March 2022 Newsletter
Greetings!
As the season changes and we move into the home stretch of the spring semester, I write to appreciate members of our department, past and present. The hard work and contributions of current faculty and students plus the legacy of former professors make me proud to serve as the chair of our department.
I’m sure many of you have been following the invasion of Ukraine closely. Professor Kathleen Collins is a leading expert on Russian politics and former Soviet states, and I invite you to read the insight she brings in her op-ed published in the Pioneer Press, a KARE 11 article on Putin’s nuclear warning, a KSTP project on Putin’s endgame, and a Minnesota Daily article on the response to the invasion from UMN students.
Please mark your calendars for the Mulford Q. Sibley Public Lecture on April 12th at 6 PM (CST) featuring a discussion with Professor Nadine Strossen, past national president of the American Civil Liberties Union. This event will celebrate Dr. Sibley’s legacy and address the topic of hate speech in general and on college campuses in particular. Register in advance to attend.
Professor Sibley was a staunch defender of free speech, academic freedom, and the environment. Gifts to the Mulford Q. Sibley Fund makes events like the conversation with Professor Strossen possible. To honor Professor Sibley’s legacy, please consider making a gift.
Also, take some time to read about the work and success of some of our faculty, undergraduates, and recent alumni.
Sincerely,
Paul Goren
Professor and Chair
For first-generation student Maria Zavala Garcia, the pandemic put things into perspective. She shouldered on and with support from Political Science faculty, she won a prestigious fellowship. "I am so grateful, and I am so proud," she said.
"This is a really good opportunity to make some changes, especially with public health," says Professor Michael Minta, who is one of the nation's leading experts when it comes to the political representation of minority groups.
We asked political science alumna Lulete Mola (BA '14): "What CLA experience continues to influence your life as a changemaker?"
“Conducting my own research on a topic I was personally passionate about, under the supervision of my incredible faculty advisor Professor Jane Sumner, required me to manage my own time, work within a framework I created, and problem solve in ways I hadn’t had to for other class papers,” Alum Haley Chinander (BA '21, economics and political science) says as she reflects on her time at the U of M.
Read "A Journey from Undergraduate to Federal Reserve Employee"
