1

Words from the ChairVol. 18, No. 1 Fall 2006

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro

This has been another busyyear for the department. Everyfive years, we invite outsidereviewers to assess depart-mental strengths and weak-nesses. This year we wereprivileged to have Dr. BillPederson, from LouisianaState University–Shreveport,evaluate our general politicalscience programs and concen-trations and Dr. GregoryGleason, from the Universityof New Mexico, evaluate ourinternational relations programs. Whilefinding that both programs continue tobe understaffed and underfunded,both professors expressed admirationfor the job that the faculty were doingand reported that students in the de-partment expressed a high satisfactionlevel.

Faculty members have practicallycircled this globe over the past year.Dr. Andrei Korobkov gave a paper atthe Hague and visited Russia; Dr. AnneSloan visited France to help set up auniversity study abroad program; Dr.Karen Peterson attended a seminar onterrorism (described later in this news-letter) in Israel; Dr. Clyde Willis and hiswife visited Russia and Kazakhstan;Dr. Sekou Franklin studied in SouthAmerica; Dr. George Vernardakisvisited Greece and Cyprus; Dr. StevenLivingston and Dr. Moses Tesi spenttime studying in France; Dr. DavidCarleton and Dr. Lisa Langenbachcruised the Caribbean; and Dr. MarkByrnes and John Vile went to SnowBird, Utah, which, while within the

geographical confinesof the U.S., seemed likea foreign country! Thisis just one indication ofthe increasing emphasison internationalizingthe curriculum.

Faculty members arenow active in a varietyof interdisciplinaryminors including Afri-can Studies, AfricanAmerican Studies, Glo-

bal Studies, Great Books, Russian Stud-ies, and Women’s Studies (Dr. Tesihelped established the African Studiesprogram, Dr. Anne Sloan the GlobalStudies program, and Dr. Korobkov theRussian Studies program). The depart-ment is once again examining the pos-sibility of instituting a master’s programin the near future.

We have appreciated your commen-dations of this newsletter. We get mostof our news from your responses andare heartened by your continued inter-est. Please keep your opinions coming!

— John R. Vile

WelcomeThe department is pleased to wel-come Patrick Chinnery to fill a one-year instructor position. Chinnery,who was editor of Sidelines and amember of the mock trial team,graduated summa cum laude fromMTSU in 2004 and earned a master’sdegree in political science from theMaxwell School of Citizenship andPublic Affairs at Syracuse Universitywhere he was a teaching assistant forseveral courses. At MTSU he will beteaching American government, thepresidency, and politics and film andhelping with the mock trial program.

Chinnery planseither to returnto graduateschool at Syra-cuse or attendlaw schoolafter his yearat MTSU.

Staff News ................................... 2

Faculty News ........................... 2, 5

Calling All Mockers ..................... 2

New Academic Advisors ............. 3

Meet the Adjuncts ....................... 4

Department Miscellaneous ..... 6, 7

Awards and Scholarships ............ 8

Foreign Exchange ...................... 10

Middle East Conflict .................. 13

Prague Trip Report .................... 16

Student News ............................ 17

Alumni News ............................. 18

2

MTSU will be hosting its fifteenthannual intercollegiate mock trialtournament on Friday and Saturday,November 10–11. There will be tworounds on Friday afternoon andevening and two on Saturday. Lastyear we hosted 66 teams from morethan a dozen states, and it appears asthough we may even have a largerfield this year. The tournament hasbecome so large that we are contem-plating splitting into two divisions forthe first time. If you participated asan attorney in mock trial at MTSUfor two or more years or have sincebegun or completed law school, weurge you to come and help us judge;also, don’t forget to bring attorneyspouses. This is a great time to meetfriends and to make a continuingcontribution both to the educationof undergraduates and to MTSU’sreputation for excellence in this area.If you can attend, please e-mail thedepartmental executive aide, PamDavis, at pdavis@mtsu.edu.

Staff NewsPam Davis, our executive aide, contin-ues in the master’s of education pro-gram here at MTSU. She is majoring inAdministration and Supervision with aspecialization in higher education andenjoys her courses. She currently livesin Murfreesboro with her husband,Todd, and two stepsons (now 11 and14 years old). They do, however, haveplans to move toward Franklin to becloser to the boys’ school. Guess thatmeans she won’t be able to ride herbicycle to work every day! Pam is de-lighted to help current students andwants to hear from those that havegraduated, so please stay in touch.

FACULTY NEWS

Calling AllFormer

Mockers!

Nashville area with a number of localcivic groups. Franklin took a “realitytour” in Venezuela over the summer

sponsored by Global Exchange, anorganization that works to promoteinternational human rights.

Dr. Andrei Korobkov published threearticles and chapters during the 2005–06 year. He made professional presen-tations and participated in roundtablesat the International Studies Associationannual meeting in San Diego, at theSeventh World Congress of the Inter-national Council for Central and EastEuropean Studies in Berlin, at theAmerican Association for the Advance-ment of Slavic Studies in Salt Lake City,and at the Millennium Conference ofthe ISA Comparative Studies Section inthe Hague, Holland. In June 2006, hegave a guest lecture, “Migration in theU.S. and Russia: A Comparative Per-spective,” at the University of SouthernMississippi. In October 2005, he trav-eled to Russia and Ukraine to arrangefor a visit of an MTSU delegation tosign agreements with universities inthose regions, which occurred in June–July 2006. Korobkov was part of thegroup, headed by President SidneyMcPhee, that visited about a dozenRussian universities, signing numerousagreements on long-term, bilateralcooperation. Korobkov is working on a

committee that is designing a vet-erans memorial for MTSU.He also received a summerresearch grant.

Dr. Lisa Langenbachcontinues supervising adiverse group of internsfor the department and

working with the BoyScouts.

Dr. Steve Livingston pub-lished an article in the Journal of

Regional Studies and continues editingGlobal Commerce. He presented apaper at the International Studies Asso-ciation and chaired a panel at the NewYork State Political Science Association.

Dr. Mark Byrnes has accepted a full-time position as associate dean of theCollege of LiberalArts, a position hepreviously held onan interim basis.He will continueto teach oneclass a semesterand direct theLegislativeInternship Pro-gram and theAmerican Democracy Project. He isalso serving on the Rutherford CountySchool Board. In addition to respond-ing frequently to media queries aboutstate and local politics, Byrnes hasspoken to a number of groups overthe past year and headed a panel atthe American Association of StateColleges and Universities meeting inSnow Bird, Utah. He is revising anextended chapter on the presidencyand bureaucracy for Guide to thePresidency, a publication of Congres-sional Quarterly. Mark and Julie’sdaughter, Abigail, has shown continu-ing improvement from the results ofthe stroke reported in the last news-letter.

Dr. David Carleton is a memberof the Tennessee Depart-ment of Education TaskForce on Gifted Identifica-tion and a member of theboard of the TennesseeInitiative for Gifted Edu-cation Reform. He is alsoa volunteer with the BoyScouts.

Dr. Sekou Franklin has hadseveral encyclopedia entriesand book chapters accepted forpublication over the past year. Hemade presentations at the SouthernPolitical Science Association and theNational Conference of Black PoliticalScientists. He continues his work in the

3

Livingston also served as president ofthe Tennessee Political Science Associa-tion.

Dr. Robb McDaniel made a presenta-tion to the Honors College over the lastyear and served as a member of theboard of the Tennessee Political ScienceAssociation. Robb and wife Liz JonesMcDaniel (also a department graduate)are expecting their first child this fall.Dr. McDaniel is pursuing full-time re-search this fall.

Dr. John Maynor assumed the associ-ate editorship of Contemporary Politi-cal Theory and published a chapter ina book. He and wife Cecelia welcomedtheir second child, daughter Kaja, onSep. 29.

Dr. Karen Petersen received a grantfrom the Foundation for Defense ofDemocracies to spend 10 days studyingterrorism in Israel and earned a sum-mer grant from the Faculty Researchand Creative Projects Committee.

Dr. Mario Perez-Reilly’s wife Elizabethhas retired from her teaching job atMaryville College, and they now live inNashville.

Dr. Anne Twining Sloan is on leavefrom teaching to serve as special assis-tant to the provost for internationaleducation. She has spent most of thepast year creating a strategic plan forinternational education at MTSU thathas been incorporated in “StudentAccess, Engagement, and Achievement:

A Comprehensive Plan” prepared forDr. Sidney McPhee by the divisions ofAcademic Affairs and Student Affairsand subsequently sent to the Tennes-see Board of Regents as part of theUniversity’s strategic plan. She is re-sponsible for bringing greater atten-tion to existing international programssuch as the major in InternationalRelations, supervising study abroad,promoting faculty development in theinternational arena, internationalizingthe curriculum, and broadening thenumber of exchange agreements andstudy abroad opportunities availableto students. Her work was featured inthe March 13, 2006, issue of MTSU’sRecord. Dr. Sloan still advises Interna-tional Relations majors and serves ondepartmental committees. Herdaughter, Samantha, is now a junior

in high school and recently accompa-nied her mother to France. Annewrote a guest commentary on educa-tion that appeared in the August 18,2006, Tennessean.

