Political Science

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

The Political Science Department endeavors to provide high quality undergraduate and graduate level education that stresses knowledge of politics, government and public policies while promoting responsible and active citizenship. The department promotes diverse learning experiences that address multiple learning styles while enabling students to apply the skills of comparison, explanation, prediction and critical analysis to a wide variety of political issues and situations. The department also emphasizes a focus on social science research methods and techniques, the liberal arts approach, both written and verbal communication, faculty mentoring of student research, and practical education opportunities through experiential learning as it prepares students for future careers and their ultimate role as responsible citizens in a diverse world.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The Political Science Departmen's mission is fully alligned with the university mission, including in the following ways:

• Emphasizing commitment to superior education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Highlighting the importance of equipping students with foundational knowledge in the strategies and methods of the scholarly enterprise.  Specifically, the department's professors endeavor to srengthen and sharpen students' understanding of how political scientists study the world of politics, government and public policy, including the variety of methods and analytical techniques employed by its theorists and researchers.  At the same time, students come to understand the variety of approaches to studying politics, from the tools of scientific inquiry on through approaches that are shaped substantially by the humanities (e.g., political philosophy and historical analysis).
• Stressing the importance of clarity of communication through instruction that helps students to develop their skills in both written and verbal communication.
• Embracing the value of preparing students for their ultimate role as responsbile citizens in a diverse world, not just as passive actors in the world but through "active citizenship"--with this concept also reflecting the university mission statement's aspiration that EIU students become both responsible citiizens and leaders.
• Implementing the university mission statement's commitment to applied learning experiences through express language that addresses practical education opportunities.  The department covers a wide range of experiential/applied learning processes--from government simulations and internships on through Study Abroad, faculty supervised research projects, independent studies and the Departmental Honors program.
• The PLS Mission statement expressly embraces the importance of faculty mentoring of student research, an activity that has been announced as a priority at EIU through statements by the President and Provost, particularly during the past couple academic years.

Whom does the program serve?

Major categories of students served by the Political Science Program include:

For the undergraduate program:

• Students interested in careers in politics and government administration, from positions such as legislative staffer, executive branch liaison and interest group lobbyist on through a variety of administrative/managerial positions in federal, state and local bureaucracies.
• Students interested in a major in the liberal arts and sciences with a strong emphasis on development of skills in research, analysis and written and verbal communications, as part of preparation for a wide range of academic and professional opportunities.  Political science alumni are well represented not only in the public sector but also in the private and non-profit sectors.
• Students interested in a program with an extensive track record of commitment to experiential learning, from its decades-worth of activities in government simulations and demonstrated successes in securing student internships on through the department's promotion of other equally important forms of student learning, such as independent studies and Departmental Honors.
• Students interested in a political science program that provides the opportunity for a focus beyond a general major—e.g., the Political Science Major with the International Studies Option, the Public Administration Concentration and Departmental Honors, along with the ability to readily combine the major with popular interdisciplinary minors such as the Pre-Law and Criminology Minors.

For the graduate program:

• Students with the goal of preparing for doctoral studies, along with students also interested in the program as an important step toward law school.
• Students seeking to enhance their professional and academic foundations and credentials in preparation for careers and/or career advancement in public and non-profit sector positions on through community college teaching.
• Students with a strong interest in research who see the program as an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the scholarly enterprise, from conference presentations and publications on through writing a Master’s thesis.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

Major ways that the department serves its students include:

• Delivering an undergraduate curriculum for majors that provides students with needed flexibility to choose among the B.A. in Political Science, the B.A. in Political Science with the International Studies Option, and the B.A. in Political Science with a Public Administration Concentration, along with Departmental Honors.
• A well-designed undergraduate curriculum that provides students with a solid foundation in the discipline prior to students advancing on to more specialized studies in the fields and related areas of political science.
• Strong faculty commitment to experiential learning at the undergraduate level through offering academic credit in government simulations, internships, independent studies, Study Abroad, and Departmental Honors.
• Active academic assessment and curriculum review processes that translate into a dynamic curriculum and programming that is current with student learning needs, their professional and academic preparation and developments in the discipline.
• Providing our undergraduate PLS majors, along with students from related majors, with the opportunity to move on to a First Choice graduate program—specially the M.A. in Political Science program.
• Delivering a graduate program that actively encourages faculty mentoring of student research, from conference presentations on through scholarly publications and completion of the Master’s thesis.
• Providing students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, with a wide range of support services, including: (a) centralized academic advising to promote uniformity and quality in advising on degree completion strategies and requirements, (b) tutoring of students in the PLS 1153G (American Government/Constitution) course through assigned time from a graduate assistant, (c) a Political Science faculty member who also serves as the university’s Pre-Law Coordinator, (d) an active commitment to mentoring of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels--and with this approach including a recently added Undergraduate Student Handbook and orientation meetings to review its contents, (e ) a commitment to financial support for student research activities—e.g., funding from an appropriate budget account earmarked for this purpose, and (f) active faculty engagement in advising student organizations—e.g., the Political Science Association, Pi Sigma Alpha (the Political Science Honorary), the Pre-Law Society and Phi Alpha Delta (the Pre-Law Honorary).

