecting her fourth child, also in August. Somehow, Gina and Jeri having children the same month seems very appropriate to this observer. Jeri and her husband, along with another couple were planning on doing a medical mission trip to Kabul, Afghanistan. Everything was going smoothly when both couples found they were expecting new additions. Jeri's husband was not very interested in delivering the baby in a war zone.  The trip has been put on hold for two more years. Because of the war in Iraq, their plans would have been shelved anyway. But I know they are looking forward to visiting other cultures and assisting in any way that they can. Jeri reports that "For now, I am coaching the local swim team and carpooling the kids between various practices (football, t-ball, soccer, and ballet). I often find myself watching CNN and wondering how I got sidetracked from campaigns and politics, but then major lunch debates erupt and I find my political training comes in handy as I mediate a compromise."

Jennifer Krause '02 (Minor) - who is in law school at UC Davis, but home in Erie at the moment, was one of many '02 graduates to agree I was right about how fast the first year away from the 'Hurst went. She recently finished her last final of her first year of law school. She noted that: "It's been a long three weeks of them. But they're almost over and I'm very excited to be done with the first year, even though I had a really good time." She also noted that California is growing on her, even though a trip to LA confirmed that more than one world exists. I'll pass on a large part of her report as well: I have a job this summer working at the Yolo County Public Defender's Office.  I don't know if you remember this or not, but when I came to law school, I had no idea what type of law I wanted to practice. The only thing I was sure of was that I DID NOT want to do criminal law. Well, then I took criminal law and really liked it.  So I'm going to try it out this summer and see how it goes. I was also elected to be the chairperson of King Hall Legal Foundation next year.  KHLF is a non-profit organization that raises money to give out in the form of public interest grants.  It is a really great organization that I served on the Board of this year, and I'm very excited to serve as chairperson next year.  This year, we raised over $35,000 to give out in grants.  And the grants go toward so many great projects (like the War Tribunal in Rwanda, public housing organizations, etc.) that it really makes all the hard work worth while.  We have over 150 members in KHLF and our big fund-raiser each year is our annual auction.  We auction off everything from weekend cabin stays at Tahoe to gift certificates at local restaurants.  One of our big items this year was an autographed Chris Webber jersey.  People are crazy about the Kings out here!

Amanda Bhame '00 (Major) - was hired by a non- profit organization in Cleveland. She reports being excited about her job and shared the following insight. "Being out of work for a few months was a real learning experience. It really made me so appreciative of the fact that I at least have an education.  It makes one aware of those who are out on the streets, I mean they may have been, at one point, employed and then one day not and could never recover. It is amazing how one goes about their day and doesn't think how lucky they are to have work, even if it is not exactly the job of your dreams.  Working gives one confidence and motivation, I can truly appreciate how one would fall in to despair after a while of rejections." [Ed. Note: a current student who works very hard while working hard at school, had the same revelation this year, in part due to reading "Amazing Grace" in Public Administration. Work is one of those things we not only take for granted, but often complain about. Thanks for sharing, Amanda]

Frank Kostic '01 (Major) - once again was kind enough to send us an update. Here's the scoop: In a few short days I will have taken the last final of my second year of law school. This year has been the most consuming yet, its not true that the second year is easier than the first. That aside, I went to both the Moot Court Competition in Brooklyn School of Law and to the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA) Competition for Trial Advocacy in Rhode Island. Both were great experiences (I never realized the amount of material that could be learned in a weekend). In connection with the ATLA competition I was elected president of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society. Any free time I had this term was consumed with my efforts to send care packages to the troops serving overseas.  Many people, I have found are against the war, but support the President and/or the troops. In that light we received many donations and were able to make life a little easier for soldiers. This summer I will be working at the school registrar to make a few bucks. But the majority of my time will be devoted to directed research involving Business Organization and Nonprofit Organization (Yikes does that sound practical or what). I will also be planning a Trial Advocacy class that last about five weeks, this will include instruction from Attorney's in the local bar on the basics of trial work.  So I have my work cut out for me. Please send my greeting to the rest of the department.   ---  1LT Frank E. Kostik, Jr., Widener University School of Law