The department is pleased to benefitfrom the services of two new academicadvisors in the College of Liberal Arts.They are Judy Albakry, who has a B.A.in liberal studies and an M.Ed. in coun-seling from Northern Arizona Univer-sity, and Lucy Langworthy, who hastwo master’s degrees from MississippiCollege and a Ph.D. in English with aconcentration in technical communi-cation from Oklahoma State. Theyreplace Annette Courts who retiredfrom the University.

New Academic Advisors

continued on page 16

Dr. Sloan says, "French pigeons are really big!" Daughter Samantha in London

Albakry

Langworthy

4

Meet the Adjuncts

Most teaching in the department continues to be done byfull-time faculty members, but as full-timers take on ad-ministrative responsibilities or other noninstructional as-signments and as departmental enrollment grows withoutadditional full-time hires, we often look to part-time fac-ulty to fill in the gaps. Such faculty also fill areas of specialexpertise. Many adjuncts the department employs havebeen teaching for many years. Together, they have madean important contribution to departmental instruction.

Jay Barger is teaching a class in legalresearch and writing. A 1998 departmentgraduate, he earned his J.D. from theUniversity of Tennessee and is employedby Kious and Rodgers.

Brandi Bozarth is in charge of the class in courtroom pro-cedures that prepares students for MTSU mock trial com-petition and also accompanies students to mock trial tour-naments. After graduating from MTSU in 1999, Brandicompleted her law degree at the University of Dayton. Sheis married to Shiva Bozarth, who also graduated from thePolitical Science Department.

David Hudson continues to teachlaw-related classes. A graduate ofDuke and Vanderbilt, he works atthe First Amendment Center inNashville. He has recently com-pleted a book for Greenwood Presson the Rehnquist Court and iscoediting (with John Vile and DavidSchultz) the Encyclopedia of theFirst Amendment for CongressionalQuarterly.

Steven D. Malone, who is finishing a Ph.D. at the Univer-sity of Maryland, continues to teach a variety of classes forthe department.

Michael McDonald, a department alumnus, is offering aparalegal course on litigation and trial practice. McDonaldhas a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University anda J.D. from the John Marshall Law School.

Stacy Miller is teaching Family Law as part of the depart-ment’s paralegal studies minor. She is a graduate of North-western University who earned a master’s degree from SanFrancisco State University and a J.D. from the NashvilleSchool of Law. She works with the Department of Children’sServices.

Steve Robertson, an alumnus who did graduate work atVanderbilt University, continues to teach a variety of classes.

Steve Saunders, who directs the McNair Scholars Programat MTSU, completed a master’s degree at Ohio State Uni-versity and is doing graduate work at Vanderbilt University.He is teaching an introductory class for the department thisfall.

Kent Syler, an aide to Congressman Bart Gordon who com-pleted a master’s degree at MTSU, offered another sectionof his popular course on political campaign managementlast spring. One of the class projects consisted of designing alogo for a mayoral “candidate”.

Jadie Thomas is teaching a section of Legal Writing andResearch. She earned a B.A. in political science at SouthernIllinois University and her J.D. at the Washington UniversitySchool of Law in St. Louis, where she edited the WashingtonUniversity Journal of Law and Policy.

5

Imogene Bolin was featured in the August 7, 2006, editionof the Daily News Journal for her work to restore the Vic-tory House in Smyrna and turn it in to a law office. Thehome, to which the Victory family moved in 1904, was thesite of an annual fish fry from 1970 until 2001 that at-tracted as many as 1,000 people who, according to theDNJ, “ate their way through 400 pounds of fish and 100pounds of potatoes.”

Ray Block Jr. completed his year as a Geier Scholar in thedepartment, completed his Ph.D. from Ohio State Univer-sity, and has taken a job at Florida State University. Hemade a presentation at MTSU on April 13, 2006, called“The Racial Gap in Political Interest.” Although we are sorryto see him go, we are pleased that he successfully com-pleted his degree and found a position.

Everett Cunningham has yet to report as to the continentwhere he took his summer vacation, but he continues tosend clippings of articles related to legal matters to thedepartment.

Frank Essex lost his dear wife, Betty Wittman Essex, onSeptember 27, 2005, after many years of marriage.

David Grubbs continues his role as an educator by writingperiodic letters to the editor of the Daily News Journal. Heand wife sue traveled to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan in May.

Former Faculty

DonationsJim Free made another generouscontribution to the department thisyear. Charles Ray continues gener-ously to fund four scholarships for fourpre-law students. Others have sentcontributions to the Alumni Office.In addition to these gifts, we especiallyappreciate those of you who havedesignated contributions for depart-mental activities. There are occasionswhen we need funds for Model U.N.,mock trial, mediation, or other facultyor student needs that we could nototherwise accommodate without suchfunds. Thank you!

Position OpenThe department will advertise for afull-time tenure-track position to takeover the classes Mark Byrnes has beenteaching. We seek someone with aPh.D. and concentrations in Americangovernment. The position will be ad-vertised in the Personnel Newsletterof the American Political ScienceAssociation.

DepartmentRecognition

The Political Science Departmenthas been recognized once again

for above-average scores bystudents on exit exams. The statetakes these scores (which reflectboth good teaching and learning)

into account when awardingfunding dollars to the University,

which results in extra moneyto fund faculty travel.

Tyson King-Meadows is an assis-tant professor of political scienceat the University of Maryland,Baltimore County. He has justcoauthored a book with Tho-mas F. Schaller titled Devolu-tion and Black State Legislatorsas part of the SUNY series inAfrican American studies. Thepublisher notes that the book“examines whether blackstate legislators can producequalitative gains in the sub-stantive representation ofblack interests.”

Aided in part by residences in both Tennessee and Ken-tucky, Jack Turner continues to elude most attempts tolocate him.

Tom VanDervort and his wife traveled for about a month toGermany and Switzerland. A daughter and granddaughteralso made the trip, which included two visits to the Alps.Tom and Elsa celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversaryon September 15, 2006. Congratulations!

6

MoreAdvising NewsThe Department of Political Sciencehosted its first-ever nighttime advisingsession for Political Science and Inter-national Relations majors on Monday,April 3, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. TheUniversity also sponsored a visit by lawrecruiters on Career Day in September2006. Dr. John Vile continues to serveas the University’s pre-law advisor. Lawschool admission has grown increas-ingly competitive over the past fewyears. Students need to know that thegrade point average computed by theLSDAS and used by most law schools(which calculates repeated coursesdifferently) is often lower than reportedon university transcripts.

Twelve students from MTSU’s ModelU.N. program, who were accompaniedand coached by Dr. Karen Petersen,attended the Virginia InternationalCrisis Simulation at the University ofVirginia in April. Other competingschools included Princeton University,Columbia, Georgetown, Concordia,the University of Florida, and the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania.

Five MTSU delegates were recognizedfor outstanding performances. JesseMoore received an award for BestDelegate (the highest honor given at

Model United Nationsthe simulation) for his role on theRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colum-bia. Nathaniel Potts won HonorableMention for his role as the ambassadorto China on the Russian cabinet.Garrett Kidd won an honorablemention for representing Libya on theLeague of Arab States; Ben Cooleywon a verbal commendation for hisrole on the U.S. Supreme Court; andSara Fisher received a verbal com-mendation for her role as the HinduMahasabha on the pre-partition Indiacommittee.

SpecialSpeakersThis year’s Windham Lec-ture in Liberal Arts featuredDr. Edward J. Larson, theHerman E. Talmadge Chairof Law and the Richard B.Russell Professor of Ameri-can History from the Uni-versity of Georgia. Theauthor of several books,Larson gave an illustratedlecture titled “The Cre-ation/Evolution Contro-versy: From Scopes to Intel-ligent Design,” that waslater televised.

Kent Syler hosted SenatorRosalind Kurita in one ofhis classes on campaigns inMarch 2006. At the time,Kurita was seeking thedemocratic nomination forthe U.S. Senate.

Retired faculty member and generousbenefactor Bill Windham and wife Doris withEdward Larson, the 2006 Windham lecturer.Larson spoke to a full house earlier this yearon creationism vs. evolution, saying, “Ifhistory is any guide, then I’d say we’re infor heavy weather ahead.”

7

Mock TrialSarah Lovery wrote a highly complimentary article onMTSU’s mock trial team for the February 23, 2006, issueof Sidelines.

MTSU was blessed to have numerous alums at its annualinvitational tournament, which had 66 teams in attendancefrom throughout the nation. This year’s judges includedBrandi Snow Bozarth, Shiva Bozarth, Clare Burger, AllisonBussell, Kyle Dodd, Scott Griswold, Michelle BlaylockHowser, Dawn Johnson, Jay Michael, Kevin Latta, GlendaPipkin, Doug Sadler, and Keith Slocum.

