THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:
- GRADUATING SENIORS
- GOVERN FOR AMERICA FELLOWSHIPS
- CIVIL RIGHTS ESSAY CONTEST
- FACULTY IN THE NEWS
- STUDENT GROUP NEWS
- FACEBOOK PAGE
- HOLIDAY WISHES
1. GRADUATING SENIORS
If they complete all course requirements, political science majors Sydni Holt, Hunter Lee, and Chris McCain are scheduled to graduate this month.
We extend best wishes to our graduating seniors and with their plans for the future!
2. GOVERN FOR AMERICA FELLOWSHIPS
The Govern for America fellowship is a two-year paid opportunity for students anticipating graduation by June 2021. The application deadline is December 21, 2020.
Govern for America is searching for the next generation of public sector leaders to address our nation’s biggest challenges. They recruit, train, inspire, and empower recent graduates to dismantle systemic inequities, build more inclusive public systems, and create a more effective government. As a Fellow, you’ll work in government on strategic priorities and innovative projects and bring your skills to bear on the most pressing challenges facing our communities. Govern for America Fellows work at the intersection of policy and practice in a fast-moving environment where new challenges and experiences are the norm. Whether you’re combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, working to end mass incarceration, or expanding access to high-quality pre-K, government is where we see leadership in action. The GFA Fellowship is your opportunity to tackle one of the biggest challenges of our time. Apply online before December 21.
3. CIVIL RIGHTS ESSAY CONTEST
The Penn State Center for Democratic Deliberation is sponsoring an essay contest based on the Rhetoric of the Civil Rights and Voices of Democracy projects. The contest is open to any undergraduate student at Penn State and includes cash prizes for the top three essays.
4. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
- Dr. Kilic Kanat, associate professor of Political Science, will be participating in a webinar panel titled “The Biden Administration's Foreign Policy Priorities,” for the SETA Foundation, with Charles Kupchan, professor, Georgetown University, and Shadi Hamid, senior fellow, Brookings Institution, on Tuesday, December 15, at 2:00 p.m. You can register for the webinar.
- Dr. Robert Speel, associate professor of Political Science, has published an online article titled "Why Do So Few Clergy Serve in Congress?" that so far has appeared in the Jesuit magazine America and the Baptist magazine Word & Way, along with Yahoo News. He was also interviewed about the 2020 election results for the Behrend Talks radio broadcast and podcast by Penn State Behrend Chancellor Dr. Ralph Ford. In the past month, Dr. Speel has been interviewed for two stories on Radio-Canada, the French version of the CBC, about Donald Trump's future, for the Orthodox Jewish magazine Mishpacha, about whether Trump might run again in 2024, and for the Sunbury Daily Item about the presidential pardon power, and for the Erie Times-News about Congressman Mike Kelly's lawsuit to overturn the Pennsylvania election results.
- Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, assistant teaching professor of Political Science, on December 9 presented her research entitled “Postcolonial Ukraine, (neo)Imperialist Russia” at the panel “Postcolonial Perspectives on Ukraine” hosted by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Watch the panel discussion on YouTube.
5. STUDENT GROUP NEWS
- College Republicans has elected a new president Hunter Kellar and vice president Robert Vanetta for next semester.
- The Behrend Political Society has chosen a new vice president Mallory Flesik, Treasurer Luke Warner, and Public Relations Chair Samiha Choudhury.
- To get any involved with any of the Penn State Behrend student political groups next semester, contact Model United Nations President Marissa Litzenberg at [email protected], College Democrats President Grant Filbeck at [email protected], College Republicans President Hunter Kellar at [email protected], or Behrend Political Society President Cole Troutner at [email protected].
6. FACEBOOK PAGE
All students and alumni are invited to like the Penn State Behrend Political Science Facebook page and get updated news and find out about events.
7. HOLIDAYS
Best wishes to everyone on final exams and during the entire holiday season!