Political Science

June 23, 2016 – As part of its ongoing comprehensive fundraising campaign, Allegheny College has received a $1.5 million gift that will endow a professorship in its political science department.

The Robert G. Seddig Chair in Law and Policy has been established by the estate of Robert Bruce Dotson in honor of his daughter Betsy Dotson, Class of 1974. Ms. Dotson, a lawyer, worked for many years in the public sector after graduating from Allegheny. She was dedicated to the College’s undergraduate mission and believed in broad educational experiences. Ms. Dotson passed away at the age of 47.

“My parents saw the impact of Betsy’s Allegheny experience and wanted to make sure that others could benefit from such an experience,” said Barbara D. Davis of Arlington, Va. “My sister Betsy majored in political science. My parents understood how important the professors in the department were in motivating Betsy to choose a career in public service.”

Mr. Dotson died in 2014, and his wife, Paula Haas Dotson, died in 2015. They had previously endowed the Betsy Dotson ’74 Experiential Learning Fund that continues to help students studying and serving internships in government agencies and businesses in Washington, D.C.

“Allegheny is able to remain among the top liberal arts colleges in the country because it has such strong support from alumni and their families, faculty and friends,” President James H. Mullen, Jr. said. “We are deeply grateful to the Dotson family members for recognizing and honoring the quality of the Allegheny experience.”

The political science chair has been named for Robert Seddig, who retired in 2012 after teaching at Allegheny for 45 years. “I am honored to have the chair established in my name because Allegheny has always had an excellent political science department – a department of national stature and recognition. It enjoys a long history of teaching excellence, especially in law and public policy. I am assured that the department will continue to thrive and enrich the intellectual lives of our students,” Seddig said.

Betsy Dotson had studied political science with Professor Seddig.

Professor Brian Harward, who also is the director of the Center for Political Participation at the College, is the first faculty member to hold the Robert G. Seddig Chair in Law and Policy.

“It means a great deal to me to be a recipient of the Seddig Endowed Chair,” Harward said. “It’s really such a fitting tribute to Bob Seddig’s deep commitment to his students, the College, and the discipline. He’s been a wonderful teacher and mentor for so many of us, I can appreciate fully why the Dotson family chose to honor Bob and Allegheny in this way. I’m grateful for their trust and confidence.”

The gift provided by the Dotson family is part of the College’s $200 million comprehensive campaign, Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest, which has among its goals increasing its endowment for student scholarships and adding endowed professorships. As of June 2016, the campaign had raised $132.7 million.

About Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a national liberal arts college where 2,100 students with unusual combinations of interests and talents develop highly valued abilities to explore critical issues from multiple perspectives. A selective residential college in Meadville, Pa., Allegheny is one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s Colleges That Change Lives. One of the nation’s oldest liberal arts colleges, Allegheny celebrated its bicentennial in 2015.

Photo Credit: Bill Owen

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

April 19, 2016 – Allegheny College senior Abby Lombard has received the Outstanding Student Award from the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

The yearly award is given to one undergraduate student who displays excellence and promise in public administration.

Although she is a native of Syracuse, New York, Lombard was eligible for the award because she spent 13 weeks completing a Pennsylvania House Legislative Fellowship in Harrisburg. This highly competitive fellowship program places students in leadership offices, such as offices of committee chairmen, in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Lombard was placed with two standing committees: the House Majority Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee and the House Majority Transportation Committee.

Lombard, a history and political science double major and philosophy minor, was nominated for the award during her time in Harrisburg. She will accept it May 2 during a celebration for national Public Service Recognition Week at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.

During her time at Allegheny, Lombard has served as a Student Fellow for the college’s Center for Political Participation and as a student representative on the History and Heritage Committee. In September 2014 she traveled to Harvard University to represent Allegheny at the Bipartisan National Conference, and in spring 2015 she spent the semester studying in Australia. She is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the college’s service fraternity; executive board president of the Residence Hall Association; and student advisory board member for the Department of History.

In summer 2014 Lombard completed an internship at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York. In 2015 she interned with Congressman John Katko in Syracuse. She also has worked in the Office of the Onondaga County Executive in Syracuse.

Following graduation, Lombard has accepted a position with Deloitte Consulting in Cleveland and eventually plans to attend graduate school and run for public office.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

April 19, 2016 – Allegheny College senior Abby Lombard has received the Outstanding Student Award from the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

The yearly award is given to one undergraduate student who displays excellence and promise in public administration.

Although she is a native of Syracuse, New York, Lombard was eligible for the award because she spent 13 weeks completing a Pennsylvania House Legislative Fellowship in Harrisburg. This highly competitive fellowship program places students in leadership offices, such as offices of committee chairmen, in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Lombard was placed with two standing committees: the House Majority Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee and the House Majority Transportation Committee.

Lombard, a history and political science double major and philosophy minor, was nominated for the award during her time in Harrisburg. She will accept it May 2 during a celebration for national Public Service Recognition Week at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.

During her time at Allegheny, Lombard has served as a Student Fellow for the college’s Center for Political Participation and as a student representative on the History and Heritage Committee. In September 2014 she traveled to Harvard University to represent Allegheny at the Bipartisan National Conference, and in spring 2015 she spent the semester studying in Australia. She is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the college’s service fraternity; executive board president of the Residence Hall Association; and student advisory board member for the Department of History.

In summer 2014 Lombard completed an internship at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York. In 2015 she interned with Congressman John Katko in Syracuse. She also has worked in the Office of the Onondaga County Executive in Syracuse.

Following graduation, Lombard has accepted a position with Deloitte Consulting in Cleveland and eventually plans to attend graduate school and run for public office.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Brian M. Harward, associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Participation, and Robert G. Seddig, emeritus professor of political science, will participate in a discussion of the Politics of Polarization at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Brian M. Harward, associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Participation, and Robert G. Seddig, emeritus professor of political science, will participate in a discussion of the Politics of Polarization at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Professor of Political Science Sharon Wesoky’s article “Politics at the local-global intersection: Meanings of bentuhua and transnational feminism in China” was published in the March 2016 issue of Asian Studies Review.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Professor of Political Science Sharon Wesoky’s article “Politics at the local-global intersection: Meanings of bentuhua and transnational feminism in China” was published in the March 2016 issue of Asian Studies Review.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Brian M. Harward, associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Participation, has published Presidential Power (ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Press). The book explores topics such as Japanese-American internment, the Watergate scandal, the Iran-Contra affair, and drone strikes to show how each presented tests of presidential power. The text utilizes events and developments throughout U.S. history — from the nation’s founding to the contemporary era — to demonstrate how these (and other) singular, focusing events are often reflections of broader political, economic, and social forces.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Brian M. Harward, associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Participation, has published Presidential Power (ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Press). The book explores topics such as Japanese-American internment, the Watergate scandal, the Iran-Contra affair, and drone strikes to show how each presented tests of presidential power. The text utilizes events and developments throughout U.S. history — from the nation’s founding to the contemporary era — to demonstrate how these (and other) singular, focusing events are often reflections of broader political, economic, and social forces.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

An article by Brianna Cusanno ’17, “Interpreting ‘Because of Sex’: The History of LGBT Workplace Discrimination Claims Under Title VII,” has been published in Ramapo Journal of Law & Society, an undergraduate journal of law and policy. Brianna’s paper, which began as a term paper in her Constitutional Law course and then was presented at last year’s national conference on voting rights and democratic participation, can be found here.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research