Two MTSU students, Jamie Bowers and Katie Krytzer,received top-10 attorney awards at this tournament, andEric Roberts received a top-10 witness award.

Jamie Bowers won an additional attorney award, and EricRoberts received an additional witness award at the RhodesInvitational Tournament the following week. Bobby andCheryl Simmons, the parents of Kortney Simmons, gener-ously hosted the MTSU team that attended this tournamentfor supper at their house.

Although MTSU teams gave it their best, this was the firstyear that they did not advance out of regional competition,which was moved this year from Birmingham to Louisville.Jamie Bowers and Jason Walker received attorney awards,and Eric Roberts received a witness award at this tourna-ment.

Dr. Clyde Willis accompanied Kortney Simmons andJason Walker to the second annual diversity mock trialtournament at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

Mediation TeamThe MTSU Mediation Team, coached by Dr. Clyde Willis,took second place at the Brenau University Mediation Tour-nament in the fall. Amy Burnett took second place as a me-diator and Alan Hughes and Ben Cooley took second placeas an attorney/client pair.

Phi Kappa PhiScholarshipKatherine Crytzer, a graduating political science senior,received one of approximately 60 nationwide scholarshipsfor $5,000 awarded by the Phi Kappa Phi honor society forgraduate study. In addition to many other activities, Katieparticipated in mock trial last year. She will be attending lawschool in Virginia and hopes to work for a nonprofit organi-zation representing individuals without representation whenshe graduates.

McNair ScholarsThree departmental majors participated in the McNairProgram this year. Russell Parman worked with Dr. AndreiKorobkov to author a presentation called “The Social Rootsof Terrorism: A Quantitative Approach.” Deidre Cullomworked with Dr. Sekou Franklin on “The Effect of State andFederal Environmental Policies on Poor Communities andCommunities of Color: The Case of Tennessee.” LoganGrant worked with Dr. Clyde Willis on “The Case for aProfessional Press.”

Pi Epsilon Alpha InitiatesDr. Robb McDaniel continues to supervise the politicalscience honor society Pi Epsilon Alpha. The following

students were inducted over the past year: GregBlackburn, Elizabeth Brown, Paul Fulcher, James

Kinslow, Gretchen Jenkins, Anna Marie Manley,Summer Polacok, and Christopher

Santirojprapai. Initiation continues toinclude anointment with the fragrantscent of Jeffersonian “holy water.”

8

Department Awards

Katherine Crytzer received the department’s

Norman L. Parks Award for having the

highest grade point average among pre-law stu-

dents.

Jason A. Crook received the C. C. Sims Award.

Michael A. Jackson, who has held one of the

Charles R. Ray Scholarships, was presented with

the department’s John W. Burgess Award.

Charlotte Lewis received this year’s Jack

Justin Turner Award for outstanding performance

as a student of International Relations.

Benjamin R. Cooley received the depart-ment’s

award for Meritorious Service. He had partici-

pated in mock trial, Model U.N., and a number of

other activities.

The department awarded Barbara Sidwell with an

award for being such an outstanding student

worker.

and Scholarships

Helen Caddes, a political science senior, was se-

lected as this year’s recipient of the Jo Anne Arnold

Scholarship.

Marcia Hope Diez, who also has a daughter attend-

ing MTSU, was chosen to receive the Jane Henegar

Duke Scholarship.

Courtney Estabrook, an incoming freshman who

graduated from St. Agnes Academy in Memphis, has

been chosen for the Harry J. Horne Scholarship.

Nick Harness, an incoming freshman from Ander-

son County High School, is the winner of this year’s

Norman Parks Scholarship.

Laura N. Johnson, a graduate of Franklin High

School in Franklin, Tennessee, is this year’s fresh-

man recipient of the Charles R. Ray Scholarship.

She joins sophomore Ashleigh McCain, junior Brit-

tany Mebane, and senior Stacey Badger as a recipi-

ent of this scholarship.

Trenton Poynter is the recipient of the James Free

Scholarship. He is a senior who went to Columbia

High School in Maury County.

9

Interns to the Right of Us, Interns to the Left

Dr. Lisa Langenbach continues to coordinate the depart-mental interns who do not work at the state legislature.The diversity of the offices in which they have workedcontinues to illustrate the variety of opportunities thatthese internships have created for MTSU students. Internswho worked in the summer of 2005 included WilliamHuskey, who worked in the governor’s scheduling office;Anna Manley, who worked in Bart Gordon’s WashingtonD.C. office; Lakeska Parker, who worked with the Boysand Girls Club of Middle Tennessee; and Amy Taylor,who also worked in Bart Gordon’s office.

Fall interns included Connor Hoke, with the TennesseeDepartment of Children’s Services; Michael Landry, inSenator Lamar Alexander’s Washington, D.C. office;Chris Robinson, in the Manchester mayor’s office; Kasey(James) Talbott, also in Lamar Alexander’s office; MattVisconte, in the governor’s Office of Homeland Security;and Matthew Young, with the Ferguson-Harbour Hazard-ous material cleanup of New Orleans (contracted byFEMA).

Spring 2006 interns included Tiffany Crews, with theRosalind Kurita campaign for the U.S. Senate and theGreg Tucker for county mayor campaign; Angie Feeneyand Sherwan Feraj, with the Tennessee DemocraticParty; Garrett Gifford, with the John Arriola for countyclerk campaign; Whitney Mitchell, with the TennesseeCoalition to Abolish State Killing; Kristin Pegram, withthe Davidson County Juvenile Court; and Robert Shrumwith the Republican National Committee in Washington,D.C.

Legislative InternsThis year MTSU had more legislative interns than any othercollege or university in the state. Dr. Mark Byrnes continuesto direct this program. This year’s legislative interns and theoffices in which they worked are as follows: Andrea Borella,Rep. John Deberry; Denon Carr, Rep. Craig Fitzhugh; TracyEvans, Sen. Roy Herron; Clay Francis, Sen. David Fowler;Jeremy Nickens, Sen. Steve Cohen; Randi Baumann, Rep.Curt Cobb; Gary Ferguson, Rep. Charles Sargent; AshleyFuqua, Sen. Jim Tracy; Tori Jones, Rep. Kent Coleman;Brooke Maners, Sen. Bill Ketron; Ryan Richards, Rep. JohnHood; Andrew Southern, Tennessee Board of Regents;Brandi Bond, Heather Dunagan, and Clint Todd, Houseclerk’s office; Jesse Alvey, Sen. Steve Southerland; PageBarnett, Sen. Doug Jackson; Colleen Casamassima, Sen.Raymond Finney; Lauren Parker, Sen. Mae Beavers; andMichelle Stephenson, Sen. Tommy Kilby.

10

Dr. Andrei Korobkov, who has introduced a Russian Studiesminor in the department, has been working this year on thedevelopment of permanent ties between MTSU and univer-sities in Russia and Eastern Europe. In October 2005, heattended a meeting of the American Democracy consortiumin Yalta, Ukraine, and then visited a number of universitiesin Russia. Following his visit, Dr. Stanislav Tkachenko, vicerector of St. Petersburg State University, came to MTSU onDecember 8, 2005, to discuss the possibility of exchangeprograms between MTSU and his institution. Dr. Korobkovhosted him and others for supper.

In July 2006, an MTSU delegation led by President McPheeand including Tom Cheatham, dean of the College of Basicand Applied Sciences; Faye Johnson, assistant to the pro-vost; and Korobkov made a highly successful visit to Russia.They signed cooperation agreements aimed at the develop-ment of student and faculty exchanges and research coop-eration with Kaliningrad State University, St. PetersburgState University, St. Petersburg State Technical University,Moscow State University, Moscow School of Economics,Moscow University for the Humanities, Moscow Interna-tional University, Moscow State Institute of InternationalRelations, Moscow University of Management, RussianSocial State University, and Institute of Economics of theRussian Academy of Sciences.

In addition, Korobkov visited the New EurasiaFoundation and met with Iosif Ordzhonikidze,vice mayor of Moscow, and Konstantin Zatulin,Russian Duma (Parliament) member. In August2006, MTSU received guests from Moscow Uni-versity of Management. We expect that theseagreements will boost MTSU cooperation withhigher education institutions in Russia and willgreatly expand study abroad opportunities forour students.

Foreign Exchange with Russia and Eastern Europe

Shown at Moscow University are AndreiKorobkov, Dean Tom Cheatham, FayeJohnson, Seneca McPhee, PresidentSidney McPhee, and Russian colleagueDr. Alexander Rouchkin, vice president,Moscow University for the Humanities.

