The Department of Political Science hosted the 50th Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) annual meeting at UCA on March 3-4, 2023.  Dr. Heather Yates and Dr. Mary Beth Sullivan served as co-program chairs for the annual meeting.  Faculty, graduate student, and undergraduate student paper panels and roundtable discussions were held in the College of Business building on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.  The annual meeting dinner was held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Conway on Friday evening.  Dr. John Passe-Smith, a faculty member in the UCA Department of Political Science, and Dr. Andrew Dowdle, a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville), were presented the Association’s Distinguished Scholar awards.  Dr. Sara Wallace Goodman, Chancellor’s Fellow and Dean’s Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, will gave the keynote speech during the dinner.  The annual meeting luncheon was held in McCastlain Hall Ballroom at noon on Saturday.  The featured speaker during the luncheon was Mr. Ben Hovland, a UCA alumni and a member of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in Washington DC.

The 45th annual meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held on the campus of Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro, Arkansas on March 2-3, 2018.  Dr. Carol Strong of the University of Arkansas-Monticello served as President (2017-2018).  Dr. Christopher Housenick of Arkansas Tech University served as Vice-President (2017-2018).  Dr. Michael Rogers of Arkansas Tech University served as Secretary-Treasurer (2017-2018).  Dr. Matt Evans of Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) served as Secretary (2017-2018).  Dr. Hans Hacker of ASA served as Program Chair for the 2018 annual meeting.  Dr. Ronald Keith Gaddie, Professor of Political Science at the University at Oklahoma, gave the keynote address following the Friday evening dinner on March 2nd.  Congressman Rick Crawford, 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, spoke following the Saturday noon luncheon on March 3rd.

Several UCA Department of Political Science faculty members participated on one or more panels during the annual meeting, including Dr. Tom McInnis, who served as Moderator of the American Politics Roundtable, “The U.S. Federal Courts in Review,”; Dr. Clay Arnold and Dr. Mary Beth Sullivan, who were panelists on the Political Theory Roundtable, “Applying Insight from Vaclav Havel’s ‘Power of the Powerless’ to Current Trends in Minority Politics,”; Dr. Heather Yates, who presented the paper, “An Analysis of Voters’ Emotional Responses and Attribution in the Highly Negative Presidential Campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton,”; Dr. Clay Arnold, who served as chair/discussant for the Public Administration Panel, “Administrative Law, Language, and Politics,”; and Dr. Clay Arnold, who served as chair/discussant of the American Politics Panel, “Citizenship & Civic Literacy in Arkansas”.

The 44th annual meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held on the campus of Arkansas Tech University (ATU) and Lake Point Conference Center in Russellville, Arkansas on March 3-4, 2017.  Dr. Kim Maslin of Hendrix College served as President (2016-2017).  Dr. Carol Strong of the University of Arkansas-Monticello (UAM) served as Vice-President (2016-2017).  Dr. Michael Rogers of Arkansas Tech University served as Secretary-Treasurer (2016-2017).  Dr. Chris Housenick of ATU served as Program Chair for the 2017 annual meeting.  Dr. Michael Malbin, Professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York, gave the keynote address during the Friday evening dinner on March 3rd.  Congressman Steve Womack, 3rd Congressional District of Arkansas, spoke during the Saturday noon luncheon on March 4th.

Several UCA Department of Political Science faculty members and students presented research or participated on panels during the annual meeting, including Dr. Heather Yates, who served as Chair of the American Government & Politics section; Dr. Tom McInnis, who presented the paper, “What Inherent Rights?”; Dr. Heather Yates and Dr. Gary Wekkin, who presented the paper, “They Wanted a Tea Party and got a Dogfight: The Lack of GOP Discipline and the Nomination of Donald Trump”; Dr. Gizachew Tiruneh, who served as chair/discussant for the International Relations/Comparative Politics panel; Dr. Mark Elrod and Dr. Mark Mullenbach, who co-presented the paper, “Generation 9/11: An Analysis of College Student Attitudes Regarding U.S. Foreign Policy”; Dr. Clay Arnold and Dr. Mary Beth Sullivan, who participated in the Political Theory Roundtable on “The Possibility of Democracy in Communicative Capitalism”; and Danielle Casey, who presented the paper, “Race, Republicanism, and Realignment in Arkansas.”

