School Is Out for Christmas!

Fall semester is over and students and faculty are off to their break destinations.  Before the end of term, HPJ, along with Dean Catherine Albrecht, gathered at Dr. Alexander's for some holiday cheer.  Thanks to Zhukra Kudratova Smith for the photo!

Pi Sigma Alpha Brings in the Money, Again

From the ONU website:

ONU’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, has received a grant of $900 from the national organization to fund a speaker series.

The grant, written by John Curiel, a senior political science major from Waukegan, Ill., and Daniella Chambers, a senior international studies and political science major from Fremont, Ohio, will be spent on establishing an alumni speaker series for the spring semester to highlight the types of jobsone can get in the field of political science.

This is the 11th time in 12 years that the ONU chapter has received grants from the national organization. Totaling more than $12,000, these grants have funded a variety of activities, including travel to conferences, research, and bringing outside speakers to the University. 

ONU’s chapter has been recognized as an “outstanding chapter” by the national organization five times in the past 10 years—more than any other chapter in the United States. The group is advised by Dr. Robert Alexander, chair of the Department of History, Politics, and Justice. 

Earlier this year, Kelly Morman, Dan Lee, and Mark Schloemer gave once such talk to students about the experiences they have had and the jobs they have held since graduation.  We are looking forward to seeing other alum return to campus to share their adventures.

 Well done John, Daniella, and PSA!

Professor Wilson's Historical Geography Class Present Local History Videos

Dr. Jimmy Wilson taught an honors course in Historical Geography this semester.  As part of the requirements for the course, students conducted interviews with local residents and used those videotaped interviews as the basis for video projects.  Students, faculty, and Ada residents gathered in the Wishing Well to view the resulting videos last night.  We learned, among many other things, that Ada was once known as Johnstown, but that when the post office discovered another village with the same name in Ohio, they changed our name, reportedly naming it after a relative of the Ohio postmaster.  Also that ONU previously had white swans, but they died in an accident.

The videos were entertaining and informative, and the exercise a fantastic opportunity for students and townspeople to interact.

Well done students and Dr. Wilson!  Thank you to the community members who helped with the project!

Triumph of the Alumni: Liz Drummond Earns Her MA from the London School of Economics

Liz Drummond, who earned her BA in History in 2007, recently graduated from the London School of Economics with a MS in Public Policy.  A star student during here time at ONU, Drummond has put together quite the career since leaving Ada.  She has served as a Staff Assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, has worked as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Navy League of the United States, as a Government Affairs Representative for Northrup Grumman, Interned with House of Lords in Britain, and is currently is Assistant for Government Affairs for Bloomberg LP.

Well done Liz!  We knew you would fly high after HPJ, but had no idea of how high.

Triumph of the Alumni: Nick Hills Reports from Grad School

Nick Hills, who graduated last year with a major in Political Science, returned to visit campus last week.  Hills is attending George Mason University and working on his MA at George Mason University in Virginia.  Hills visited with his old professors and Dr. Waters was good enough to treat him and Dr. Crawford to lunch at El Campo.  Over lunch they discussed the work Hills is doing and he reports that there is a lot of that in graduate school, but he is enjoying his experiences.

In his spare time, Hills also is a writer for the Free Press, based in Columbus, on a variety of political issues.  Recent op-eds include drone policy, elections in Iran, and other foreign policy issues. 

Well done Nick and keep up the good work!

Triumph of the Alumni: Jared Hardesty Successfully Defends His Dissertation

Jared Hardesty, a 2008 HPJ graduate with a major in History recently defended his dissertation at Boston College.  Hardesty's dissertation was titled "Slavery. Freedom, and Dependence in Pre-Revolutionary Boston."  Dr. Waters of HPJ was on hand for the defense, and provided the accompanying photo.  We will wait with anticipation to hear his stories of how well Jared handled the often grilling (pun intended) defense.

Well done Dr. Hardesty and we wish you the best of luck in your job search process!

Professor Nsia-Pepra In the News Commenting on Nelson Mandela's Passing

Dr. Nsia Pepra was interviewed by WLIO television for his comments on the death of Nelson Mandela in a report that ran last night.  Nsia Pepra held that people should "celebrate Mandela's life by being more like him."

Also part of the piece included an interview by HPJ Freshman Dan Kwiat (Social Studies and History).  A shortened version of the video, unfortunately minus Kwiat's thoughts, can be found here.

Phi Beta Delta: ONU Football in Ireland

Phi Beta Delta, the Honor Society for International Scholars sponsored the talk "Cultural Exchanges on the Gridiron: Polar Bears in Ireland."  The event took place in the Dicke Forum on Wednesday December 4.  

Bill Metz (Sr. Political Science), and Zach Runzo (Sr. Mechanical Engineering) recounted their adventures on the field and in the culture of the Emerald Isle last summer as the Bears took on two Irish teams; one from the University of University College Dublin and the other a club team known as the Meath Bulldogs.  Not all the action took place on the field, and the team had the chance to explore Galway and Killarney during their whirlwind nine-day tour.

The Bears won the contest 35-0, but told the audience that they also practiced a little Gaelic football, with less success.  Culture matters when it comes to success in a sport, and the ONU players had typically been playing our version of football for some ten years, compared to the three or four years that the average Irish player had played.

They also shared their experiences visiting the Guiness brewery, sampling Irish cuisine, and visiting various sites in the country.  Both agreed that the cliffs on Aran Island were a highlight of the tour, and confirmed that they learned a great deal about Irish culture on their trip.

Well done Bill and Zach!