Korobkov in front of Moscow State University, his alma mater

11

SurveyGraduates in International Relations and Political Science

Middle Tennessee State University, MurfreesboroThe Department has decided to repeat its survey of last year. We are particularly interested in getting information fromindividuals who did not respond last year or in hearing of developments since that time. Your response will help theDepartment assess its current strengths and weaknesses and will provide information for our next newsletter.

Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Adress ___________________________________________________________________________________________

What was your degree program?

B.A. International Relations B.S. International Relations B.A. Political Science B.S. Political Science

Degree concentration: None Pre-law P.A. M.A. M.P.A. Year you received your de-gree________

Do you have a graduate degree? If so, which one(s)?

M.A. from ____________________________________ J.D. from _____________________________________

M.P.A. from ___________________________________ Ph.D. from ____________________________________

What is your profession?

Lawyer Judge

Government official Lobbyist

Elected official Businessperson

Teacher Other________________________________________

For whom do you work? Where? ______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your title or position? _________________________________________________________________________

What other positions have you held since receiving your last degree? ________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

In retrospect, what were the strengths and weaknesses in your MTSU program? ________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Personal data. Happenings in your life since we last saw you: _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please feel free to add any additional comments that you think might be helpful: ________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________Please fold in half so the address is on the outside, tape bottom, and mail.

12

NO POSTAGENECESSARY

IF MAILEDIN THE

UNITED STATES

2-13350

POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENTMIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITYPO BOX 29MURFREESBORO, TN 37130-9912

BUSINESS REPLY MAILPOSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE

FIRST CLASS MURFREESBORO, TNPERMIT NO. 110

13

by Karen K. Petersen

As an academic fellow for the Foundation for the Defenseof Democracies (FDD) I was given the opportunity to spendten days in Israel studying the democratic response to ter-rorism. Forty-five persons from across the United States(almost all professors) were chosen for the fellowship. Thepurpose of the fellowship is to develop a better understand-ing of terrorism in order to become more effective in class-room discussions on the issue—a timely opportunity givenmy new course on international conflict (beginning in spring2007).

We spent the first three days at Tel Aviv University in intenseclassroom training, being briefed by academic experts,high-level military officials, and officials from various secu-rity organizations (at least one of which does not officiallyexist!). Our time at Tel Aviv University was equivalent to acondensed graduate seminar on terrorism and was excel-lent preparation for the intense work that followed.

After our classroom time, we embarked on field trips thattook us from one end of Israel to the other. We visited amaximum-security prison and were given unrestricted ac-cess to 60 convicted terrorists, including leaders from Fatah,Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. Some of these very young menwere fluent English speakers and most were pleased at theopportunity to spread their message. It was an unusualexperience—even high-level political figures in Israel areprohibited from entering this facility—and one of the high-lights of the trip.

There were several trips to police and military installations,including the naval base at Ashdod that is responsible forpatrolling the southern Mediterranean (i.e., Gaza). We weregiven access to classified footage recovered by military unitsin which the training of suicide bombers was documented.Demonstrations of suicide bombing tactics, materials, post-attack video footage, and even footage of an attack as itwas carried out all served to underscore the bleakness ofthe terror tactics. Fortunately, the military excursions werenot all work. We participated in live-fire exercises with anundercover military unit and watched them demonstratesome of their tactics—a welcome respite from the class-room.

Finally, we visited Beit El in the West Bank, where we metwith a victim of a terrorist attack. His wife and 12-year-oldson were murdered by three members of Islamic Jihad. He,along with his four surviving children, witnessed the attack.This man stood in his home and recounted the rebuilding ofhis life after such an appalling event—again, an experience Iwill never forget. The day I returned to the United States,two of the terrorists who carried out the attack on his familywere arrested in a raid in the West Bank.

Although most of the field excursions were interesting andproductive, the prison visit and the visit to Beit El serve tounderscore the primary lessons, at least for me. First, thereare no winners in this unconventional “war on terror” thatIsrael has been fighting for decades. Civilians always lose inconflict, and that is evident here. From the training campsfor preschool-age Palestinian children dressed as martyrs(many of whom will either die or end up in prisons like theone I visited) to the carnage of suicide attacks in Israel, bothsocieties pay an enormous opportunity cost for this war.Second, the situation is politically complex. The portrayal ofIsrael as a state united in conquest against the Palestinians isinaccurate, as is the portrayal of the Palestinian “refugees”as a lone people in the wilderness fighting for their land.There is a strong political movement in Israel to withdrawbehind the security fence, abandoning the approximately80,000 residents of the West Bank, in the hope that theviolence will end. Unilateral realignment was the term usedby the spokesperson for the foreign minister. As currentevents demonstrate, that tactic is failing in Gaza. On theother side, the Palestinian militant groups are in a state ofimpending civil war, barely able to hold together the ap-pearance of unity, which explains the political motivationsbehind the current conflict in Gaza. If attention is turned onIsrael, then the split between PLO and Hamas becomes asecondary issue. The other Arab leaders in the region knowthis and they continue to aggravate the situation—as theyhave historically—either directly or through support ofHezbollah and the competing Palestinian terror groups.

The norms that govern international relations are strainedby the situation in the Middle East, and emotions run highin any discussion of this conflict. I look forward to continu-ing to explore this case both in the classroom and in myresearch.

[Note: Dr. Petersen submitted this report before the recentconflict between Hezbollah and Israel.]

The Middle East Conflict, Up-close and Personal

The infamous security fence separating Israel from the WestBank.

14

by John R. Vile

I appear to havebeen destined to be apolitical scientist. WhenI was a boy, I almostalways responded toquestions about what Iwanted to be when Igrew up by saying“President of theUnited States.” It wasn’tuntil last year that Irealized that the presi-dent that I wanted to be was JamesMadison!

I have now been studying the U.S.Constitution for over thirty years, andmy studies, especially in early Ameri-can history, have increasingly led meback to the “Great Little (Jemmy)Madison.” The physically diminutiveMadison was born in 1751 and grewup not far from where I was raised inVirginia, where his house, Montpelier,near Orange, is now undergoing exten-sive renovation. He attended the Col-lege of New Jersey (today’s Princeton)and studied under its dynamic presi-dent, John Witherspoon. After return-

ing to Virginia, Madisonhelped draw up the Vir-ginia Declaration of Rightsand showed himself to bean early advocate of com-plete religious freedom.He subsequently served inthe Virginia state legisla-ture; represented his statein the Congress under theArticles of Confederation;attended the Constitu-

tional Convention, where he authoredthe Virginia Plan and took the mostmeticulous notes; helped write TheFederalist, defending the new Constitu-tion; was a leader in arguing for theConstitution at the Virginia RatifyingConvention; introduced and pushedfor the Bill of Rights in the First Con-gress; helped found the Democratic-Republican Party; served as ThomasJefferson’s secretary of state; and wasthe nation’s fourth president from 1809to 1817.

When Jefferson picked out threeachievements for his own tombstone,he did not list serving as president, andit is doubtful whether Madison’s own

Portraying James Madison

presidential service would rank amonghis three highest achievements either.The nation suffered through a disas-trous war during Madison’s first admin-istration, but in part because ofMadison’s temperament, it emergedwithout the creation of a military stateor the suppression of civil liberties, andMadison was widely celebrated whenhe left office, despite the burning of thenation’s capital. Although he was ahypochondriac throughout much of hislife, when he died in 1836, he was thelast surviving member of the Constitu-tional Convention of 1787.

Over the past year, I have donned aneighteenth-century costume and wig totell Madison’s story and the story of theearly republic to diverse audiences ofhigh school and college students, mem-bers of the community, and fellowscholars. I have especially enjoyedanswering questions in the persona ofMadison. I try to answer as honestly as Ican. I know that Madison was embar-rassed about owning slaves, but I alsoknow that his father-in-law was kicked

by Anne Bolner

My experiences in dealing withthe Political Science Department atMTSU have been wonderful. I am areturning student, and my goal wasto take the classes required for anadd-on to my Tennessee TeachingLicense. When I started my classes, Ihad no way of knowing that I wasgoing to run into the best depart-ment at MTSU!

Pursuing Teacher Licensure as a Nontraditional Student

A university department is alwaysbased on the quality of the professors,and I have been so pleased by thisgroup of people. Every class I took wasinteresting and informative. In a time ofnews reports that universities havebeen taken over by the liberal tiradesof college professors; I must declarethat my experience at MTSU was justthe opposite. My professors never lettheir own views cloud their lectures ortheir classroom performance. It was

quite often that the students wouldargue, outside of class, over the politi-cal feelings and leanings of our teach-ers. We could not tell what individualinclinations our professors harbored intheir hearts. This department is in dia-metric juxtaposition with the claims ofthe news media.

