New Faculty in Political Science

This past year the department hired four new faculty members, a nice change from recent years, bringing the total number of faculty to sixteen.

Ari Kohen is an assistant professor of political science and holds the Schlesinger Professorship of Social Justice. He has BA in political theory and international relations from Michigan State University’s James Madison College and an MA and PhD from Duke. Before coming to UNL, he was an assistant professor of justice studies and political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

He is author of In Defense of Human Rights: A Non-Religious Grounding in a Pluralistic World published in 2007. His research has appeared in Human Rights Review, the Journal of Human Rights, and the Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy. He was awarded the 2006 Irmgard Coninx Foundation Research Fellowship, which included three months of study in Berlin, Germany. He is working on a book-length project, The Moral Hero and the Mortal Hero.

Ari sits on the Board of Directors of The Journey of Hope, a non-profit organization led by murder victims’ family members and exonerated death row inmates who are committed to public education about restorative justice. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Irmgard Coninx Foundation.

When he isn’t teaching or writing, he enjoys cooking, watching the Michigan State Spartans, the Pistons, Red Wings, and Tigers, listening to music, and walking around town. His guilty pleasures include single-malt whisky, Facebook, and watching movies in the middle of the day.

Sarah Michaels is a professor of political science and is affiliated with the NU’s Public Policy Center. She is one of eleven faculty members hired through the University of Nebraska - Lincoln’s Water Resources Research Initiative. She teaches courses in public policy. Her research interests are in water resources policy and management, knowledge uptake for public policy decision-making, the science-policy interface, comparative environmental policy and regional governance. She is published in Society and Natural Resources, Environmental Management, Policy Studies Journal, Environmental Conservation, Land Use Policy and Sustainable Development.

Sarah’s current project is entitled, "Science and Sovereignty: Linking Environmental Sustainability to Smart and Secure Borders" funded by the Canadian Studies Research Grant Program. Using a case study approach, she is considering two questions vital to Canada-U.S. relations and to environmental security in both countries: (1) What role, if any, does science play in governmental deliberations and intergovernmental processes that may produce ecological consequences of uncertain scale, magnitude and scope in another country? and (2) How within-country decision-making processes that may have cross-border environmental implications influence if and how science is considered?

She received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. She was a Ciriacy-Wantrup Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and a Gilbert F. White Fellow at Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C. She comes to the UNL from the University of Waterloo in Canada where she was Associate Director and Associate Professor in the School of Planning.

Ross Miller is an associate professor in the department. A Minnesota native, he received a B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, a M.A. from the University of New Mexico; and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He comes to UNL from Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA) where he taught international relations and research methods. His areas of interest and current research deal with international conflict and international trade disputes.

He is co-author of Before Norms: Institutions and Civic Culture published 2005. His research has appeared in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Political Research Quarterly, Comparative Political Studies, and the American Journal of Political Science. Ross is also Director of the International Studies Program at UNL

He and his wife (Kris) have three children. Their favorite hobbies are going to parks and the zoo. Their biggest challenge since moving from California is learning how to drive in the snow and ice.

Michael Wagner is an assistant professor of political science. He earned his BA in Journalism from UNL and his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University. Before coming to UNL, he was an assistant professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware. Before that, he was a reporter in Peoria, IL and Omaha. He also did a stint as a press secretary in a congressional campaign. He notes that after traveling around the U.S., "there is no place like Nebraska" not even his hometown, Marshall, MN.

Mike’s research interests in American politics cover a wide range focusing on the interplay between political elites and the public. Articles have appeared in the Annual Review of Political Science, American Politics Research, The Forum, and State Politics and Policy. He is co-author of a forthcoming book Congress in the Public Mind.

An award-winning teacher, he teaches classes on public opinion, politics and the media, elections, the presidency, political parties, and political psychology.

He was project director on the 2006 Congressional Election Study conducted by the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He is also the recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation, and the Dirksen Congressional Center.

Outside of the academy, Mike is an avid fan of traveling, the arts, music, sports, and spending time with family and friends. He enjoys playing golf, tennis, and basketball -- and watching Minnesota Twins baseball, Nebraska football and Indiana basketball. He also spends too much time reading popular culture, American history, and political biographies. He and his wife Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, a professor in UNL’s Department of Educational Administration, are expecting their first child this summer.

Alumni News

Crounse Shares Knowledge with Students and Faculty

Jim Crounse (BA., 1977) is a direct-mail consultant in Washington, D.C. A partner with the Mack/Crounse Group, among Jim’s more notable clients are Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Congressman and current Majority Leader in the House Steny Hoyer of Maryland. He produced direct-mail advertising for presidential candidate John Edwards in 2008 prior to his withdrawing from the campaign.

Before his career in direct mail, Jim served as Chief of Staff to Senator Max Baucus and before that Chief of Staff to Nebraska Congressman Peter Hoagland.

Prior to moving to Washington in 1987, Jim headed a political consulting firm in Omaha, his hometown. He produced direct mail, TV, and radio ads for Democratic candidates and a variety of grassroots campaigns and organizations. He also worked for the Nebraska State Legislature and served as the Director of the Nebraska Film and Television Office.