The 43rd Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) on February 26-27, 2016.  Dr. Steven Breezeel of Harding University served as President (2015-2016).  Dr. Kim Maslin of Hendrix College served as Vice-President (2015-2016).  Dr. Michael Rogers of Arkansas Tech University served as Secretary-Treasurer (2015-2016).  Dr. Carol Strong of UAM served as Program Chair for the 2016 annual meeting.  Mr. Christopher A. Masingill, Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, gave the keynote speech during the Friday evening dinner on February 26th.  Dr. John Kyle Day, Associate Professor of History at UAM, talked about his book, The Southern Manifesto: Massive Resistance and the Fight to Preserve Segregation, during the Saturday noon luncheon on February 27th.

Several UCA Department of Political Science faculty members and students presented research or participated on panels during the annual meeting, including Dr. Mark Elrod who served as Chair of the International Relations/Comparative Politics section; Meredith Herring who presented the paper, “Understanding the Legal History Leading up to the Landmark Decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015); Dr. Gizachew Tiruneh who discussed his book The Rise and Fall of the Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia: Is the Kebra Nagast a Time-Bound Document?; Dr. Mark Elrod and Dr. Mark Mullenbach who co-presented the paper, “Hawks or Doves? A Preliminary Analysis of College Student Attitudes Regarding U.S. Foreign Policy”; Dr. Clay Arnold and Dr. Mary Beth Sullivan who participated in a Political Theory Roundtable Discussion; Dr. Heather Yates who presented the paper, “The Emotional Voter: The Role Emotions Have on Voting Behavior”; Dr. Gizachew Tiruneh and Dr. Joseph Howard who co-presented the paper, “What Determines the Political Orientations of College Students? A Comparative Study of Two Universities”; and Dr. Mark Elrod who participated in a Roundtable Discussion of the topic, “What to do about I.S.I.S.?”

The 42nd Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held on the campus of Hendrix College in Conway on February 27-28, 2015.  Dr. Kevin Brennan of Ouachita Baptist University served as President (2014-2015).  Dr. Steven Breezeel of Harding University served as Vice-President (2014-2015).  Dr. Mark Mullenbach of the UCA Department of Political Science served as Secretary-Treasurer (2014-2015).  Dr. Kim Maslin of Hendrix College served as Program Chair for the 2015 annual meeting.  Dr. Randy LeBlanc of the University of Texas at Tyler gave the keynote address, “Speaking Peace to Enmity: Edward Said, Judith Butler, and the End of Criticism in the Discourse on Palestine/Israel,” during the Friday evening dinner, and Dr. Jay Barth of Hendrix College addressed the conference participants on the topic, “The Challenges and Opportunities of an Academic in Public Life,” during the Saturday luncheon.

Several UCA Department of Political Science faculty members and students presented research or participated on panels during the annual meeting, including Autumn Reddell, “Education and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa”, Dr. Gizachew Tiruneh, moderator of panel on “NATO-Russian Relations”, Dr. Mark Mullenbach, “What Works in Africa? An Analysis of the Management of Intrastate Disputes, 1960-2012”, Dr. Mark Mullenbach, Willis Arnold, and Kayla Close, “Ballots and Observers: Elections, Election Monitoring, and Political Stability in Post-Colonial Africa, 1961-2010”, Dr. John Passe-Smith and Mary Sue Passe-Smith, “American Attitudes Toward Immigrants: The Dangers and Possibilities of Analyzing Social Media”, Dr. Clay Arnold, moderator of panel on “Erica Benner’s Machiavelli’s Prince”, and Dr. Mary Beth Sullivan, member of panel on “Erica Benner’s Machiavelli’s Prince”.