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

The Political Science Department emerged in the mid-1960's at a time of substantial changes in higher education and the social sciences in particular.  For the first half of the twentieth century, while separate political science departments were evident and increasing in number, there still were many instances of political science sharing an organizational home with other disciplines, often History.  In the case of EIU, in the early 1960s it was a joint department comprised of Economics, Sociology/Anthropology and Political Science.

As major changes in the discipline of political scence took shape--particularly during the 1950s--including the growing importance of the behavioral approach rooted in the tools and methods of social scientific analysis, it became just a matter of time before the old model of the joint history-political science department would become an uncommon situation.  Likewise, during this period, other disciplines in the social sciences such as Sociology/Anthropology and Economics, were focused on achieving their own respective independent organizational homes when the opportunity arose.  This set of changes ultimately found its way to EIU at a time when it was moving ahead with the transition from being a state college to a full-fledged comprehensive university.  The upshot for political science at EIU is its emergent identity in the early 1960s as the new, full-fledged Department of Political Science, which was established to offer the B.A. degree and soon therafter the M.A. in Political Science Program, with newly minted M.A. degree recipients by the 1970-71 period.  Furthermore, it must be emphasized that the model of independent social science departments, which has been the pattern at EIU since the 1960s, is the national norm and standard in the U.S. higher education system, and this pattern of departmental independence sends a clear signal of EIU's commitment to this model of scholarly and professional inquiry.

Should there be any consideration during the Program Analysis process of merging or grouping together social science departments, it must be emphasized that such a prospect would be counterproductive to the institution's need to communicate that we are a modern comprehensive university.  While combined social science departments may be common in community colleges or not unusual in the 1950s, we should not emulate the community college model or time-travel back some 60 years. 

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

Key developments in the history of the department include:

•  After the department’s origins in the early 1960’s, and with a major faculty hiring push during the period of 1966 through 1969, the modern EIU Political Science Department took shape with a core of 12 FTE tenured/tenure-track faculty members. The department has been at that number through most of its history, although it did move to the 13 number during the first decade of the twenty-first century before returning to the 12 FTE figure (including the department chair position) in 2011 as part of college-based downsizing initiative.
  • In relation to FTEs in Political Science, it also must be noted that the department for the past six years has been below its historical equilibrium point of 12 tenured/tenure-track positions (inluding the department chair position).  The 10 tenured/tenure-track positions level (including the department chair position) has imperiled the ability of the department to deliver its curriclum, particularly a graduate program that has three concentrations.  Adaptations the department has made in view of the disappearance of tenure-track lines have not been beneficial to meeting the needs of thes students, and particularly graduate students in need of adequate staffing capability to support the classes, research mentoring and comprehensive examination administration required for a quality graduate program.
• While the department has updated and revised its curriculum on a regular basis, some changes stand out in its history, including the following:
• An overhaul of the undergraduate curriculum during AY 2009-10 which moved away from a requirement for undergraduates to take upper division courses from up to seven different areas of the discipline (i.e., American political institutions and policy; American political behavior, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Public Law, Public Administration and Political Theory) toward a more flexible curriculum with broader groupings of courses retitled as “Field Requirements” (e.g., Public Law and Political Theory as one field requirement).
• At the same time, the department, as part of an effort to implement Integrative Learning in its curriculum, required that each student complete three credit hours of Applied Political Science Experience. And then as a step toward strengthening the overall academic experience of the undergraduate major, and to further the university’s commitment to undergraduate scholarship, the department added a required Senior Capstone course for its majors.
• The department has also developed a number of important individual courses to better serve the academic and professional development needs of its students, with highlights including a required quantitative-oriented research methods course in the 1970s, a required introductory political theory course in 2007, and a required introductory public policy course in 2013.
• The graduate program underwent a major overhaul at the end of the 1990s, making the transition from an M.A. degree in which students did not specialize in any particular facet of the discipline to a program requiring students to select both a concentration and a minor from among the following: (a) American Politics and Government, (b) Comparative Politics and Public Administration and (c) Public Administration and Public Policy. Coupled with this, the department also strengthened its comprehensive examination requirements, and eliminated two degree completion paths that did not meet the department’s expectations for academic rigor and academic and professional preparation of its students.
• The department over the past decade also has strengthened its focus on student research and faculty mentoring thereof, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. At the undergraduate level, the department is at a high point in the number of students involved in some stage or another of Departmental Honors, which culminates in an Honors Thesis. At the graduate level, the department has distinguished itself for the quantity and quality of its graduate student research, whether measured by Williams Travel Grants, College of Sciences Graduate Student Investigator Awards, professional conference publications or Master’s Thesis Awards.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

