Political Science Newsletter - November 2022

THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:

  1. DECEMBER 2 DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR SPRING BREAK TRIP AND COURSE IN WASHINGTON
  2. PENN STATE GRANT MONEY FOR TRAVEL COSTS
  3. NEW PRE-LAW ADVISER TO START IN JANUARY
  4. CAREERS OF BEHREND POLSC ALUMNI
  5. PHOTOS POSTED ON WEBSITE FROM TORONTO COURSE 2022
  6. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
  7. STUDENT GROUP NEWS
  8. FACEBOOK PAGE

1. SPRING BREAK TRIP AND COURSE IN WASHINGTON

The Political Science program organizes a student trip to Washington, D.C., over Spring Break during every odd-numbered year. The next trip will take place over Spring Break 2023. The trip is a required portion of the course PL SC 177N (GS/GH). The class is taught by Dr. Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science. Dr. Maggie Shum, Assistant Professor of Political Science, will also accompany the group in Washington, D.C., in 2023.

The exact itinerary will not be determined until February of 2023 but, on past such trips, the group has met with all of our local members of Congress, with officials at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organization of American States, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the embassies of Australia, Romania, Botswana, India, Ireland, Canada, Jamaica, Estonia. Bulgaria, Latvia, Slovakia, and Indonesia. We have toured the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the C-SPAN studios. We have participated in seminars held in the Supreme Court chambers, Ford's Theatre, and the Federal Reserve Board room. Among the highlights of the trip will be meetings or tours with Penn State Behrend alumni who work on Capitol Hill, for federal government agencies, as policy analysts, or as political consultants in Washington.

We always visit Arlington National Cemetery and all the most famous monuments and memorials. Free time is provided to visit museums such as the International Spy Museum, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the various Smithsonian Museums, as well as the National Zoo. Students have also attended major sports and entertainment events in Washington, D.C., during the evening. Students should be aware that many of the places and people we visit during the week are only available to student groups in Washington and not to individual tourists. Some of the places we visit may provide the only opportunity some will have in their lives to tour certain government buildings or meet with certain officials in Washington.

The trip is associated with the political science course POLSC 177N (GS/GH), and students will be required to sign up for either a 3-credit or 1-credit version of the course in order to take the trip. The 3-credit version of the course will involve class meetings on campus before and after the trip. In addition, the 3-credit version of the class will involve assigned readings, quizzes, some research, and short papers appropriate for a 3-credit course.

The 1-credit version of the course will include participation in the trip and a paper to be written after the trip. It is intended for students who would like to participate in the trip to Washington, but who don't necessarily need a 3-credit political science or general education course. The course and trip are open to students in all majors. There is no prerequisite.

In Washington, our group will stay at The River Inn hotel in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Some travel expenses related to the course and admissions fees in Washington are covered by alumni and alumnae donations and by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Endowment Fund.

For more details about PLSC 177, how to register for the course and pay travel costs, and to see photos from past trips, visit the course website.

Brochures about the trip are also available at the H&SS School Office, 170 Kochel, and outside Dr. Speel's office, Kochel 156. The deadline to submit a deposit for hotel rooms and to register for the course at 170 Kochel is Friday, December 2.

Questions can be sent to Dr. Speel.

2. PENN STATE GRANT MONEY FOR TRAVEL COSTS

Penn State's Student Engagement Network provides grant money to cover travel costs associated with classes and off-campus learning experiences, including the trip to Washington, D.C. The deadline to apply for Spring semester travel support is December 18. 

3. NEW PRE-LAW ADVISER TO START IN JANUARY

The Penn State Behrend Political Science Program will be hiring a pre-law adviser to start in January 2023. That adviser will be on campus for two hours per week to answer student questions about LSAT preparation, law school admissions, and legal careers. The adviser also may answer emails and help to organize campus events for pre-law students. More details will be announced in upcoming newsletters.

4. CAREERS OF BEHREND POLSC ALUMNI

Every few years, we compile some statistics about the careers of Behrend alumni who graduated with a political science degree. Previous newsletters this semester covered Behrend political science alumni with careers in law or professional business positions.

