Political Science Newsletter, Issue 2 | April 2019

Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

POLITICAL SCIENCE NEWSLETTER EDITOR AND PROGRAM LEADER: RICHARD W. COUGHLIN, PH.D.

Political Science Students Win College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Student of the Year and FGCU Hall of Fame

Daryl Cordova

FGCU Hall of Fame 2019

Bryan Oliva-Infante

FGCU Hall of Fame 2019

Two Poli(cal Science majors were inducted into the FGCU Hall of Fame this Spring: Daryl Cordova and Bryan Oliva-Infante. Hall of Fame recogni(on is highly compe((ve and based on excep(onal achievement in academics, leadership, university involvement, and service. The award is limited to a maximum of ten students per year. One or more Poli(cal Science majors has achieved FGCU Hall of Fame status every year since 2010, with a total of seventeen Poli(cal Science students winning Hall of Fame status during this period.

Chisara Ibezim, winner of the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Student of the Year for 2018-2019 is a Poli(cal Science major currently

Chisara Ibezim

2019 College of Arts & Sciences

Undergraduate Student of the Year

comple(ng the Washington Center Internship Program. Chisara worked this spring at the Educa(on for Peace in Iraq Center as a Poli(cal and Humanitarian Research and Advocacy Intern. “Some of my tasks include wri(ng in EPIC's weekly publica(on, managing the organiza(on's social media, and working on specialized projects and presen(ng them to the organiza(on. It has been so interes(ng learning more about the poli(cs of the Middle East while gaining experience in research.� Building on her experience in Washington, Chisara will be par(cipa(ng in a U.S. State Department Internship at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana this summer.

QUESTIONS? CONTRIBUTIONS? CONTACT: Florida Gulf Coast University Political Science Program Richard W. Coughlin, Ph.D. | 239.590.7177 | rcoughli@fgcu.edu

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Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

FGCU Graduate Success Stories As the Department of Poli(cal Science and Public Administra(on’s 2018 Self Study demonstrated, many of our graduates have been successful in gaining admission to top (er graduate programs and professional schools.

This trend is con(nuing with several of our students securing impressive placements.

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Brooke Levy received a full three year scholarship and supplemental s(pend to a]end the University of Florida Law School, Florida’s top rated law school.

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Daryl Cordova was accepted into several of the na(on’s top-ranked Masters of Public Administra(on programs. He will be a]ending George Washington University’s highly-ranked program in Washington, D.C. with a substan(al two-year scholarship and teaching assistantship.

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Samantha Canty, a Poli(cal Science minor who graduated in December, will be star(ng work on her PhD in Poli(cal Science at UC Irvine.

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Betzaira Mayorga was accepted to take part in the Ralph Bunche Summer Ins(tute at Duke University this summer where she will be taking graduate level courses in quan(ta(ve research and data analysis.

Above, left: Brooke Levy received a full three year scholarship and supplemental stipend to attend the University of Florida Law School, Florida’s top rated law school. Above, right: Betzaira Mayorga was accepted to take part in the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University this summer where she will be taking graduate level courses in quantitative research and data analysis.

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Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

Planning for Success 1: Internships

FGCU’s Florida Legislative Internship Program FGCU’s Florida Legisla(ve Internship Program provides funding and legisla(ve internship placements for up to four FGCU students each year. As a full-(me intern working for a Senator or Representa(ve in the Florida State Legislature, students can earn up to 12 credit hours, as well as receive an $1800 s(pend and housing in Tallahassee during the Spring Semester. Interns func(on as support staff for legislators and perform a wide range of tasks. These can include pu`ng together press clippings, researching issues, analyzing bills, tracking legisla(on, wri(ng speeches, a]ending commi]ee mee(ngs, answering phones, assis(ng cons(tuents, and working on district-based or state-level projects of importance. During the por(on of the Spring Semester when the legislature is in session, interns work in the State Capitol in Tallahassee. During the por(on when the legislature is not in session, interns work in a legislator’s district office. Applicants for these internships must be full-(me, degree-seeking FGCU students with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. In addi(on, applicants must already have completed at least 30 credit hours at the (me of applica(on (60 completed credit hours preferred). An interest in state poli(cs and policy is highly desirable as well. Applica(ons for the 2020 Florida Legisla(ve Internship Program may be submi]ed between August 20 and September 28, 2019. For addi(onal informa(on about the Florida Legisla(ve Internship Program, please contact Dr. Roger Green at rgreen@fgcu.edu.

Political Science Internships (POS 4941) Poli(cal Science majors also have the possibility of earning academic credit for a broad array of Poli(cal Science Internships beyond those administered through the Florida Legisla(ve Internship Program. The Poli(cal Science Internship (POS 4941) provides Poli(cal Science majors with an opportunity to gain prac(cal work experience in a poli(cal se`ng, as well as an opportunity to reflect on this prac(cal work experience by analyzing it in rela(on to relevant scholarly perspec(ves.

For more informa(on about the POS 4941 Poli(cal Science Internship, please contact Dr. Roger Green at rgreen@fgcu.edu.

2: The Washington Center Internship Program The Washington Center has recently increased the amount of its Florida State scholarship from $8,000 to $9,000. This scholarship is available to all students within the state university system of Florida who have a GPA of 2.75 or higher and who are second semester sophomores or beyond. This scholarship will substan(ally defray the program and housing fees of the Washington Center Internship Program, enabling 3

Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

more students to have the opportunity to work and live in the na(on’s capital for a semester (15 weeks) or summer term (10 weeks).