The Political Science Department presently faces a major challenge to its ability to implement the university mission, particularly the value of applied learning (i.e., concepts such as integrative learning and experiential learning) due to the recent personnel-related developments--specifically, the cancellation of a tenure-track search coupled with the announced loss of a position in Fall 2014.

Provide data showing the four-year trend in the number of majors, minors, options, and concentrations.

Provide data showing the four-year trend in student credit hour (SCH) production, percent of SCHs that are general education, and percent of SCHs that are taught to non-majors.

What elements of the program’s curriculum are offered specifically to support other academic majors, minors, options, and concentrations?

The Political Science Program serves a wide range of students, programs and departments at Eastern Illinois University, including the following:

• General Education: PLS 1153G (American Government and the Constitution) and PLS 2253G (Introduction to International Relations) play an important role in Social and Behavioral Sciences component, with the PLS 2253G class also providing an option for students to meet the cultural diversity requirement.
• Teacher Education: A significant part of the enrollment base for PLS 1153G (American Government and the Constitution) is comprised of students completing requirements for various Teacher Education programs. Beyond this, the PLS Department is part of the Social Science Teaching Major through offering its majors a Designation in Political Science--along with the set of four required courses for students pursuing the Social Science and History Teaching Majors.
• The Department plays an active role in interdisciplinary minors for undergraduate students, particularly the Pre-Law, Criminology and Environmental Studies Minors. The Department houses the university’s Pre-Law Coordinator, who also is the advisor for the Pre-Law Minor. The Criminology Minor was initiated on campus through efforts by the Departments of Sociology/Anthropology and Political Science. The Environmental Studies Minor requires all of its students to complete PLS 3763, Environmental Politics and Policy. It also must be noted here that the Environmental Politics and Policy course was originated in a collaborative effort designed to serve not only PLS majors but also students in a Biological Sciences option/concentration. Beyond this, the department contributes courses to a number of other interdisciplinary minors, such as Women’s Studies, Film Studies, Latin American Studies and Asian Studies.
• The Graduate Program in Political Science actively participates in interdisciplinary graduate programs, specifically the M.S. in Sustainable Energy and the more recently established Professional Science Master’s in Geographic Information Sciences (PSM in GISci). A highlight here is the department stepping forward to pilot offering of an existing PLS course that includes both PLS M.A. students along with a group of M.S. in Sustainable Energy Students. This course  (PLS 5163) has served as an important learning process for testing outcomes of blending students from different majors into the same graduate course, and the department also has the goal of receiving support for a tenure-track faculty position to enable development of a broader public policy course for blending the two groups of students more fluidly and effectively. 

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

When evaluating internal demand for the program, various considerations should be noted:

• The PLS program serves not only a wide swath of EIU undergraduate students--from its majors and minors on through General Education students--but also offers a First Choice Graduate Program that has been recognized on campus for its excellence.  The M.A. in Political Science program has a strong commitment to the seminar setting of student learning coupled with an active track record of students completing their degree requirements through the thesis option.  The graduate program is very healthy, with 25 students in the program in the typical academic year, and there is every reason to believe that this pattern will continue in future academic years.  This is evidence of healthy and robust graduate level enrollment in the major.
• The undergraduate program has a strong commitment to experiential learning, and for that matter a commitment which has been growing in recent academic years.  This experiential learning commitment means that we require students to complete at least three credit hours in some combination of the following--government simulations, internships, independent study, Study Abroad and Departmental Honors.  This commitment to experiential learning is important to our faculty and students and reflects university level values and goals as articulated by the President and Provost.  Having said this, when the department commits its resources to these important activities, it does not do wonders for where its stands on a narrow aggregate measure such as total SCH.  The department's faculty members urge the program analysis process to have in mind that SCH data are just one method of performance measurement, and futhermore a measurement that may contradict university values on integrative and experiential learning.
• It also must be noted that historically there has been a cyclical element to enrollment in Political Science courses and the PLS major itself, in the sense that interest in our courses and programs has its peaks, plateaus and at times valleys.  For example, at the end of the 1990's, he program had dropped to below 90 majors, but within a few years the department had increased in major numbers to 170-plus, followed by a number of years during which our major numbers were typically in the 125 to 140 range. But more to the point, the department has come back in the past from periods of decreasing numbers on measures such as Majors, Minors and for that matter SCH, and the expectation is that the department again will turn the corner--particularly when the university achieves more success in undergraduate recruitment efforts.  And of course, the department is willing to step forward to assist the university in whatever way is needed to boost overall EIU enrollment, and the department in fact has ramped up its recruitment efforts as part of its commitment to both the university and its own programs.