He is frequently called upon to speak on political strategy and direct mail to campaign management students and political candidates. He is a frequent visitor to the House Democratic Caucus where he shares his knowledge and expertise. He has taught a direct mail class at George Washington University, and in 1998 was recognized by Campaigns and Elections as a "Rising Star in Politics." He is author of numerous articles dealing with campaign adverting.

In February he visited with several undergraduate classes at UNL and shared his thoughts and samples of his work with faculty and graduate students at a brown bag in Oldfather.

Smith Continues Long Career at Washburn

Lorn Smith (Ph.D., 1980) has taught at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas since graduating from UNL. He writes "I'm a -- worker in the vineyard -- rather than a wine maker." He has been active in campus organizations such as the Faculty Senate and the College Faculty Council (where he was chairman of its curriculum committee for the past 6 years.) He is also in charge of the intern program which he notes is doing pretty well. After that, he says "nothing special; doing my job as teacher, advisor, etc." He has been Faculty Advisor and Chapter Counselor to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Washburn for 20 years. "I was never a member of a Greek organization until I came here and the group initiated me as a honorary member. It's like having 40 children; all male and all with hormonal problems. But it also has been very rewarding. I've always considered it an extension of my role as a teacher."

Other Alumni News

Courtney Stottler (BA, 2007) is attending the University of South Dakota School of Law. Amber McKeon (BA, 2007) is a first-year law students at the University of Texas School of Law. Greg Butcher (BA, 2004) is an aide to state senator Amanda McGill from Lincoln.

Graduate Student News

Randy Bowdish, a former Navy Captain, published an essay "Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Media Dogs" in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century: International Perspectives. The three volume set includes essays by members of military and academia on the topic of global terrorism. His chapter, explores the relationship between terrorism and the media in a liberal democracy. This spring he taught a course entitled "Insurgency, Guerilla Warfare and Terrorism." Before joining UNL, Randy was on the faculty of the USMC Command and Staff College. He was also assigned to the Pentagon on 9/11 and lost a dear friend when terrorists crashed a jetliner into the face of the building.

John Fulwider has developed distance education courses for POLS 235, Public Policy: Concepts and Processes and POLS 236, Public Policy Analysis: Methods and Models.

Mitch Herian won the prestigious College Graduate Research Assistant Award for 2008 for his work in the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. He was recognized for his work at a special Honors Convocation hosted by the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Congratulations Mitch!

Faculty News

Orey Wins the Anna J. Cooper Teaching Award

Professor D’Andra Orey was recognized by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists in Chicago at their Annual Meeting in March where he received the Anna J. Cooper Outstanding Teaching Award. Anna J. Cooper (1858 -1964) was a distinguished administrator and teacher at the M Street School and founder of the Frelinghauysen University for adult education in Washington, D.C. Born into slavery, she succeeded in getting a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne and became an outstanding educator. The award is given annually to an academic who has demonstrated excellence as a teacher, advisor, and counselor to students. The selection committee identified Orey’s depth of commitment in mentoring students and scope of imagination in delivering course content in making the award. Congratulations D’Andra!

D’Andra also continues with an active research agenda. He has a forthcoming article "The Politics of AIDS in the Black Community" in Forum on Public Policy, and is working on two book length manuscripts, one entitled The Dangers of Black Conservatism.

He is frequently sought out by the media to comment on race and its influence on American politics. This past year his work assignment was modified to allow him time to recruit minority students to UNL.

Comer Steps Down, Theiss-Morse New Chair

Elizabeth Theiss-Morse will assume the Chair of Political Science beginning fall term. Beth joined the faculty in 1988 and soon thereafter completed her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. She was promoted to full professor in 2002. In addition to being recognized by UNL’s College of Arts and Sciences with a Distinguished Teaching Award in 1993, her book co-authored with John Hibbing, Congress as Public Enemy won the prestigious Fenno award from the American Political Science Association. Stealth Democracy, also written with John, was named an "Outstanding Academic Title" by Choice magazine. Her book With Malice Toward Some with George Marcus, John Sullivan, and Sandy Wood was recognized as the best book in political psychology in 1995 by the Political Psychology section of the American Political Science Association. She is currently completing a book True Americans: National Identity, Commitment, and the Setting of Boundaries funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Beth is married to Robert (Randy) Morse and has two sons, Nicholas and Christopher, and a dog, Lugia.

John Comer reflecting on his ten years as chair of the department recalled a UNL workshop he attended not too long ago where the focus was the "Recalcitrant Faculty Member." He noted "I was shocked at the stories shared by other chairs dealing with all sorts of faculty behavior or misbehavior, nothing illegal mind you, but just being difficult." He said, "None of that occurred on my watch. While faculty didn't agree with everything that I did, they were civil and cooperative. We all worked together to make the department a better place and political science a stronger program at UNL. The faculty and staff made being chair an enjoyable time for me." Comer will return full-time to the classroom in the fall.