I must also comment on the requiredclasses for the addition of certificationin government for a teaching license.The course of study is very inclusive of

continued on page 17

15

The AmericanDemocracyProject at MTSUby Mark Byrnes

For the past several years, MTSU hasbeen participating in the AmericanDemocracy Project (ADP), a nationaleffort to increase civic engagementamong college students. Political scien-tists have long known that, as a group,18 to 24 year olds vote at a rate lowerthan that of any other age group. Schol-ars have explained this by noting thatyoung adults often have weak ties totheir communities. They may be attend-ing college away from their home-towns; they often move for career op-portunities; they are less likely to havechildren in the local school systems;they are less likely to own homes andpay property taxes; and so on. The lessengaged people are in their community,the less likely they are to vote.

Overcoming this disengagement posesquite a challenge. To make the effort,the American Association of State Col-leges and Universities (AASCU), ofwhich MTSU is a member, gave birth tothe ADP. MTSU’s provost, Dr. KayleneGebert, was an early supporter of the

project and committed MTSU to par-ticipate. Today, more than 200 statecolleges and universities around thenation are involved with the ADP. Ihave served as the MTSU coordinatorfor the project since its inception oncampus.

The MTSU ADP has led several initia-tives. We have helped bring a variety ofspeakers to campus, including formerVice President Al Gore, TennesseeComptroller John Morgan, and, thisfall, historian David McCullough. Wehave worked with the provost’s officeand the New York Times to try to getstudents to read newspapers regularly.In 2004, we held a major voter regis-tration drive, which included a livelyforum on the film Fahrenheit 9/11(with the Republican response given byour own Dr. John Vile), a “politicalkaraoke” event at which students gavetheir political opinions to a large groupgathered at the knoll, registrationtables, and a mock election. We will dosome of the same events in preparationfor this fall’s elections. In addition, inOctober we will host a forum for can-didates for local state legislative offices.

Also this fall, MTSU will take part in anationwide experiment, sponsored byAASCU and the national ADP, to seewhat methods work best at gettingcollege students to register to vote and,even more important, see if the

method used to register them affectswhether they actually turn out to vote.Faculty members across campus will beasked to devote 15 minutes or so ofclass time to register students to vote(some will be registered by the profes-sor, others by fellow students). Theresults will be sent to the project leader,a political scientist at Indiana Univer-sity–South Bend, for analysis. MTSU’sgoal is to obtain new voter registrationsfrom five percent of the student popu-lation, which equates to roughly 1,150students.

Civic engagement encompasses morethan just voting and political activities,however. Doing volunteer work, par-ticipating in civic clubs, being part ofneighborhood associations, and evenkeeping abreast of current events areall elements of being civically engaged.To foster these kinds of engagementamong our students, MTSU has estab-lished an active service learning pro-gram. Led by English professor RonKates, students do volunteer work forcommunity organizations and writereflective papers on their experiences.These projects complement the Politi-cal Science Department’s highly suc-cessful internship programs. They alsomesh well with the University-wideeffort to emphasize experiential learn-ing (EXL).

all of the different aspects of politicalscience. I was required to take classesin international relations, Americangovernment, law and the legal system,state and local government, and politi-cal theory. The program requirementsare very well planned and they are verybalanced. This is vital for future teach-ers in the public school system.

Returning students who wish to meetthe requirements for a teacher’s licenseare faced with bureaucratic obstacles

along their path. This process can bevery discouraging to adults who havespent years in the work force and aredriven by an altruistic desire to begin asecond career in teaching. The require-ments for the teacher’s education pro-gram are difficult, and there are manytimes when a returning student feelslike a fish out of water. This is not thecase when dealing with the PoliticalScience Department. All of thedepartment’s professors and PamDavis, the department’s executive aide,

are driven by a commitment to helpstudents plow their way through thered tape. I cannot say enough aboutthe cooperative nature of this groupof people.

The Political Science Department atMTSU is the best department at theUniversity. It is an oasis in a desert.

16

Student Reporton Prague Trip

by Russell Parman

With MTSU’s support, I had theopportunity to attend the 6th Interna-tional Student Symposium in Prague,Czech Republic, in January 2006. Theevent was very educational. The sym-posium was designed to bring togetherstudents from various nationalities in amutual forum that allowed for dia-logue and education about each ofour own ambitions as well as ourviews on the world.

I met with the ambassadors of Finland,Bulgaria, and Canada and toured theirembassies. Through this experience, Ilearned more about the effects of theEuropean Union on the newly admit-ted states. I also went to visit the Czechlegislative government building. It wasan experience to learn how the gov-ernment there makes their laws andelects their government.

While in Prague, I toured the Jewishquarter, which was decimated by theHolocaust. It was very tragic to see howthe Nazi regime virtually destroyed thislarge historical community. It has neverrecovered, and the number of Jewswho live in Prague is still well belowthe number there before the Nazistook power. Some of the buildings inthe quarter are hundreds of years old,and it is very rich in history.

We received lectures from variousauthorities in various fields. A womanfrom Radio Free Europe gave a lectureon life in the Central Asian states. She isoriginally from Uzbekistan and spokeat great length on the Karimov regimeand how freedom in Uzbekistan hasbeen stagnated by his actions. She alsospoke on the evolving relationshipbetween Karimov and the UnitedStates and how the new Shanghai alli-ance in Asia is a threat to U.S. interestsin the region.

While in Prague, I had the opportunityto present my research, which I hadcompleted with the McNair Programthe previous summer. With such adiverse audience, the reaction wasmixed, although mostly positive. Teach-

ers had warned me that terrorism issuch a controversial issue that it wouldspark an emotionally charged debate,which it surely did. This opportunityhas allowed me to present in an envi-ronment where I would not ordinarilyhave the chance to present.

The symposium also included twoexercises in debate and diplomacy. Wehad a U.N. crisis simulation on theKashmir crisis between India and Paki-stan. We also had an internationalcriminal tribunal for an RUF leader inSierra Leone. This was one of my favor-ite parts of the symposium because Ienjoy debates and the exercise of law. Ialso learned a great deal about Africanconflicts.

I would recommend this symposium toany student who has the desire to learnabout international politics. The bestway to learn about diplomacy is tospend time with people who are differ-ent than you, and then learn how tobuild a bridge over those differences. Iwant to thank the Political ScienceDepartment, the College of LiberalArts, and the McNair Program for en-abling me to take part.

Dr. Moses Tesi has completed a bookchapter on Africans in Tennessee thatwill be published this fall. He continuesto serve as editor of the Journal of Afri-can Studies. He presented a paper at aconference on cultural diversity thatwas held at the Convention Center inNashville in November 2005.

Dr. George Vernardakis continueshis membership in the Rotary Club andis active in the Alliance Francaise ofNashville. He spent the summer inGreece and Cyprus.

Dr. John R. Vile published a fourthedition of his Companion to the UnitedStates Constitution and its Amendments

and coauthored withJohn A. King Jr. Presi-dents from Eisen-hower throughJohnson, 1953–1969.(Dr. Mark Byrnes isgeneral editor of theseries of which thisbook is a part.) Vile’s ConstitutionalConvention of 1787: A ComprehensiveEncyclopedia of America’s Foundingcontinues to receive favorable reviews.He is currently coediting Encyclopediaof the First Amendment for Congres-sional Quarterly. Vile has made severalpresentations in the persona of JamesMadison including the annual

FACULTY NEWS (continued from pg. 3)

Seigenthaler Lecture at MTSU and theAmerican Association of State Collegesand Universities meeting in Snow Bird,Utah. He continues to serve as a mem-ber of the board of the American MockTrial Association, where he is a mem-ber of the strategic planning committeeand rules committee.

Dr. Clyde Willis, in addition to coach-ing MTSU mediation teams, has con-ducted mediation training for the officeof the vice president for Student Affairs.

17

Helen Caddes has formed a local rockband and has set up a Web-designcompany.

Michael Landry has been acceptedinto the National Security EducationProgram (NSEP) from the Departmentof Defense and will be studying in Ja-pan this year.

Logan Grant, a senior political sciencemajor, attended the U.S. Model Houseof Representatives in Washington, D.C.,April 17–21, 2007, on behalf ofTennessee’s First District. The chair ofthe Committee on International Rela-tions publicly recognized Logan as anoutstanding representative. The tripwas partially funded by the University’sMcNair Scholars Program.

Gina Logue is working on an under-graduate political science degree as shecontinues her work with MTSU’s Officeof News and Public Affairs.

Corey Perkins has received a JassoScholarship for tuition and room andboard to study at Nagoya Gakuin Uni-versity in Japan during the 2006–2007school year.

Amy Perry, a junior international rela-tions major, is spending the 2006–07academic year in Jaipur, India, as partof a program sponsored by the Univer-sity of Minnesota in International De-velopment. Perry will be staying with anative family and studying at the Uni-versity of Jaipur during the first semes-ter and will be doing an internship andstaying with another family her second

semester. Perry helped prepare for hervisit by studying Hindi at the TennesseeForeign Language Institute in Nashville.Perry, who has a Spanish minor, alsowent on a week-long trip over the sum-mer to Guayaquil, Ecuador, to assistmedical missionaries with translation.Perry spent part of her childhood inReykjavik, Iceland, and in Cusco, Peru.She is looking forward to a career inforeign relations and internationaldevelopment.