In addi(on to the state scholarship, there are sources of financial support, which may be available to students at FGCU. If you have a financial aid form filed with the FGCU Founda(on, you may be eligible for addi(onal financial support. If you par(cipate in the PAGES mentoring program (see below) you are also eligible for addi(onal support. And if you are a member of the Honors Program, you may also receive addi(onal financial support for par(cipa(on in the Washington Center Internship Program.

Applica(on deadlines to bear in mind are: •

September 28, 2019 for spring 2020 semester

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February 15, 2020 for summer 2020 term.

Students interested in the Washington Center should contract Dr. Richard W. Coughlin, FGCU’s ins(tu(onal liaison with the Washington Center (rcoughli@fgcu.edu).

3: Law School and Graduate School Preparation Many FGCU Poli(cal Science graduates have con(nued their educa(ons at law school and graduate school, some with spectacular success. The Department’s advice for students contempla6ng either graduate school or law school is to begin preparing during the summer following their junior year for the submission of applica6ons to law school or graduate school. This summer, you should prepare for and hopefully take the LSAT (for law school) or the GRE (for graduate school). You should also iden6fy faculty that would be willing to write leHers of recommenda6on in support of your applica6on. Students interested in learning more about law school are encouraged to contact Dr. Joe Ross (jvross@fgcu.edu), Associate Professor of Poli(cal Science at FGCU.

4: Mentoring and Professional Development Planning post-graduate success begins during your undergraduate career. Poli(cal Science students are encouraged to explore Poli(cal Science oriented careers in the areas of state and local government, federal government, law, poli(cs, interna(onal affairs, business, non-profit management, media, and educa(on. For informa(on about poten(al employers and strategies for preparing for different career op(ons, students are encouraged to consult FGCU’s Career Development office.

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Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

PAGES Program FGCU students in the Social Sciences and Humani(es (which includes Poli(cal Science) can also par(cipate in the PAGES program. PAGES provides career mentoring, omen from local business and public sector professionals who earned Liberal Arts degrees and then used those degrees to pursue successful careers in both the private and public sector.

The PAGES program enhances the success of liberal arts students

QUESTIONS? CONTRIBUTIONS? CONTACT: Florida Gulf Coast University Political Science Program Richard W. Coughlin, Ph.D. | 239.590.7177 | rcoughli@fgcu.edu

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Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

Southwest Florida Model United Nations This year marked the 21st mee(ng of the Southwest Florida Model United Na(ons at Florida Gulf Coast University. The conference drew 250 area high school students who met in twelve different commi]ees to debate and nego(ate responses to c o n t e m p o r a r y w o r l d issues. FGCU Poli(cal Science students in the Model UN Club developed the conference agenda, wrote the background guides for 12 different FGCU Committee Chairs at the Southwest Florida Model United Nations commi]ees and recruited chairs for each of these commi]ees for the 2019 Southwest Florida Model United States. The conference is organized in partnership with the Naples Council on World Affairs.

FGCU Model United Nations Wins Recognition at National Model UN Conference in New York City Members of the Model UN Club a]ended the Na(onal Model United Na(ons in New York City from March 24-28th. FGCU won honorable men(on at the conference for its representa(on of the country of Nepal. This is a significant accomplishment because the Na(onal Model United Na(ons is an interna(onal event, a]rac(ng university delega(ons from around the world.

FGCU Model United Nations team at the General

The FGCU Model UN Club travels regularly to MUN Assembly of the United Nations in New York City. conferences in the Florida and na(onally. The club is always looking for new members. Interested students may contact the club’s faculty advisor, Dr. Richard W. Coughlin (rcoughli@fgcu.edu).

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Florida Gulf Coast University

Political Science Program

April 2019, Issue 2

The Liebert World Affairs Lecture Series Series Hallway .pdf

This spring, the Department of Poli(cal Science and Public Administra(on brought two Liebert World Affairs speakers to campus.

Karen Jacobsen from Tums University presented “Migrants and Refugees from the Middle East Perspec(ve on February 22 and journalist Suzy Hansen discussed “The Two Americas: Can Americans See America the Way the Rest of the World Does?” on March 15. Our Liebert speakers addressed both student and community audiences during their (me at FGCU.

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3/30/17

9:54 PM

Dr. Erich Liebert

World Affairs Dr. ErichLecture Liebert Series

World Affairs Lecture Series Welcomes

Sarah Chayes Presented by

Florida Gulf Coast University

Department of Political Science and Public Administration

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Dr. Jacobsen is director of the Refugees and Forced Migra(on Program at the Feinstein Interna(onal Center at Tums University. She consults regularly with key interna(onal organiza(ons such as the United Na(ons High Commission on Refugees, the Interna(onal Red Cross, UNICEF and the World Bank. Ms. Hansen is the author of Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World, a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize and a contribu(ng wri(ng for the New York Times Magazine and numerous other publica(ons.

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Dr. Karen Jacobsen presented her research, “Migrants and Refugees from the Middle East Perspective”.

Journalist Suzy Hansen discussed her book, “The Two Americas: Can Americans See America the Way the Rest of the World Does?”

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