Rob Vescio '96 (Major) - works for County Executive Jim Roddy as his top legislative aide and after being gently chastised by me in the last newsletter, sent an informative update. Here's the story, only slightly edited, and commented on, by the one with editorial prerogative (me) : Things are quite hectic in Allegheny County.  First and foremost, we are 5 and half months away from election day.  This will be without a doubt the biggest challenge of my career.  My undefeated record will be on the line. We are facing a young, energetic, conservative Democrat who has made a career of being non confrontational.  In a county that is 2.5 to 1 Democrat, it will be a challenge for a Republican to hold the most prized office in the county. So this means that my life will end in mid-June as I will be spending all of my free time outside of my normal county function to pull double duty with the campaign.  [Ed. Note: Even with many things working against them, I suspect Rob and Roddy will prevail, and Pete Rose and I would put money on it] On the legislative front, my job has taken on a new title – airline specialist.  US AIRWAYS informed us 21 min before leaving bankruptcy court that they were canceling their lease at Pittsburgh International Airport in addition to all of the leases with private venders in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  This is obviously a serious blow to our region and has taken most of our energy.  We have been meeting regularly with a group established by the Governor (in the Governors Mansion) to engineer a statewide response to the USAIR mess.  This group includes a contingent from Philly airport as well. They are in a similar predicament because USAIR requested Philly to provide rent relief to the airline. Whatever the final outcome, you can bet that it will be expensive to the taxpayer and that all of Pennsylvania will  be affected.  Unfortunately there is a lot of detail on this matter that I am not permitted to say at this time.  After it concludes, I may put something together for everyone to read.  It is quite amazing.

Sandra Grance '02 (Major) - is still working for Rep. Stevenson, but after a year off is seriously considering heading back to the life of academia. In particular, she is looking at GSPIA at Pitt and getting her MPA. Meanwhile, she's busy fielding all the calls from constituents who are very unhappy with the Gov's budget and the cuts that go along with it.

Maureen Grady '02 (Major) - was in Chicago attending Loyola University working on a Master's Degree in Poli Sci, but had a change of heart. She always had an interest in teaching and finally decided to follow her instinct. She transferred to Wayne State University in her hometown of Michigan where she is enrolled in their Masters of Teaching program. She hopes to receive her Teaching Certificate by the end of next Fall semester and graduate with a Masters Degree that Spring. To see what she is getting herself into she's been substitute teaching at her old high school often. The report: "So far, so good."

Brooke Emmerick '01 (Major) -  is happy to say that she will be back at Mercyhurst next fall. She is leaving the think tank world of DC and will be getting a teaching certificate in Social Studies of Secondary Education. She anticipates being on campus for a year.  Brooke is looking forward to being at Mercyhurst again and to being a student again.  She thinks it will be a much different experience this time around having been in the "real world" for two years, and that she will have an increased appreciation for school knowing what she knows now! We look forward to seeing you on campus again.

Ahmed Omerhodzic '01 (Minor) - wins the award (not at all surprising) for sending the most humorous update. Also unsurprising are his totally unprovoked attacks on the humble editor of this newsletter. Nonetheless, as always being generous and forgiving, I decided to report it as I found it. The ever witty Mr. Omerhodzic finds himself enrolled in a graduate program at Canisius. His comments: "Dr....I mean Mr.....actually, it should be Sir Clemons, I want to take this opportunity and thank you for a great undergraduate education.  Myself and Hans M have really been inseparable these days as we both go on about the War in Iraq.....he says rimland, i say rhineland......But anywho....I was on the Hurst website and I saw that they promoted you to head janitor......ehhhhemmm!!! Congratulations.....i hope you do well..."

Adam Blahut '02 (Minor) - decided to take a year off after graduation and has been working and paying down his student loan. This fall he will be going to Duquesne University for a master's degree in their museum studies program.

Brian Fromknecht '00 (Triple Major) - currently is living in the West Palm Beach area (on the beach), He graduated from the University of Miami School of Law early (with cum laude honors), then he passed the Maryland bar (which has only a 52% passage rate) with the necessary multi-state score to be waived into the DC bar. Brian reports that he will most likely be working part-time with a real estate firm (if he gets tired of his extended vacation) while waiting to take the Florida bar exam in July. With a concentration on con law, admin law, and legislation during law school, he's "planning on sending his resume to several government agencies, Congressional members and lobbyist groups in the Baltimore/DC area with a look toward actually using my political science degree (with my real job being property investment in south Florida)." In short, he's looking to land a job in the DC area.  He says he's not looking forward to a return to cold weather, but wants the fun of playing with all the other lawyers up in DC. :)