List relevant data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) New Graduate Salary Survey, and the EIU Career Services Annual Report.

 National Wages & Employment Trends for Political Science

Source: http://cew.georgetown.edu/whatsitworth/.

Projected Job Growth in Political Science Careers, 2012-2022 (Source: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/)

Political Scientists (Overall job growth is 21%, which 10% above average)

• Research, development/social sciences & humanities: 36.7%
• Interest groups/organizations: 32.8%
• Education: 30.8%
• State government: 20.8%
• Local government: 28.2%
• Urban/regional planners: 27.4%
• Survey research: 22.8%
• Lawyers: 12.9%

Examples of political science careers in Industries/sectors with above-average growth

Interest groups/organizations

• Fundraising: 15.3%
• Public relations: 14.8%
• Event managers: 36.5%
• Lawyers: 13.6%
• Budget analysts: 15.6%

Health care/social assistance

• Fundraising: 27.5%
• Public relations: 28.5%
• Administration: 26.7%
• Lawyers: 28.3%
• Budget analysts: 23.1%
• Human resource management: 24.8%

Education                             

• Fundraising: 17.1%
• Public relations: 14.8%
• Event managers: 41.8%
• Administration: 13.1%
• Legal services: 15.3%

Mining/quarrying/oil/gas

• Public relations: 15.0%
• Lawyers: 15.8%
• Budget analysts: 18.4%
• Human resource management: 14.4%

Construction

• Public relations: 29.9%
• Lawyers: 27.5%
• Budget analysts: 23.9%
• Human resource management: 25.6%

 Securities/commodities

• Public relations: 23.6%
• Budget analysts: 23.0%
• Human resource management: 20.9%

EXAMPLES OF EIU POLITICAL SCIENCE ALUMNI JOB TITLES:

• Congressional caseworker/district office manager
• IRS investigator
• State Department foreign affairs officer
• FBI special agent
• Illinois Legislature committee staffer
• IL Office of Management and Budget, budget analyst
• Personnel liaison, Illinois governor
• Congressional campaign finance director
• State government management analyst
• County/regional planner
• City personnel services director
• County government transportation liaison
• City administrator
• Police officer
• Legal research
• Attorney
• Paralegal
• Circuit court judge
• Health care corporation Vice-president
• Corporate product support manager
• Corporate logistics analyst
• Human resources manager
• Financial advisor
• Sales manager
• Corporate government relations officer
• High School Social Sciences Teacher
• Community college faculty
• University faculty
• University fund development officer
• Journalist
• Lobbyist
• National sorority educational leadership consultant
• Labor organizer
• Non-profit public affairs associate

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

Political Science programs are not subject to specific external agency/professional standards accreditation or certification processes, outside of the university's standard accreditation and academic review processes.  The department, however, has brought in external reviewers periodically, normally in conjunction with the standard IBHE review processe for political science programs.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

Not applicable.

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

Major examples for this area include the following:

