Sept. 18 honorees include Benjamin W. Hovland, Troy Braswell Jr.
The University of Central Arkansas Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies (GPI) will host its annual Distinguished Alumni Reception Thursday, Sept. 18, from 5-7 p.m. at Buffalo Alumni Hall, 2490 Bruce Street, Conway. The department will honor two distinguished alumni – Commissioner Benjamin W. Hovland, United States Election Assistance Commission, and Circuit Court Judge Troy Braswell Jr., 20th Judicial District, Second Division.
Benjamin W. Hovland, who graduated from UCA with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2000, is currently a member of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in Washington, D.C. He was first appointed to the U.S. EAC by President Donald Trump in 2018 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 2, 2019. Previously, Hovland served as the senior counsel for the U.S. Senate Commission on Rules and Administration from 2013 to 2019. Hovland earned a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2007.
Troy B. Braswell Jr., who graduated from UCA with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2002, has served as a Circuit Court Judge (20th Judicial District, Second Division) in Faulkner, Van Buren and Searcy counties since Jan. 1, 2015. He currently presides over the Faulkner County Juvenile Court, which he has reinvigorated by focusing on community partnerships to help at-risk youth and their families. Previously, Braswell served as the chief deputy prosecutor for the Arkansas 20th Judicial District. Braswell earned a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law, in 2005.
Department alumni and current students are invited to join the reception by RSVPing to Rachel Glenn at rglenn1@uca.edu.
With the exception of 2020, the department has honored distinguished alumni each year since 2014.
The Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies is home to the political science, public administration and international studies degree programs at the University of Central Arkansas. Originally established in 1971, the department currently has 11 full-time faculty members with expertise in all of the major fields of political science and public administration. The department is located within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UCA.