Beth Stoessel '00 (Double Major) - reported in when the snow was still flying around the Maryland area. She noted that they actually had to "make it illegal for people to drive when we got 24 inches of snow, over the course of three days!  They kept panicking and abandoning their cars in the roads. Then again they did that when we got 6 inches in December.  I will admit that one reason they closed school for four days after the 24 inches of snow was because of the fact that the plow drivers need some serious help.  They can't find more than two lanes of road on a four lane highway, and have no concept of not dragging the plow across the pavement (they'll plow the roads when we get 1 inch of snow).  They also tend to take out any pesky curbs that get in the way (there's a two foot piece of cement curbing four feet up a pile of snow in the parking lot out front).  They can't even figure out how to plow both the parking spaces and the travel lanes (which makes for some creative parking later on). Not to mention things like the 200 foot long, 50 foot wide, 12 foot high (at least...) pile of snow that's STILL in the CENTER of the parking lot at work..." Beth still works for the government and we hope will be one of the presenters next fall at the second annual Poli Sci Homecoming event. She's working her way toward a black belt in Taekwondo, and hanging around with Andrew (Olson) and their dog, Mori. She recently watched the movie "Apocalypse Now" and in the course of discussing the movie with a friend, mentioned one of the books from the Power and Politics Seminar, King Leopold's Ghost, which he ended up borrowing. [Ed. Note: it is on the Summer Reading List (attached)] Beth also noted seeing (it was in all the papers) a reference to Ohio's ratifying the 14th Amendment recently, and that she "couldn't help think of Dr. Federici's Constitutional Law class. And laughing, I couldn't help laughing, either; although I wasn't laughing quite as much as Drew (who lived in Columbus, OH) and a friend of ours who was also from Ohio."

Diane (Ashmore) Dean '94 (Major) - of whom I still live in fear of, due to her apparently uncanny ability to impersonate faculty, sent the following brief update:" Dear Doc or is it Cyber Newsletter Omnipotent One, In fear of receiving a tongue lashing or being quoted the dictionary definition of a newsletter, I will be brief and stand true to character with no opinion. [Ed. Note: this was humorous.]  Anyway, no new news to report, still pregnant, still due Aug 26th, still loving the stay home mom position. Have a nice summer, best to all!"
Sounds like news to me.

 

WHO'S DOING WHAT (Current Students):

The campus computer system has been shut down for the last week, so I am fervently hoping that I didn't miss anyone in the following list of this year's graduates. After this they will move to the alumni mailing list and "Who's Doing What" list. For now though, we offer congratulations to the following graduates:

Majors = Kyle Bohrer, Kristen Brown, Floyd (Chip) Cephas, Jr., Tony D'Abruzzo, Darren Forgea, Rob Garber, Jo Ann Hanes, Emily Howard, Rich Johns, Casey Kilroy, Mike Nesbella, Melissa Poliseno, Missy Rapone, Brad Thompson, Morgan Tracey, & Laurie Weaver.
Minors = Danielle Aloshen, David Amthor-Wiest, Kathy Antus, Mike Beerbower, Becca Kovacs, Shannon Miles, & Marty Rieck. I want to begin with brief descriptions of what some of the
seniors did and/or are planning on doing:

Jo Ann Hanes '03 (Major) - after graduation and working as much as possible this summer she will become a poor graduate student at Purdue in August.  (And waiting for her boyfriend Bryan to come home from Iraq.  He's in the 3rd Infantry, still in Baghdad and he's been gone since September.) Jo Ann debated between Purdue and the University of Kansas, and ultimately decided Purdue was a better fit. The Boilermaker's win, the Jayhawk's loss.

Kristen Brown '03 (Contract Major) - kept very busy in her years here (local campaigns, Democratic Convention in 2000, Bush inauguration, student govt. positions incl. VP, Pi Sigma Alpha officer, volunteering, homecoming queen, etc.) so she should be ready for the intensity of her graduate program at Syracuse. Kristen turned down other offers, incl. the GSPIA program at Pitt, and the LBJ School of Public Policy at the Univ. of Texas. This marks two years in a row we've had a graduate head off to the number one rated public policy program in the country (Stacey Tate).

Morgan Tracey '03 (Major) - applied for and received a position with Americorp. Following in the footsteps of recent graduates Karen Petho '99 and Amanda Bhame '00, I expect Morgan will have a great experience. She will be located in the Western region and promised me updates on her adventures.

 Rich Johns '03 (Major) - sent in the following summary of his senior year and plans. I'll pass it on verbally: "For my third and final year on SAC I served as an On-Campus Programmer and we had a great year. Overall attendance was a record high and I worked with a fun group.  Although it wasn't as much fun as was when Frank and Perry were on the board!  After years of hard work in the creative writing department I am pleased to announce that I won the coveted Lumen Award for Best Poetry.  I had a great four years here at Mercyhurst and I will miss everyone dearly, but it is time to move on.  Next year I will be attending Duquesne University as I am enrolled in their Social and Public Policy program.  I never thought I would ever study public policy when I entered the Political Science program but here I am. Finally, I would just like to thank everyone for the incredible time that I had here and for your support. I think that the Poli Sci department is blessed with the best faculty and students of all the programs at Mercyhurst.  To everyone good luck and let’s keep in touch!"