Jimmy L. Richardson III ran unsuccess-fully for the Democratic nominationfor a position as a representative to theTennessee legislature but made a greatcase for MTSU’s need for greater fund-ing that will, it is hoped, have positivelong-term effects.

Chris Smith, political science senior,took a class on the Arthurian legend inLondon from July 6 through August 7.His trip included visits to Bath,Warwick, Stonehenge, Salisbury, andGlastonbury.

Les Trotman, a nontraditional studentwho serves as a county commissionerfor the 12th district of Warren County,was just reelected to a second four-year term.

News from Current Students

Madison (continued from pg. 14)

out of his Quaker congregation whenhe went bankrupt, largely as a result ofhaving freed his own slaves. I can ex-plain even in cases where I cannotalways justify. I enjoy telling the storyabout how Madison’s principles con-tributed to his only electoral loss, whenhe refused to supply the social lubri-cant to voters that his foe, a tavernowner, gladly offered.

I hope the audience gets a feel for themany contributions that Madisonmade, but I still haven’t quite gottenused to the costume and wig. Perhapsthe audience hasn’t either. The firstthing that a local reporter chose toreport about my first talk was my state-ment that “These tights are reallytight!”

MTSU students Ashley George, Chris-tina Welch, and Matthew Wilson spentthe winter break in London, England,where they took a class on British poli-tics and culture.

Student DeparturesThe department was saddened to learnof the death of Kaul Mitchell Wilson inan airplane crash in Pennsylvania. Kaulwas an aerospace major with a politicalscience minor. Christy BlanchardCarter also passed away suddenly inJanuary. She was a senior political sci-ence major who had recently marriedDavid Carter of the Enon community.MTSU posthumously awarded Christyher degree in May.

Amy Perry translates in Ecuador

18

ALUMNI NEWS

Note: Special thanks to Jessica Hollandwho provided lots of information aboutalumni who previously served as statelegislative interns!

Lauren Gillespie Agee (2001) is em-ployed as a senior legislative advisor forJim Kyle, Tennessee state senator.

Dasmonda (Bragdon) Allen (1995)earned an M.B.A. from the University ofPhoenix and is a support enforcementofficer with the state of Washington,where her husband is on active dutywith the U.S. Air Force.

Nate Allen is working on the secondyear of his M.Div. in missions, evange-lism, and church growth with an em-phasis in international mission work atSouthern Seminary in Louisville, Ken-tucky.

Liz Alvey (1999) has a J.D. from theNashville School of Law and is em-ployed as the research analyst for thestate senate and Transportation Com-mittee.

Allison Andraza (2003) is a legislativeassistant with the ChiefClerk’s Office of the Ten-nessee State Senate.

Kerry Armstrong (1990)graduated from the Tho-mas Jefferson School ofLaw and is a senior associ-ate with Steigerwalt andAssociates in San Diego,California. Armstrong wona robbery/assault/first-degree murder trial inSeptember 2005 in SanDiego.

Greg Atwood (2000) com-pleted his J.D. from the University ofMississippi and now has his own lawoffice in Nashville. He and his wife havea daughter, Ella Grace, who was born inApril 2005.

Investigations continue into the death inIraq of Kenneth Ballard, after reportsthat his death was accidental rather

than a battle-field casualty,as originallyreported.

J. P. Barfield (1973) is a partner in theJohnson, Scruggs, and Barfield lawfirm in Nashville.

Ashle Baxter (1999) has earnedmaster’s degrees in international rela-tions from Ritsumeikan University inKyoto, Japan, and in internationaleconomic policy from American Uni-versity and has been working sinceApril as a trade analyst for Asia Pacific,White, and Case in Washington, D.C.,after having previously served as aresearch associate for East Asia andeconomic studies with the Council forForeign Relations.

Larry Beaty (1993) is a corporateauditor with Caterpillar FinancialServices in Nashville, Tennessee. Hebecame a certified fraud examiner inearly 2005.

Erin Bumbalough Begley (2003) hasgraduated from law school at Ohio

Northern University,where she was a stu-dent attorney at thelegal clinic, a partici-pant in the Jessup Inter-national Law MottoCourt team, and thewinner of the Dan GuyOral Advocacy Compe-tition. She and herhusband have movedback to Tennessee.

Michael Begley (2004)will finish his law de-gree at Ohio Northern

University this December. He hasbeen involved in the moot court pro-gram and finished second in his classat oral appellate arguments in his firstyear. He has also been a teachingassistant for criminal law and workedthis summer as a law clerk for theTennessee attorney general’s office inthe Civil Litigation and State Services

Division. He and his wife, Erin, will berepresenting Ohio Northern at itsbooth in the Murphy Center at MTSUon Career Day.

Mike Best (1996) is working as a sub-stance abuse counselor for the Familyand Social Services Administration ofthe Division of Mental Health andAddiction at Richmond State Hospitalin Richmond, Indiana.

Brandy Martin Bivens (2001) has donesome graduate work at the Universityof Tennessee in governmental libraryscience and is employed with the statepublic policy group of Baker, Donelson,Bearman, Caldwell, and Berkowitz as alegislative specialist. She is expectingher first Baby Raider in December.

Shiva (1999) and Brandi Snow Bozarth(1999) continue their work in the Of-fice of General Counsel for the Tennes-see Department of Health. Their son,Max, turned four, and they havebought a home in Spring Hill. Brandicontinues to coach MTSU mock trialteams.

Dale Bradley (1988) is a technical di-rector with the space and missile testdivision of the Air Force at Arnold Engi-neering Development Center inTullahoma and now has eight grand-children, four boys and four girls. Hisfather, Wayne Wilson Bradley, whoturned 80 in March, is an MTSU gradu-ate and former special agent for theFBI.

Karl C. Bren (1967) earned a master’sdegree from Virginia Tech and is presi-dent of Greenvisions Consulting.

Victoria Brittain (2006) is attendinglaw school at the University of Tennes-see.

Joel Brown (1984) earned a J.D. fromFlorida State University in 1987 but hasbeen disabled from a stroke suffered in2001. He and his wife, Sharon, have ason and a daughter.

19

William Douglas (Doug) Brown (1992)is working on a master’s degree atMTSU and working as a technicalservices manager in the RutherfordCounty Office of Information Technol-ogy.

Lisa Boaz Bruno (2004), who internedfor former Senator Larry Trail in 2003,has been teaching U.S. history andgovernment in Clarksville where shelives with her husband, Chris, and dog,Caesar.

Al Burch (1996) has re-enlisted in theU.S. Army and is in a civil affairs unit inIraq.

Allison Vantrease Bussell (2001) isputting her degree from the Universityof Tennessee to good use by working asan attorney for the Metropolitan Nash-ville/Davidson County Department ofLaw after having clerked for a year forJoseph M. Hood of the U.S. DistrictCourt for the Eastern District of Ken-tucky at Lexington.

Tinisha Weigelt Buttrey was presssecretary for U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes(R-Va.) until July 21, 2006. She nowproduces and hosts his televisionshow, Washington Review, which isbroadcast throughout Forbes’s con-gressional district.

Mark Byrnes (1983) is now the associ-ate dean of the College of Liberal Artsat MTSU.

Joe Cate (1975) is the city manager ofCleveland, Tennessee.

Patrick Chinnery (2004) completed amaster’s degree in political science atSyracuse University and is teaching atMTSU this fall.

C. Ransom Clark (1961) earned his J.D.from George Mason University and isnow an emeritus professor of politicalscience at Muskingum College in NewConcord, Ohio, where he has previ-ously served as a vice president foracademic affairs and as an interim vicepresident for development and vice

president for administration. He spent26 years with the Central IntelligenceAgency.

Lisa Collins (2004) is in her third yearof law school at the University of Hous-ton and works as an intern for the dis-trict attorney’s office. She was a re-gional champion and advanced to thenational quarterfinals at National TrialCompetition last year.

(Mary) Shannon Cragg (1995) earnedan M.P.A. from Tennessee State Univer-sity and is a product line manager forSafeco Insurance Company in Atlanta,Georgia.

Jason Crook (2006) is attending theUniversity of Mississippi Law School.

Katie Crytzer (2006) is attending lawschool at George Mason University inVirginia.

Deidre Cullom (2006), who was anMTSU McNair Scholar, will be attend-ing the public administration programat the University of Memphis.

After a 16 year career in athletics, Mar-lin Curnutt (1995) has begun a job asthe coordinator of enrollment develop-ment at Walters State CommunityCollege, where he has been teachingU.S. history.

Don Darden (1967) earned an M.P.A.from the University of Tennessee and isnow a municipal management consult-

ant with the University of Tennessee inNashville.

Allen R. Daubenspeck (1999) com-pleted his J.D. from Oklahoma CityUniversity and is in private practice inMurfreesboro.

