|
|
The Department of Political Science
May 2024 Alumni Newsletter
|
|
|
|
 | Harrison Hall in 2024 (left) and Old Main in 1905 (right)
| |
| | |
|
Dear Alumni and Friends:
Old Man Winter has finally retreated, and spring renewal is upon us once again. With the blossoms and greenery of the season, we’re surrounded by beautiful growth on campus. And from Harrison Hall, we are sending our graduating seniors into the world—joining our Miami alumni—to have an extraordinary impact both near and far for the greater good.
This has been a highly productive and exciting semester in the Department of Political Science. Let me share some news and then I’ll move on to beaming about the great achievements of our students (and faculty) over spring semester.
Onto the news! As some of you may know, we are celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Department of Political Science and are asking alumni to help endow the Centennial Scholarship Fund to support students. The Centennial Scholarship Fund will allow us to sustain life-changing experiences and experiential opportunities for our students.
| |
 | Laura Neack (center) holding court with some students, faculty, and staff.
|
|
This spring we celebrated the remarkable career of our colleague, Laura Neack, and the impact she has had on students over the years. Dr. Neack will be retiring at the end of this spring semester, having taught courses on international relations in the Department of Political Science for 34 years.
We marked the occasion in Harrison Hall with a reception, including some of Dr. Neack’s favorite uptown cuisine (Phan Shin) and chocolate cake!
From all of us in Harrison Hall, we wish Dr. Neack all possible happiness in retirement.
| |
On April 15, we had the JANUS Forum Lecture with Mick Mulvaney (Chief of Staff to former President Trump) and Tiffany Muller (President of End Citizens United/Let America Vote) squaring off to debate "Bought and Paid For? Money, Speech, and Elections in America." Mulvaney and Muller kept the crowd riveted with contrasting views, and our Political Science student moderator, Grace Gaston, kept the conversation moving with plenty of back-and-forth humor.
| |
 | Mick Mulvaney, Grace Gaston, and Tiffany Muller at the Janus Forum
| |  | Tyler Sinclair '13 at the Darrell West Lecture
| |
| | |
On April 16, former Miami alumna Tyler Sinclair '13 (Founder, TGS Insights) gave the Darrell West Lecture in American Politics. Tyler provided keen insights into election data helping students to unpack the meaning behind election data going beyond the framing offered by media headlines.
| |
 | Michelle Smith Filby '06 at the Spring Awards Banquet
|
|
Now, onto a little reveling about our extraordinary POL students! One of my favorite traditions in the Department of Political Science is the Spring Awards Banquet, where we celebrate the many achievements of our students.
This year’s Banquet was held on April 11. We packed Shriver’s majestic Heritage Room with nearly 90 students, family members, faculty, and staff to honor some of our most hard-working and talented students receiving this year’s awards.
We were very fortunate to have Michelle Smith Filby '06 join us for the festivities and deliver the keynote to our students. Michelle currently serves as an International Policy Principal at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Michelle’s keynote speech to students not only highlighted her unique path to the Federal Reserve as a Political Science major, but also the importance of leveraging Miami networks, and embracing new challenges as invaluable opportunities to learn.
| |
Each year, President Crawford bestows the President’s Distinguished Service Award to a select few Miami University students. This year, the Department of Political Science had four of the nineteen Miami students to receive this high honor. The award recognizes the extraordinary service of students as citizen leaders and their impact on Miami and the community. This year’s Political Science awardees of the President’s Distinguished Service Award included Hanah Bloom, Kelsey Norris, Teryn Scott, and Sevara Ubaydullaeva.
| |
I am delighted to report that our very own Mollie Duffy (Public Administration) has won the prestigious Key Into Public Service Scholar Award. Mollie is the first Miami student to ever receive this award, and she is just one of only twenty students selected nationwide by Phi Beta Kappa for this honor. We had a wonderful time with Betsy Glosik (MU-1980) and five of her Miami friends, who retraced some of their early years in Oxford. Betsy (below, left) got to spend some quality time with us and one of our students, Kaitlyn Hogden—the recipient of this year’s Sara C. Glosik Memorial Scholarship award. Kaitlyn is one of our outstanding students, double majoring in Political Science and Economics, with her eye on law school.
Hope you come back to Harrison Hall soon, Betsy Glosik, and bring the whole crew!
| |
 | Betsy Glosik '80 with friends and student Kaitlyn Hogden
| |  | Miami's Model Arab League team
| |
| | |
Our students in Model Arab League continue to build upon a stellar run of performances that make us all proud. In March, the Model Arab League members traveled to Indiana University for a regional competition and then went on to the national conference in Washington, D.C. in April.
At the national conference, Miami’s Model Arab League team won “Outstanding Delegation” and also swept several big individual awards. The Miami team represented the Syrian Arab Republic and sharpened their negotiation skills in the face of large ideological disagreements and shifting strategic views. Team members were Eli Levsky, Megan Foster, Omar Abaas, Sydney Kerlin, Umar Arshad, Micah Ball, Sydney Sharp, Jacquie Linden, Sara Schinker, and Emily Agin.
In their own words, the Miami team wanted to share the following with our Miami alumni:
“This learning opportunity was made possible through the support of our Political Science alumni, and we extend our utmost gratefulness. These experiences are irreplaceable and prepare us for a future in which we will need to understand global politics from different worldviews in order to make the best possible decisions.”
| |
 | Professor Anne Whitesell (center), with Provost Liz Mullenix and President Greg Crawford
| |  | Political Science and Data Analytics student Jack Bernacki (left) recognizes Professor Patrick Haney (right) as ASG Outstanding Professor
| |
| | |
Last, but certainly not least, it was a great night for the Department of Political Science, with Professor Patrick Haney winning the Associated Student Government "Outstanding Professor Award." To brag a little bit on the home team from Harrison Hall, we had several faculty with honorable mentions among the top nominees, including professors Matthew Arbuckle, Sarah Larson, and Anne Whitesell.
| |
The POL Centennial Fund will foster student recruitment through scholarships and make experiential learning experiences like internships and study away/abroad programs possible. Whether it’s scholarship support or giving time and talent as mentors, placing internships, or with careers and networking, your help makes a world of difference in the lives of our students.
Keep in mind, I’ll be hosting an alumni reception in Washington, D.C. with this summer’s Inside Washington students on June 4 ( register here). If you’re coming to Oxford for Alumni Weekend, I’ll look forward to seeing you on June 8 outside of Harrison Hall at 2-3 p.m. to enjoy refreshments and catch up with you.
| |
| The generous support of our donors provides our students and faculty with the resources to take part in a variety of activities that would otherwise be impossible.
Scholarships, special lectures, and support for student and faculty research projects enhance the academic mission of the Department of Political Science and the student experience.
This support is a vital component in our mission. Please take a few minutes and consider making an investment in the Department of Political Science.
| |
|
|
|
|