Over the next few months, the newsletter will contain some more details about the different careers of our POLSC alumni as of September 2022.

This month, we focus on POLSC alumni with current careers in government service. Alumni who work in government in the field of international affairs will get listed in a future newsletter.

Government Service

Among the eighty-three alumni who work in government service:

  • 44 work for the U.S. federal government
  • 22 work for state governments
  • 16 work for local governments
  • 1 works for the government of France
  • 10 are current or retired police officers
  • 10 are active-duty career military officers
  • 12 are government attorneys

Three alumni currently hold elected office:

  • Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
  • District Attorney for Potter County, PA
  • District Judge in Erie County, PA

Federal government positions of alumni (excluding attorneys) include:

  • Deputy Assistant Director, U.S. Marshals Service

  • U.S. Capitol Police officer

  • Research Analyst, FBI

  • Case Analyst, Social Security Administration

  • Deputy Director for Program Management, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  • Personnel Security Specialist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist, U.S. Department of Defense

  • Program and Management Analyst, U.S. Department of Treasury

  • Senior Systems Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  • Data Analyst, U.S. Senate Office of Public Records

  • U.S. Border Patrol agent

  • Program Manager, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

  • Analyst, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

  • Intelligence Educator, Office of Director of National Intelligence

  • Supervisory Data Analyst, Federal Trade Commission

  • Examiner, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

State government positions of alumni (excluding attorneys) include:

  • Pennsylvania State Police trooper

  • Deputy Director for Community Development, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

  • Executive Director, Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System

  • Killer Whale Policy Lead, Washington (state) Department of Fish and Wildlife

  • Program Manager, Florida Conservation Corps

  • Policy Analyst, Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority

  • Executive Director, Pennsylvania Governor's Action Team

  • Policy Analyst, Texas Sunset Advisory Commission

Local government positions of alumni (excluding attorneys) include:

  • Caseworker Supervisor, Erie County Office of Children and Youth
  • Investigator, Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department

  • Police Officer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

  • Housing Development Office Manager, City of Cleveland, OH

  • Planner, Transportation Program Development, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

  • Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer, Grove City, PA

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Erie County, PA

Those with military careers are serving in the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Marines.

Next month's newsletter will spotlight the 60 Behrend political science alumni with careers in education, and graduate schools attended by recent Behrend political science alumni

Full details about the careers of Penn State Behrend political science alumni can be found on our website.

5. PHOTOS POSTED ON WEBSITE FROM TORONTO COURSE 2022

Ten Penn State students completed the study abroad program on North American Politics, sponsored by the Penn State Behrend Political Science Program, in May and June 2022. Photos from this year's course, which included visits to many sites around Toronto, have been posted on our website.

Scroll down the page to see the photos from this year.

6. FACULTY IN THE NEWS

  • Dr. Kilic Kanat, Associate Professor of Political Science, moderated a panel sponsored by the Turkish government and titled "Health Diplomacy in the Post-Pandemic New World Order" at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, earlier this month.
  • Dr. Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, was interviewed earlier this month about Pennsylvania elections for Newsweek, the Swiss Italian newspaper Corriere del Ticino, and the Sunbury Daily Item.
  • Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science, has a book contract with Lexington Books, part of Rowman & Littlefield, with a tentative title of "European Values vs Russian World in Ukraine." The book will explore empirical evidence of the social and political dynamics of Ukrainian society rejecting the Russian World in favor of European Values.

7. STUDENT GROUP NEWS

  • Behrend Model United Nations is meeting this week on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in 113 Reed. They are also currently picking meeting times for next semester. For interested students, it is not too late to join the club in time to travel with them to Washington, D.C., for the International Model NATO conference, February 15-19. Students who are interested in getting involved should contact President Madison Kwiecinski. 
  • To get involved with Behrend College Republicans, contact President Noah Esper.
  • To get involved with Behrend College Democrats, contact President Mallory Flesik.
  • To get involved with the Behrend Political Society, contact President Spencer Finley.

8. 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.