Tasha Dekock (2005) has moved toNashville. She works with the BoysScouts of America and goes whitewaterrafting on the Ocoee River everychance she gets.

Luke Dickerson (2006) has beenawarded a graduate fellowship to at-tend the University of New Orleans,where he plans to continue his study ofinternational relations.

Kyle Dodd (2002) graduated from theCumberland School of Law in Birming-ham and is employed as an attorneywith the office of Robert D. Massey inPulaski, Tennessee.

Ashley Duncan (2004) is thedeputy director of community affairsfor Governor Phil Bredesen.

Ashley Edgar (2006) is attending theUniversity of Mississippi, where she is agraduate assistant. She is working on amaster’s of business administrationdegree.

Jessa Fahey (2003) is in her secondyear at the Nashville School of Law andworks at the Tennessee General Assem-bly.

Paul Fakes (2004) is a legislative aidewith the office of Senator Bill Frist inWashington, D.C. He handles tradeand foreign affairs issues as well assome correspondence.

20

Eric Felts (2001) has been working inbilling for the Renal Care Group ofNashville and completed his teacherlicensure in December. He is nowteaching U.S. government at Indepen-dence High School in WilliamsonCounty, where he is also coaching foot-ball.

Nathan Fisher (2005) is a medical labworker with PCA Southeast in Colum-bia, Tennessee.

William Kelly Fowler (1995) is an air-line pilot for United Airlines.

Meagan Frazier (2001) is completingher last year at the Nashville School ofLaw and works as a lobbyist at Smith,Johnson, and Carr.

James C. Free (1969, 1972) visited thedepartment in the fall and made an-other contribution to his scholarshipfund.

Derek Frisbee (1994), who earned hisPh.D. in history from the University ofAlabama and is an assistant professor atMTSU, received a grant of $5,000 fromthe MTSU Foundation for the campusVeterans Memorial Project.

Dru S. Fuller (1975) is a columnist forGCA Publications and Drue SmithPublications in Nashville. Dru retiredfrom the Texas office of the attorneygeneral and has written Drue Smith’sAmazing Technicolor Dream Life,which is a biography of Capitol Hillreporter Drue H. Smith.

Matthew Gardner (2005) is a companyexecutive officer assigned to the FirstCavalry Division based at Fort Bliss,Texas.

Nathan Gardner (2005) is serving as anarmor second lieutenant assigned tothe 4th Infantry Division based at FortCarson, Colorado.

Phillip M. George (1975), who gradu-ated from the Nashville School of Law,is an attorney in Smyrna, where he hasbeen practicing for 20 years. He andwife Lydia have two children, Alli andAbby.

Donald G. Goff (1969), who earned hisEd.D. from the University of SouthFlorida, is the president of Roane StateCommunity College in Harriman, Ten-nessee.

Angelique Golden (2005) has com-pleted a year of service throughAmericorps VISTA at a program inNashville called Home of Your Own, acollaborative effort between the Asso-ciation of Retarded Citizens (The Arc)of Davidson County and the DownSyndrome Association of Middle Ten-nessee, which is seeking to expandhome ownership opportunities fordevelopmentally disabled adults. Theprogram has focused mainly on build-ing new homes, but it is planning toexpand to providing various forms ofassistance toward the purchase of exist-ing homes.

Bart Gordon (1971) is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Represen-tatives.

Merlin Morris Gracey (1997) is a bud-get analyst stationed at Lajes Field inthe Azores with the U.S. Air Force. Shemarried Dean Gracey in 2004.

Scott Griswold (2006), who competedin mock trial and completed his under-graduate degree in accounting in 2003,returned this summer to complete asecond degree in political science. Hehas finished his second year of study atthe University of Tennessee School ofLaw. Scott has published two articles in

Transactions: The Tennessee Journal ofBusiness Law and is a staff member ofthe journal and chair of the MootCourt Board. He was a member of theTrademark Moot Court Team that wasone of four national finalists. His teamwon awards for the third highest briefin the nation, the best brief in theSouth, and winner of the South Re-gion. Scott’s team placed second in theRay Jenkins Intramural Mock TrialCompetition in 2005.

Jaime Groce (1997) was named in-terim planning director for the City ofFranklin, one of the fastest growingcommunities in the state.

David Harris (2006) is attending theNashville School of Law and serving asthe staff senior court advocate for theRutherford County Domestic ViolenceCenter. In this capacity, he is respon-sible for initiating, filing, and advocat-ing in court for orders of protection asallowed by law and for negotiatingcase settlements pertaining to orders ofprotection.

Jessica Holland is serving in the statelegislature as executive assistant toRep. Harry Tindell.

William Huskey (2006) is attendinglaw school at the University of Mem-phis.

Michael Jackson (2006) is attendinglaw school at Ohio State University.

Joshua Johns (2005) works as a analystfor the Department of Defense atArnold Air Force Base.

Dawn Johnson (2003) has completedlaw school at Vanderbilt and hasmoved to Wisconsin where, at lastreport, she was studying for the barexam.

Maryam Kassaee (2006) graduatedwith distinction in the University Hon-ors Program, successfully completedan honors thesis at MTSU under Dr.Robb McDaniel, and is attending lawschool at the University of Tennessee.

ALUMNI NEWS (continued)

21

Christopher L. Kelly (1992), whograduated from the Nashville School ofLaw, is a member of Brogdon, Creasy,Kelly, and Sanders in Dickson. He andhis wife, Kim Clifton, another MTSUgraduate, have two daughters, Loren(5) and Maura (3).

Ashley (Wilson) Macemon (2004) isworking as a campaign associate withthe United Way of Greater Knoxville.

Jotrone Marable (2002) is a child pro-tective services investigator for theState of Tennessee.

Gerald Melton (1978) was reelected asthe public defender for the 16th Judi-cial Circuit, which includes Rutherfordand Cannon Counties.

Joni C. Martin (1994) is self-employedas a realtor and a real estate counselorin Murfreesboro. She adopted twogod-children when their mother, herbest friend, died in 2001. Nicole Odomis now a student at MTSU and hersister, Paige Odom, hopes to play soft-ball for the Lady Raiders. They live on afarm in Beech Grove with goats, dogs,and horses.

Amelia Mitchell is employed as a re-search analyst for the House Childrenand Family Affairs Committee of theTennessee General Assembly.

Amber Moore, who served as a legisla-tive intern in 2001, is now employed asthe chief bill clerk for the TennesseeHouse.

Fred W. Moore lives in Adana, Turkey,and writes travel articles for a Web sitein Istanbul.

Tina Nemarnik (2005) did indepen-dent study with Dr. Mario Perez-Reillyin the fall. She has been accepted intothe applied mathematics and statisticsPh.D. program at SUNY–Stony Brook.

Richard Knomo (1984), who com-pleted his M.B.A. at Tennessee StateUniversity, is the general manager ofExtended Stay Hotels in Chicago. Hehas previously worked in Africa andEurope.

Bob Nevens Jr. (1997) is the owner anddirector of Corporate Developmentand Risk Management in the HeritagePark Plaza in Murfreesboro.

Jeremy Nickens (2006) is a campaignmanager for State Senator BillKetron and plans to begin teach-ing middle or high school history inthe near future.

Michelle Norris (2005) has beenaccepted in the master’s of publicadministration program at CaliforniaState University, Los Angeles.

James R. O’Connor (1973) is the citymanager of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Russell Parman (2006), who delivereda paper in Prague in January and was aMcNair Scholar, has received a fellow-ship to attend Vanderbilt University,where he will be pursuing a Ph.D. ininternational relations.

Frank Parlow (2002) has served a sec-ond tour in Iraq and is scheduled torotate out with his brigade of the 101stthis fall.

Mat Pauley (2003) will be graduating inDecember from Marquette Universitywith J.D. and M.A. degrees in disputeresolution and an M.A. in bioethicsfrom the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Robert Parris (1995) was among thejudges at the Rhodes Mock Trial Invita-tional Tournament in November. He isassociated with the Scholl Law Firm inMemphis. He argued a case before theTennessee Supreme Court in 2005 andhas a number of high-profile capitalcases that he is defending. Parris sentspecial regards to Dr. Tom VanDervortfor his advice, “Boil that cabbagedown!”

Addison Pate (2006) is continuing hiswork with the Tennessee DemocraticParty.

Karen K. Petersen (1998) is an assis-tant professor of political science atMTSU, where she is leading studentsin the Model United Nations pro-gram.

Rockit Pettijohn (2006) is attending lawschool at Emory University.

Brooke Ponder, who worked as a legis-lative intern in 2004, is now a legisla-tive assistant for Adams and Reese/

Stokes Bartholomew and will soonbe starting on an M.P.A. programat Tennessee State University.

Michelle Poss (1992) graduatedfrom the Nashville School ofLaw and is self-employed bySobel, Poss, and Moore. She ismarried to Clifton Sobel, a1991 graduate.