Emily Howard '03 (Major) - wrote up a very concise thumbnail sketch of her key activities during her years here, as well as explaining her plans (Belgium) for after graduation. Since it is so concise, she also gets the verbatim treatment.  "My thumbnail sketch of my activities include rowing '99-'00, MSG '01-'02, Pax Christi Mercyhurst '02-'03 -- we won the award for the group that had the most opportunity for education, etc., for students.  I've done internships for a law office and Pax Christi USA, and I'll be moving to Brussels in January to work for Pax Christi International.  Until then I'll be working with the 9/11 Peace Coalition in Erie and trying to save money."

Michael Nesbella '03 (Major) - received a very generous offer to attend law school in Akron, and has accepted.

Shannon Miles '03 (Minor) - decided to accept an offer to attend graduate school in Texas. Shannon will attend the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A & M.

Kathy Antus '03 (Minor) - plans on taking some time to really think about what I want to do with my degree. To that end, she plans on doing some hiking, backpacking (hopefully), canoeing and horseback riding.  Since she was still in physical therapy when she started at Mercyhurst, she's sort of putting off testing out how much backpacking she can tolerate; but since the hiking has turned out better than anybody expected she's hoping that she will be able to work up to carrying both food and sleeping equipment!  One of her goals is to compete in the August horse trials for the first time in 7 years, just several levels below where she used to compete (impressive since she was told that she would never be able to ride again by all but two of the doctors). In short, this award winner's basic plan is to go from mental exercise to physical exercise and see what happens. Kathy noted that she's "hoping that the time in the woods will help me sort out what it is that I want to do. Dr. Ripley gave me some interesting suggestions to think about.  I do know that you'll probably see me back at Mercyhurst in the not-too-distant future. Even though, there were "those days," every now and then, I love learning new things and new concepts. The Political Science program was so great because it opens whole new areas of thought and perspectives.  (You guys do a great job of presenting different sides of issues without being contentious)." Kathy also noted that she owes her family a few (hundred) meals and should probably clean her house from top to bottom! I met her very supportive husband at the awards dinner and I think he knows Kathy's not done yet with her education.

Casey Kilroy '03 (Major) - will be taking a much needed break from the political scene and working as an entertainer and a manager for Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh, PA. Although graduating with her degree in Political Science this year, she will be back at the 'Hurst in the fall to complete her degree in Musical Theatre and to work as a Graduate Assistant in Admissions. After carpe diem-ing, a break is deserved, but as campaign season edges ever closer, will CJ really stay out of the fray?

 In addition to the two students mentioned in the opening of the CyberNewsletter, and the relatively brief descriptions of the seniors, here are a couple more thumbnail sketches of what current students have been, are, and will be, doing. I'll try to keep them very brief since this newsletter seems to have gotten out of hand in terms of length.

Lindsey Weber '05 - will be returning in mid-June from studying abroad this Spring at the University of Madrid. Lindsey reports that Spain is wonderful, and that the experience has seriously improved her Spanish.

Kristen Hudak '05 - was offered and accepted the position of head of the College Young Republicans for NW PA. Last summer she did an internship with Congressman Murtha (D-PA), so this balances things out. :)

Stephanie Davison '04 - will begin this summer to serve a year long position as an "Energy Fellow" funded by the PA DEA and sponsored by Allegheny College. In essence this learning opportunity brings ten undergraduates from area colleges and universities together in an energy analysis and community organizing program.

Michael Carr '04 - A member of the Men's Basketball team for the past three years will be examining another court as he does a summer internship with the law firm of Nicholas, Perot, Smith, Koehler & Wall.


DEPARTMENTAL NEWS:

Noted historian John Lukacs discussed Winston Churchill and leadership in a well attended speech on May 7th, and Professor Robert Seddig from Allegheny College gave the lecture after the Pi Sigma Alpha induction dinner on April 24th.

All four faculty members participated in a Model UN debate as part of the Academic Celebration in April. Organized, facilitated, and assisted by students (and Dr. Ripley), this very well-attended event was one of the highlights of this year's Academic Celebration. JJ Mikulec '04, a double major, served as Chair and did an admirable job dealing with nine faculty members all used to talking as much as we want to. As we debated, representing our assigned country's views, I recalled the quote from Ambrose Bierce "War is God's way of teaching American's geography."

