I hope all of you are well and families safe. I’m delighted to report we are back in classrooms teaching in person and campus is thriving with students again! It has been a challenging road with COVID-19, and we’ve learned a lot that we can use going forward in terms of teaching, engaging, and using technology to make the student experience even stronger, but I couldn’t be happier to be in person with our students.

We have been very fortunate and have had an encouraging semester so far, COVID cases have been down in the Miami Community and vaccination rates are high among faculty, staff, and students. We’ve had some exciting in-person events on campus this semester and I’m hopeful that spring will return even more normalcy back to campus.

We have many things to be thankful for this semester, with more great things for Miami on the horizon. It all starts with our students. This fall, we welcomed the Class of 2025, with 4,618 first-year students—the largest and most academically accomplished class ever. The Class of 2025 come from all over the U.S. (42 states) and 27 different countries. This year’s class is also diverse, with 14% first-generation and nearly 14% domestic multicultural students. With some normalcy returning, Harrison Hall is a-buzz with students. Political Science is doing well too, especially with the department’s growing interdisciplinary majors in Public Health & Administration as well as in Social Data Analytics.

But so much of what we do and the success of our students comes from you—our family of Miami alumni. I see your impact in the lives of our students in so many ways and that’s one of the gifts that makes Miami such a unique and inspiring place. We could not be successful in what we do here, without your passion and willingness to help our students achieve great things. Whether it is sharing career advice, returning to a campus classroom, mentoring, helping with internships and fellowships, or the countless other ways you open doors of opportunity for our students.

I can’t thank you enough for all you do—paying it forward—for our students.

Bryan Marshall
Professor and Chair
marshabw@MiamiOH.edu

Our students had some wonderful experiences in the Inside Washington program this past summer. Here’s one of our students, Addison Murtha, in her own words reflecting on her time in D.C.:

"This summer I had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., through Miami University’s Inside Washington Program. This program has been at Miami for the last 20 years, and it truly provided me with an experience I will never forget. Through this program I was able to meet with people in various fields all over D.C. Some of the people work for the Urban Land Institute, members of Congress, Congressional members themselves, and people who have worked under various presidential administrations.

"When not in class, each student was required to have an internship. My internship was with Hance Scarborough LLP. Through this internship I was in charge of watching congressional hearings, listening to committee markups, preparing the office for guests, and doing research projects for the various clients of Hance Scarborough.

"I truly enjoyed every minute that I lived in the city. I will never forget my early morning runs where I watched the sun rise over the Capitol, going to the Eastern Market on Saturday mornings, and exploring the various neighborhoods of the city. I would like to thank the Political Science Department and their donors for providing me a scholarship to help with the cost of this program and giving me an experience that I will never forget."

Another political science student, Waverly Dooling, talks about her incredible D.C. experience this summer:

“This past summer I spent interning and learning in Washington, D.C. through Miami University’s Inside Washington Program. Through my advisors, I was placed in an internship with the Partnership for Responsible Growth, a small think tank working to get carbon pricing passed through Congress. My boss, the former ambassador to Austria under the Obama administration, William C. Eacho, led me through my experience and presented me with a multitude of unique opportunities.

"Throughout the summer I was able to have intimate meetings with members of Congress and to be a self-starter within the organization, creating higher standards of efficiency and new types of content for our website and contact list.

"Overall, my time within the Inside Washington Program has increased my confidence greatly for where my sights are set after college. My current plan is to work within and pursue a higher degree in Cybersecurity at a university in D.C. to fulfill my dreams of helping our country transition toward a comprehensive cyber policy.”