22

Sara Rainwater (2001) is editing theEuropean Journal and directing theEuropean Foundation, the UK’s leadingEurosceptic publication and think tank.The foundation chair, Bill Cash, is amember of Parliament, and thefoundation’s patron is Baroness (Mar-garet) Thatcher of Kesteven. Sara’swork takes her to places all over Eu-rope and even to Washington, D.C.,where she has briefed White Houseofficials on the state of European inte-gration. She is now organizing a confer-ence with Czech president, VaclavKlaus, cosponsored by the EuropeanFoundation and the president’s thinktank, the Centre for Economics andPolitics, to be held in November inPrague. Sara is buying her first flat andhopes to bring her boyfriend of twoyears home for a visit next summer.

Jennifer Raulie, who served as a legis-lative intern in 2000, now lives in Aus-tin, Texas, and works in an administra-tive position in her church.

Charles Ray (1970) visited Murfrees-boro to have lunch with the fourCharles R. Ray Scholars he supports.

Kevin Rayburn (2006) is working on hisM.B.A. at the University of Tennessee.

Cal Renegar (2000) is in law school atVanderbilt. He and wife Amanda havepurchased a town home in Nashville.

Monike Barncarsweska Ridley (2003)is a law clerk and paralegal at Rogersand Associates and is in her secondyear at the Nashville School of Law.

Tom Rosensaoko (1975) is the directorof Veterans Employment Training Ser-vices for the U.S. Department of Laborin Honolulu, Hawaii.

Nicole Lester Russell earned her lawdegree at the Nashville School of Lawand works as a law clerk for ChancellorRobert E. Corlew III. She is married toJoe Russell II, a 1989 MTSU graduatewho also graduated from the NashvilleSchool of Law.

AmandaNewman Samsel(2004) is em-ployed at MTSUas the new coor-dinator for Judi-cial Affairs andMediation Ser-vices. She offi-cially took officeOctober 2.

Doug Sadler(2002) passed thebar after graduat-ing from StetsonUniversity LawSchool and ispracticing bankruptcy law in Nashville.

Barbara Sidwell (2005) worked fromJanuary through May at Walker Man-agement in Nashville doing research onanimal welfare. She is now working atMTSU’s Walker Library.

Ramon Sanchez-Vinas (1972, 1976) isthe general manager of ProfessionalBuilding Systems of North Carolina,where he helps build more than $20million a year in new homes.

Gretchen A. Schulz (1992) is a casemanager with the Department ofChildren’s Services in Tennessee.

Bill Shacklett (1973) owns Shacklett’sPhotography and is a city councilman.Married for 25 years, he and his wifehave two daughters. He has served aspresident of two school PTOs and en-gages in a variety of community activi-ties, including serving as an elder at FirstPresbyterian Church.

C. LeAnn Smith (1990) earned her J.D.from the University of Memphis and isa partner with Pobel, Poss, Moore, andSmith in Nashville. Her son, JamesHoward Hunger, was born in August2005.

Diane Stockard (1996) visited the de-partment in April. She is the branchdirector for the Smyrna Boys and GirlsClubs of Rutherford County.

Michael Swift (2005)continues his service withthe Marine Corps.

Sarah Tanksley (2003) isserving as a field repre-sentative for the Tennes-see Republican Party inmiddle Tennessee.

Stacey A. Terral (2000)earned his J.D. at theUniversity of Tennesseeand is an associate withBrewer, Krause, andBrooks in Nashville.

Jared Leo Thompson(2006), who got a minor

in political science to complement hispsychology degree, is training as achemical, biological, radiological, andnuclear defense specialist at FortLeonard Wood, Missouri. He finishedboot camp in April.

Dan Throgmorton (1989) is vicepresident of economic and communitydevelopment and enrollment manage-ment at Chattanooga State TechnicalCommunity College. Dan has a beauti-ful corner office with a magnificentview, which he graciously showed toJohn Vile, who was visiting ChattanoogaState in June to give a lecture to highschool teachers studying the U.S.Constitution.

James Ronald Tucker (2006) will beattending law school at the Universityof Memphis.

Virginia Vile (2001) and her husband,Keith Wesolowski, are buying atownhouse in Alexandria, Virginia,where she is engaged in trial practiceand pursuing an LL.M. degree in litiga-tion at George Washington Universitywhile her husband works in a D.C. lawfirm. Virginia will be joining two facultymembers from the College of Williamand Mary in presenting a class on litiga-tion for CLE credit in Oregon this No-vember.

Swift

ALUMNI NEWS (continued)

23

Miranda McFarland Watkins, whoserved as a legislative intern in 2001,has completed her master’s degree insocial work at the University of Ten-nessee and works as a mental healthspecialist for the Mental Health Coop-erative in Davidson County.

Maria Weir (2002) and her husbandReza Derakhshani are living in Kansas,where she started a Ph.D. program inanthropology at the University ofKansas this fall. She is also working ona master’s degree in public healthplanning in global health security witha focus on central Asia. She will beworking closely with the University ofKansas Medical Center; the Anthropol-ogy Department; and the Center forRussian, East European, and EurasianStudies. She has received a Nelson FirstYear Graduate Fellowship from theuniversity.

Carol Hunt Welch (1993) is workingon a teaching certificate. She and herhusband, Joe, have four children rang-ing in age from 4 to 11.

Chris Westmoreland (2000) earned hisJ.D. from Valparaiso University in Indi-ana and has returned to Tennessee andpassed the bar. He is now working withRichard L. Dugger and Associates inShelbyville.

Jason Whatley (1993), who graduatedfrom the Cumberland School of Law,continues the private practice of law inColumbia, Tennessee. He and wifeLauren are expecting their fourth child.

Marilyn White (2003) is attending lawschool at the University of Tennessee.

Eugene (Al) Wilkerson (1993) is livingin Austin, Texas, where he and his wife,a pediatrician in the army, have a newson, Micah. Al is pursuing a master’sdegree in organizational leadershipfrom St. Edwards University in Austinand is hoping to make a transition fromhis work at State Farm into this field.

Katie Williams (2002) completed anM.B.A. at MTSU and is now employedas a special assistant to the deputy

Alumni DepartureLarry Trail (B.S. 1975), passed awayafter two days of hospitalization onAugust 20, 2006, at the age of 53. Hedied not quite three weeks after havingbeen elected (the top vote-getteramong three candidates) as a circuitjudge in Tennessee’s 16th JudicialDistrict, which includes Rutherfordand Cannon counties. Trail, a native ofHollow Springs in Cannon County, wasto have been sworn in on September 2.He graduated from Woodbury CentralHigh School in 1970 and then from thelaw school at the University of Tennes-see after he graduated from MTSU.

Trail was a lifelong farmer and an attorney for 28 years and had previ-ously served as a Tennessee state senator from 2001 to 2004. He leavesbehind his parents, Hershel and Laura Spry Trail; his wife Sandra, whowas also his law partner at Trail and Trail; sisters Charlotte (Doyle) Duke,Cathy (Jack) Hyatt, and Lisa Trail (Tim Tipps); sister-in-law Betty TrailCurless; many nieces and nephews; and two children, Matthew andElizabeth. Matthew has been a Peace Corp volunteer in Albania, andElizabeth is a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. Represen-tative John Hood noted, “There wasn’t any harder working, more dedi-cated member of the Senate than Larry,” according to the Daily NewsJournal. The department grieves over Larry’s loss and extends its deepestsympathies to the family. MTSU has set up a Foundation Scholarship inmemory of Larry Trail and the many years of generous support he andhis family have given to the University.

commissioner of the Tennessee Depart-ment of Mental Health and Develop-mental Disabilities.

Bill Whitson (M.P.A.), who has previ-ously served as the purchasing agent forMetro Nashville and as the commis-sioner of general services, now lives inFranklin but continues consultationwith Metro Nashville. He has workedover the last year on projects related tothe Nashville Fairgrounds and on theFarmers’ Market at the BicentennialMall.

James Vince Witty (2003) is the pro-gram director for the 21st CenturyCommunity Learning Centers inMurfreesboro and has begun a doc-

toral degree program at TennesseeState University.

Shana Q. Wright-Avery (1992) earnedher J.D. from Vanderbilt University andis now in solo practice after havingassociate positions with two previouslaw firms. She and her husband, JeffAvery (2001), have three children:Christopher (5), Jaisan (3), and Sean(19 months).

24

Political Science DepartmentP.O. Box 29Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TN 37132

2-13350

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-ProfitOrganization

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Permit No. 169Murfreesboro, TN

Visit Our Web SiteTimmy Gibson continues to update thedepartment Web site. The site has links tofaculty members, courses, organizations,degree information, and the like.

We welcome your suggestions as to additionalinformation that you think might be useful.The address is www.mtsu.edu/~polsci/.

http://mtsu.edu/~polsci/