Other Faculty News

David Forsythe received the Distinguished Scholar Award for 2007 for his work on global human rights and American foreign policy from the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association. He was honored at the plenary business session at the annual meeting in Chicago in August. A reception followed the ceremony.

Michael Wagner published "Beyond Policy Responsiveness in the U.S. House: Do Citizens Think Casework is Partisan?" in American Politics Research and "The Utility of Staying on Message: Competing Partisan Frames and Public Awareness of Elite Differences on Political Issues" in The Forum. He is also serving as principal consultant for the Nebraska Educational Television (NET) documentary "'68: The Year Nebraska Mattered." It focuses on the 1968 presidential primary election involving Robert Kennedy and Gene McCarthy. His task is to help make sense of political trends at the time as well as political forces set in motion during that turbulent part of the nation’s history. He does some podcasts and writes essays for the webpage that accompanies the documentary.

Undergraduate News

Amanda Crook and Courtney Ruwe, two of Michael Wagner’s UCARE students, are working on a content analysis of media coverage of Congress for his forthcoming book, Congress in the Public Mind. They are coding television news transcripts and newspapers coverage of Congress in 2002, 2004, and 2006. They are also working on experiments dealing with the physiological underpinnings of partisanship.

Other Undergraduate News

With support from the department, Lisa Mathews Fowler attended the 2008 conference "Dismantling Terrorism: Developing Actionable Solutions for Today's Plague of Violence" at the Air Force Academy in February. She notes that her studies at UNL prepared her well. "A highlight of the conferences was the opportunity to meet counter-terrorism experts and scholars and discuss their ideas and research." The conference brought together students from around the globe. "It is one thing to discuss counter-terrorism tactics in a political science class, it is a wholly different experience to discuss it when there is an Iraqi student sitting at the table." Shawna Liegl also attended the February conference at the Air Force Academy.

Emily Zimmer, junior major in political science, was elected ASUN president for academic year 2007-2008.

New Media Specialization Linked to the PhD in Political Science

This specialization offers Ph.D. students with an interest in journalism or mass communication to pursue their interest by taking a portion of their work in the College of Journalism and Mass Communication. As part of the 90 credit hours for the Ph.D., students will take a minimum of 15 from courses offered in the College. In addition to Mass Communication Theory which is required, students can select from a number of others, including Public Journalism, Politics and the Media, International Communications, and Mass Media Issues and Ethics.

Political Science Recruiting Scores with Spring Events

Big Red Road Show

The Political Science Department gave recruiting the full court press with two events this spring. Our booth at UNL’s annual Big Red Road Show, held in February at the Qwest Center in Omaha, combined basketball with the upcoming presidential elections to catch attention and engage people in conversation about what Political Science offers.

Staffed by Undergraduate Students Michael Jung, Steven Vossler and Eric Hagen, and Graduate Students Tyler White, Stacey Springer and Doug Oxley, the booth offered visitors and chance to make a basket for their favorite president candidate. More than 400 people took a shot and received information about the Political Science department. Most importantly, the Department worked with the Douglas County Election Commissioners Office to offer voter registration at the booth, and registered more than 50 new voters during the event.

Political Science Day

In April, the Department held Political Science Day geared toward high school seniors who have been admitted to UNL. Coordinated by Political Science Undergraduate Adviser Marcia White and Arts and Sciences Recruiting Coordinator Laura Hanzl, the event attracted prospective students from as far away as Texas and Colorado. Political Science faculty, Department Staff Assistant Helen Sexton and Arts and Sciences Advising Center Director Bill Watts provided support to the program.

Students and their parents or guests heard an overview of what UNL offers undergraduates interested in studying Political Science and learned about the Department’s strong teaching faculty, eight of who have won campus-wide teaching award; the strong student focus reflected in small classes and the Department and College’s advising emphasis; and opportunities for research and service. Presentations were followed by refreshments and a tour of campus.

Graduate Student Research

The Effect of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) on African Exports to the U.S.

by Tina F. Mueller

The proliferation of trade agreements (TAs) has led scholars to consider their effects on trade flows. One issue is whether such agreements are trade diminishing or trade creating. Recent studies have found the impact of nonreciprocal TAs, those between major economic powers like the U.S. and less developed countries, so-called nonreciprocal TAs to be trade diminishing, and thus, contradictory to the goals of such agreements. This paper tests the thesis that nonreciprocal TAs have a negative impact and focuses on the recently implemented non-reciprocal trade agreement between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of 2000.

The AGOA seeks to promote trade, investment, and economic cooperation between the U.S. and AGOA countries by offering them duty-free access to U.S. markets. It is expected, in line with previous research, that this agreement has a negative impact on African exports to the U.S.

The data are represent yearly trade flows from 30 AGOA countries from 1995-2005. The study’s conclusion is that participating in the AGOA has no impact on exports to the U.S. from member countries. While the finding contradicts the stated goals of the AGOA, it supports other research measuring the impacts of similar trade agreements. This and other studies raise questions about the efficacy trade agreements as a device for less developed countries to enter the global market.