The 41st Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held at the American Heritage Center at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas on February 28-March 1, 2014.  Dr. Kim Hoffman of the UCA Department of Political Science served as President (2013-2014).  Dr. Kevin Brennan of Ouachita Baptist University served as Vice-President (2013-2014).  Dr. Mark Mullenbach of the UCA Department of Political Science served as Secretary-Treasurer (2013-2014).  Dr. Steven Breezeel of Harding University served as Program Chair for the 2014 annual meeting.

Dr. Shawn Fisher, Professor of History at Harding University, gave the keynote address, “The Battle of Little Rock” (1957 Little Rock Desegregation Crisis), during the Friday evening dinner, and State Representative Ann Clemmer addressed the conference participants during the Saturday luncheon.  Erika Bowsher’s (UA-Little Rock) research paper, “Twenty Years of International Justice: An Evaluation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,” was chosen as the Best Undergraduate Student Paper presented at the 2014 annual meeting.  John C. Davis’ (University of Missouri) research paper, “The Natural State in a Time of Change: A Survey-Based Analysis of State Party Organizations in Arkansas, 1999-2013,” was chosen as the Best Graduate Student Paper presented at the 2014 annual meeting.  Mike Yawn’s (Sam Houston State University) research paper, “Teaching Local: Civic Engagement & Local Government,” was chosen as the Best Faculty Paper presented at the 2014 annual meeting.

The 40th Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia on March 1-2, 2013.  Dr. Joseph Giammo of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock served as President (2012-2013).  Dr. Kim Hoffman of the UCA Department of Political Science served as Vice-President (2012-2013).  Dr. Mark Mullenbach of the UCA Department of Political Science served as Secretary-Treasurer (2012-2013).  Dr. Kevin Brennan of Ouachita Baptist University served as Program Chair for the 2013 annual meeting.

Dr. Ronald Keith Gaddie, Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma, was the guest speaker during the Friday evening dinner.  Kay C. Goss, President and CEO, World Disaster Management, was the guest speaker during the Saturday luncheon.  Jacob Porter’s (Hendrix College) research paper, “Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Innovation in Spain’s Autonomous Communities,” was chosen as the Best Undergraduate Student Paper presented at the 2013 annual meeting.  John C. Davis’ (University of Missouri) research paper, “A Study of U.S. Senators with Presidential Aspirations,” was chosen as the Best Graduate Student Paper presented at the 2013 annual meeting.

The 39th annual meeting of the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) was held at the University of Central Arkansas on February 24-25, 2012.  Dr. Kim Hoffman, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, served as Program Chair for the 2012 annual meeting.  Dr. Charles Bullock, the Richard B. Russell Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Georgia, was the guest speaker during the Friday evening dinner on February 24th.  Honorable Preston Scroggin, Faulkner County Judge and 1989 graduate of the UCA Department of Political Science, spoke during the Saturday luncheon on February 25th.

Dr. Rebecca Anne Glazier (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) and Dr. William J. Miller’s (Southeast Missouri State University) research paper, “Whose ‘Clash’? Comparing Anti-Americanism and Anti-Muslim Attitudes,” was chosen as the Best Faculty Paper presented at the 2012 annual meeting.  Daniel Chand, Renee Deshommes, Kuatbay Bektemirov, and Leland McQueen’s (University of Arkansas at Fayetteville) research paper, “Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Policies: An Analysis of the 287(g) and Secure Communities Programs in Arkansas,” was chosen as the Best Graduate Student Paper presented at the 2012 annual meeting.  Kelly Reed’s (University of Arkansas at Monticello) research paper, “The Rise of the Opposition: A Theoretical Appraisal of the Recent Arab Spring,” was chosen as the Best Undergraduate Student Paper presented at the 2012 annual meeting.