• During recent academic years, serving as institutional home for an external journal, the Human Rights Review, which was edited by Dr. Steven Roper.  Related to this type of activity, another PLS faculty member (Dr. Ryan Hendrickson) has submitted a proposal to serve as Co-Editor in Chief for the journal International Studies Perspectives, which is a publication of the International Studies Association (Note: As of the last updating of this site, a decision has not made by the ISA on the new editing home of the journal).  Regardless of the outcome, this proposal is a reflection of the department's proactive stance toward active service to the profession.
• Sponsoring and coordinating the website of the Illinois Political Science Association, including a PLS faculty member on the Executive Committee of this state-wide professional association.  Related to this, the department hosted the annual conference of the IPSA in 2008, and it will be the the institutional host for the November 2014 annual conference of the Illinois Political Science Association--in conjunction with plans by the Sociology Department to host the annual conference of the Illinois Sociology Assocation.
• Sponsoring a Facebook site through the department's website which provides an ongoing oppportunity for the program's alumni to interact with one another along with our faculty and current students.
• An active track record of bringing political science expertise  and moderating abilities to community and university forums and panels (e.g., programs sponsored by the League of Women Voters, EIU Student Government, the University Professionals of Illinois, the Journalism Department and its student associations, policy issue panels featured in the annual Sciencefest, etc.)
• PLS faculty members who have been actively engaged in service to committees/organizations directly related to discipline-based expertise, such as serving as EIU representative to the SURS Member Advisory Committee; chairing EIU/UPI's Committee on Political Action and Legislation, and being elected to leadership positions in a local political party organization.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

Key local community and regional benefits of our program include:

• Placement of undergraduate and graduate interns in a variety of government offices/agencies, such as the City of Arcola City Administrator's Office, the City of Charleston's Planning Office, the Coles County State's Attorney Office, the Coles County Regional Planning and Development Commission, the Coles Public Defender's Office, Circuit Court Judge offices, and various law enforcement offices.
• A long tradition of students transferring from community colleges in the region (e.g., Lake Land College) to pursue the B.A. degree in Political Science, along with transfer students moving on to interdisciplinary minors in which the department plays an important role in offering courses, such as the Criminology and Pre-Law Minors.
• The M.A. in Political Science program providing an opportunity for area/regional practitioners in the public and non-profit sectors to pursue an advanced degree for professional and career-development purposes.
• The department's participation in the Social Science Teaching Major, which in turn is a major source of future K-12 educators in both the region and the broader state.
• The availability of Political Science expertise for area media, from newspapers on through radio and television stations.  For example, PLS faculty have very willing over the years to assist the WEIU television station with interviewing requests.
• The faculty members of the department having a long-standing track record of being actively engaged in community-oriented public service activities, such as local K-12 education committees, local government task forces and non-profit organizations (e.g., Habitat for Humanity; the Fox Ridge Foundation; the Charleston Community Day Care Center; the Food Pantry).

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

Political Science (B.A.)

Significant Achievements that Document Quality/Improvement

Significant achievements that document support of VPAA and/or University goals

Integrative Learning Opportunities

Student Research/creative Activity

Faculty-student collaboration

Strategies to improve P-16 teaching and learning

External Partnerships

Pass rates on any professional/ occupational licensure exams

Faculty Achievements

Student Achievements

Political Science (M.A.)

Significant Achievements that Document Quality/Improvement

Significant achievements that document support of VPAA and/or University goals

Integrative Learning Opportunities

Student Research/creative Activity

Faculty-student collaboration

Strategies to improve P-16 teaching and learning

External Partnerships

Pass rates on any professional/ occupational licensure exams

Faculty Achievements

Student Achievements

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Beyond the MAP information entered in June 2013, examples of more recent program-related information (from Fall 2013) include:

• The Department has experienced a significant increase in PLS majors enrolled in Departmental Honors.  More specifically,the department has 5 students currently doing research under the Departmental Honors program, with this number representing a record high for the department.  Furthermore, this figure also demonstrates heightened emphasis by the department on recruiting students to this program--along with the department's growing embrace of the importance of mentoring of undergraduate student research.
• As additional evidence of the quality of the department's graduate program, which already is designated by EIU as a First Choice Program, Michael Neuriter has been named as the recipient of Eastern Illinois University's 2013 Distinguished Master's Thesis Award, which according to Dean Augustine is "the highest form of recogniation for a graduate thesis at the university".
• In Fall 2013, two PLS faculty members were awarded EIU's Achievement and Contribution Awards: Dr. Ryan Hendrickson in Research/Creative Activity and Dr. Jeffrey Ashley in Service.  This pattern, however, is just part of a longer-term one of recognition of PLS faculty excellence (e.g., Dr. Melinda Mueller recognized as the 2008 Professor Laureate for EIU).
• Reflective of the department's ongoing student involvement in research, in Fall 2013 two students--an undergraduate and a graduate student--presented research papers at the 2013 Annual Conference of the Illinois Political Science Association, and two graduate students presented research papers at the 2013 Annual Confernce of the International Studies Association-Midwest. A more recent example is undergraduate student Matthew Cain accepted for a research poster presentation at the 2014 Annual Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, which is one of the discipline's most important conferences.
• Master's thesis production continues at a strong pace in the department, with four completed M.A. theses expected for Fall 2013 (Trail, Dicke, Ejikeme and Eastin).  In addition, graduate student Nonso Ejikeme published a journal article in October 2013, in the African Journal of Political Science and International Relations.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