Much more importantly, the Seniors and Faculty once again emerged victorious in Volleyball at the annual year end Political Science Beach Bash. On top of nice weather and the largest turnout ever (25 students), the volleyball victory put a nice traditional bow on this annual event.

Finally, (current students -- pay attention) this Fall there will be what promises to be a great opportunity for students interested in electoral politics. A conference will be held (October 2-4) in Akron, Ohio, featuring lectures and panels, and the chance to be matched with a mentor (leading professionals from the field). The conference is the American Association of Political Consultants Academic Outreach Conference. We will be taking about a dozen students (first come, first serve) to this conference and the costs will be very, very minimal. If interested and able to make a fairly firm commitment, contact Dr. Clemons. We will be submitting the final names to the conference no later than September 10th (very shortly after classes begin).


 
FACULTY UPDATE:

Dr. Federici - attended a Liberty Fund Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana February 7-9.  The title of the conference was The History of Liberty According to Benedetto Croce. 14 scholars from around the nation participated.  He also gave two presentations March 13, 2003 at New Mexico State University, Las Crusas, NM. One presentation was on technology in the classroom to faculty and one on constitutionality personality which was a campus-wide lecture. Dr. Federici also gave a presentation (Kirk’s Constitutionalism) at a conference (Culture & Tradition) for graduate students.  The conference was held June 5-8 in Mecosta, MI.  He is currently working with Kim Meerhoff on a grant to the U.S. Department of Education involving teaching American history in high schools.

Dr. Morris - recently published an article in the Social Science Journal.  The article, "The New West In The Context Of Extractive Commodity Theory: The Case of Bison Brucellosis in Yellowstone," is related to two papers he plans to complete this summer. Also, Dr. Morris and four students (Jill Gloekler, Stephanie Davison, Dana Hyland, and Kristen Hudak) completed the Pennsylvania-Lake Erie Watershed Public Opinion Study, and made presentations at public meetings in three Erie County communities.  This summer he's teaching an American Government class and redesigning the departmental web page. Dr. Morris will also be helping the Lake Erie Region Conservancy plan a study of the economic impact of sport fishing in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Dr. Ripley - will be teaching a summer course (Comparative Politics of Asia) and continuing on research projects he began during the first half of his sabbatical this past winter. In addition to summer fun (family, garden, music) and work, Dr. Ripley's reading list will include further consideration of the links between war, ethics, and Christian faith in a post 9/11 world.

Dr. Clemons - is hoping to wrap up the work that has to be done here within the next two weeks or so, and then head out to the Pacific Northwest. Besides seeing family and relaxing, he will continue working on a new book project, preparing for next fall's courses, and reading. He presented in March at the Western Political Science Association and taught a 1 credit simulation course at Idaho State University in March as well. His summer reading plan (I humbly ask you to note the brilliant segue into the annual Summer Reading List) is to once again read fairly extensively while alternating between fiction and non fiction (every other book).


2003 SUMMER READING 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]

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?]

*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. Also 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 foundation series consists of 7 novels full of politics, psychology, plot twists, and riveting characters in a great science fiction epic, & there are now 3 more books by the three B’s; =10 books]
 

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]

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 giantís 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. ]

*Eastward to Tartary - Robert Kaplan [A very informative look at a section of the world (Balkans/Middle East/Caucasus) coming into greater prominence again.]

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 Hope in the Unseen -  Ron Suskind [Inner city kid heads to an Ivy League school and struggles to keep his dream alive.]

Profiles in Courage for Our Time - Caroline Kennedy, Ed [An update of her father’s classic that shows there are still politicians willing to do the right thing even when the personal cost is high.]

*The Politics of the Earth: Environmental Discourses - John Dryzek [Title]

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.]

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - Jared Diamond [Why were the Europeans the first with guns and steel and why were their germs more deadly; in short, why did we end up on the plus side of the power equation?]

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 Battle for God - Karen Armstrong [Simply the best book I read in the last two years. Armstrong examines fundamentalism and when it turns violent.]
 
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.]

*The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold [Murder and its impact on a family, in a tale told from the victims perspective.]

*Empire Falls - Richard Russo [This very talented author scores another hit.]

*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.]

The Gift of the Jew’s - Thomas Cahill [The author of "How the Irish Saved Civilization" celebrates Western culture and the tribe of desert nomads he argues created it.]

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 of history in less than 500 well-written pages.]

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.]