• A track record of success in Redden Grant applications through the EIU Foundation, particularly for the department's government simulation progams--Moot Court and Model Illinois Government.  Typical grants for these simulations, to help support funding for student travel to state and regional competitions, have been in the $1500 range.
• A long-standing track record of success in competition for Presidential Assistantships, which the department has used to fund a graduate assistant who focuses on core undergraduate instructional needs, particularly related to General Education.
• Success each academic year in securing Williams Travel Grants to support graduate student research presentations at national, regional and state academic conferences.
• A faculty member, Dr. Ryan Hendrickson, who received the prestigous and competitive EIU Presidential Research Grant, effective FY2014.
• The Department awarded EIU Provost's Research Assistantship Awards for AY12-13, and more recently for AY14-15.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

• Donors who have estabished funds through the EIU Foundation to support the department's key applied learning/experiential learnin activities, including the following:
  • Alumnus Brian Hurst's contributions to the PLS Restrictd Gift on a yearly basis to support funding of Model Illinois Government.
  • Endowed funds established for internship and similar experiential learning student activities (the Curry Scholarship) and Study Abroad (the Curtis Fund), along with the Galo Scholarship to support a combination of international student support/Study Abroad.
  • A growing basis of endowed scholarships/awards to recognize achievements and excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including: the Department of Political Science Graduate Student Scholarship Fund; the Forrest Howell Scholarship in Public Administration (graduate students); the Connelly Scholarship; the Robert Glover Student Leadership Scholarship; the Political Science Outstanding Senior Award; the Outstanding First Year Student Scholarship; and the Political Science Honors Scholarship; and the Watson Family Scholarship (alternates to PLS every three years); and the Baumgartner Scholarship (through the College of Sciences).
  • More recently, students in the department have had award opportunities thorugh the Birdina Gregg Annual Fund (for students active in the campus Democrats RSO) and the H. Edward Brazil Award for Distinguished Use of Quantitative Methods.
  • PLS Majors also have the opportunity to be selected for scholarships administred by the Pre-Law Coordinator, specifically the Brainard Pre-Legal Presidential Award; the J. Y. Kelly Scholarship; and the C.A. Hollister Pre-Law Award.
• The growing record of donor support, it must be noted, is focuse on students, reflective of the department's history of earmarking donor funding directly toward student scholarships and awards, as opposed to the departmental operating budget needs.  This historically-based orientation, which reflects a strong student-oriented philosophy toward use of donor contributions, applies both to substantial donations, such as those in the $500, $1000 or above range, on through the full scope of donations received through the annual telefund effort.

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

• Hosting the website of the Illinois Political Science Association, with a faculty member who is a member of the Executive Committee of the IPSA.  This arrangement promotes ongoing linkages between the EIU Political Science Department and public and private universities in the broader state setting--including community colleges, particularly those in the Chicago Land region.
• The PLS Graduate Coordinator having ongoing contact with Millikin University and similar institutions as a potential source of quality students for the M.A. Program in Political Science.  We benefit at EIU through recruitment of quality students, and we contribute to the professonal/academic development of smaller instittions such as Millikin.
• An active internship program that meets the needs of our undergraduate and graduate students while also helping local/area government offices with their research, analysis and/or administrative needs (e.g., the well-established partnership with the City Administrator of Arcola; interns receiving PLS academic credit for working in the Coles County State's Attorney's Office)

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Additiional comments include:

• The department generates student fee money only through its government simulation course registrations, and it must be noted that the students fees pay only a relatively small share of the total costs for student costs (i.e., registration, lodging, travel and meals).  The vast bulk of the funding for these important examples of experiential learning are asssumed through appropriated dollars, Redden Grants and special earmarked donor gifts.
• The PLS Department also has been a substantial generator of Tuition Recovery Model (TRM) dollars through its active role in online courses, during regular academic year semesters and summer school, and this level of activity has not been just a recent phenomenon.  The department has been one of the instittution's pioneers in this area.  In recent fiscal years, TRM funds made available to the PLS Department based on COS Dean's Office allocation formulae have been in the $60,000 plus range.  The availability of these funds has been critical to the vitality of the department's operating budget, in view of a decade worth of erosion of the fiscal base in the PLS appropriated accounts.  For example, without these funds, faculty travel funding would be somewhere between scarce and non-existent, and it must be noted that the department has used these funds to further the university and departmental missions on teaching by sending groups of its faculty over the past three years to the Teaching and Learning Conference of the American Political Science Association.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Factors to consider include the following:

• The undergraduate curriculum for majors includes a strong experiential learning component, particularly through courses offered in government simulations (Moot Court and Model Illinois Government), internships; and Departmental Honors.  And this experiential learning component is growing, as with the increase in undergraduate students enrolled in independent studies.
• The department each year contributes courses to other programs on campus, with some of these limited in enrollment by their nature (e.g., PLS 1193G for the University Honors Program) or subject to fluctuations in demand from other majors (e.g., PLS 3763, Environmental Politics and Policy).
• The department has revised its curriculum to strengthen the undergraduate learning experience for its majors, with some key changes yielding courses with moderate enrollment numbers by design in order to enhance student learning and facilitate quality instruction (e.g., the required Senior Capstone course for all PLS majors).
• The department has been a substantial contributor to Continuing Education seats, both with the PLS and EIU prefix, and with most of these seats offered online--which means that the department has figured prominently in meeting another set of student registration needs at EIU (i.e., meeting the needs of non-traditional students enrolled in off-campus degree programs). Related to this area, off-campus students in EIU's BOT program have the capacity to earn a Minor in Political Science through 18 hours of online courses.
• The PLS M.A. program has been quite healthy and also recognized for its high quality (e.g., First Choice designation), but it must be understood that maintaining this quality means offering an adequate range of graduate seminars (at the 5000 level) which by their nature are going to enroll at modest to moderate levels of seats (e.g., generally in the 7 to 12 student per seminar range).  And offering the needed range of graduate seminars requires breadth of coverage of the discipline and its major areas of scholarship and research, which translates into maintaining the right mix of tenure-track/tenured faculty positions.
• Overall, there is a relationship between overall university student numbers and seats offered by PLS, particularly in the department's lower-level General Education sections.  Also, it must be noted that historically there has been a cyclical element to PLS major and minor numbers, along with enrollment in its courses, and these cyclical patterns also have something to do with broader developments in politics at the national, state and local levels.  These broader environmental forces may dampen PLS numbers for one period, and then quickly lead to a rebound just a few years later.  The department has seen this happen over the years, and thus this merits strong consideration when assessing PLS student data, from majors and minors on through number of seats in PLS classes.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Additional comments relative to the above information include:

• The significant increase in PLS faculty travel spending is associated with use of TRM funds to support faculty development, from widened funding support for conference presentations on through faculty attendance of the Teaching and Learning Conference of the American Political Science Association.  For example, in FY 12, five PLS faculty attended this conference, following by six PLS faculty in FY 13.  More recently, six PLS faculty attended the February 2014 Teaching and Learning Confernce, with the faculty attendance at this conference an important indicator of PLS faculty commitment to quality pedagogy and student learning.
• The Moot Court and Model Illinois Government appropriated accounts have a long history of existing separately from the general PLS operating budget, as a way of ensuring some degree of a funding floor for these important examples of experiential learning.
• The Political Science Student Research Support Fund promises to play an increasingly important role as a source of financial support for the department's growing emphasis on undergraduate research, with the spending level reported for FY13 as an indicator of this trend.  Historically, this fund has its origins in a decision made over eight years ago to focus on only two government simulations (Mock Trial/Moot Court and Model Illinos Governt) and convert the Model United Nation dollars into a source of regular financial support for undergraduate and graduate student research.
• The Pre-Law Coordinator Fund orginated over eight years ago as a way of ensuring a funding base, particularly in condictions of fiscal scarcity, for core professional development and positional activities of the Pre-Law Coordinator, such as the attending an annual conference for university Pre-Law Advisors.
• When considering costs associated with PLS faculty salaries, it is important to consider the number of Unit A PLS faculty with the rank of professor.  This situation has two elements: (a) successful promotion outcomes directly related to the department hiring and supporting quality faculty members and (b) the department not having a tenure-track hire over the last nine academic years.
• When considering FTE PLS positions, it must be stressed that maintaining a quality M.A. Program means having an adequate faculty base to ensure coverage of the discipline, from graduate seminars on through faculty having the expertise base to meet student needs in directing/supervising theses and other research projects.  With three separate concentrations available to M.A. in PLS students, the department cannot afford to downsize further without significant, irreparable damage to program quality and the value of the degree.

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

At the undergraduate level, the department distinguishes itself through the following:

• A strong commitment to applied/experiential learning, with this commitment having a history of decades of departmental activity and faculty engagement.  The department has an historically-based platform of academic credit for government simulations and internships, and it has enhanced this platform in recent years with a growing emphasis on independent studies, Departmental Honors and Study Abroad.
• Attention to students not only developing skills in quantitative analysis and computer applications in social science research, but also having a solid foundation in qualitative research design and methods, and offering a curricum that requires both types of coursework.  Both are essential to a quality undergraduate political science education.
• Providing students with a well-designed curriculum that ensures a broad foundation in the discipline and its methods, along with a required course on political philosophy/theory as a platform for students  to succeedi as they move on to more specialized subjects in the study of politics, government and public policy.
• Providing students with degree/program alternatives to the general B.A. degree in Political Science, specifically through the International Studies Option and the Public Administration Concentration.

At the graduate level, the department distinguishes itself through:

• A demonstrated track-record of M.A. students with achievements in professional conference presentations, along with publications, whether published by the students separately or co-authored with faculty mentors.  In particular, the department's strong record of graduate student publications is unusual for an M.A. program.
• A strong commitment to students having the ability to do Master's thesis research projects, while at the same time providing students with the option for comprehensive written and oral examinations for degree completion.
• An impressive record of program graduates who have gone on to Ph.D. programs after earning the M.A. in Political Science (e.g., Missouri, Purdue, Pittsburgh...)
• A well-designed curriculum that includes three concentrations, rather than students pursuing a generalist-oriiented M.A. degree.  The three concentrations enable students to add needed focus to their academic experience--i.e., through concentrations in American Politics/Government; Comparative Politics and International Relations; and Public Administration and Public Policy.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

Major unique and/or essential contributions include:

• Expert-based insights and commentary on issues and developments in politics and government at all levels--international, national, state and local--particularly with respect to requests for interviews by local and area media, including the Daily Eastern News and WEIU-FM and TV.
• An active contributor to the vitality of interdisciplinary programs such as the Pre-Law Minor, the Criminology Minor, the Environmental Studies Minor, and the Women's Studies Minor at the undegraduate levels, and at the graduate level the M.S. in Sustainable Energy and the Professional Science Master's in GISci.
• A long track record of substantial contributions to General Education, from PLS 1153G and PLS 2253G in Social and Behavioral Sciences area on through senior seminars on the Politics of Human Rights and Politics and Popular Culture.  Furthermore, before the university-level curriculum changed that created the present General Education configuration at EIU, the PLS Deparment for years offered a strong majority of the seats in the old Constitution requirement (which required students to select between PLS 1153G and HIS 3600G).
• A First Choice Graduate Program that serves not only PLS majors seeking a Master's degree, but also students from campus programs without this opportunity for their students (e.g., Sociology/Anthropology and Journalism).
• Housing the university's Pre-Law Coordinator who provides advice to a wide range of EIU students interested in legal careers and preparation for law school, while also coordinating Pre-Law internships--which are open to qualified students regardless of their major.
• Availability of government simulations in both Moot Court and Model Illinois Government to students regardless of major, with enrollment and participation in these simulations representing an additional method of experiential/integrative learning on campus.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

• Average yearly percentage of PLS M.A. students with EIU undergraduate degrees: 50 %
• Average number of M.A. in PLS degrees granted per academic year: 7.8 (last five years)
• Average number of  successful M.A. theseis defense per year: 3.4 (last five years)
• Percentage of PLS undergraduate majors also declaring an intedisciplinary minor: 70-plus %
• Percentage of PLS undergraduate majors under current curriculum completing experiential learning requirement for the degree: 100 %
• Number of undergraduate students enrolled in Departmental Honors in AY13-14: 5
• Percentage of PLS faculty with the Ph.D. degree: 92 %
• Percentage of PLS faculty with publications over last three years: 92 %
• Percentage of PLS faculty who have presented a professional confernence over past three years: 92 %

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

The Political Science Department is uniquely equipped to contribute to education of the university's students on citizenship, from understanding the liberties and rights that are so important in modern democratic society on through the responsbilities that accompany the exercise of our liberties and rights.  A healthy university includes having a high-quality Political Science Department, and this has been achieved in EIU's Political Science Department.  However, it must not be diminished or irreparably damaged through application of some narrowly conceived quantitative metric that does not consider the full range of what a department contributes to the university's mission--and most important the academic and professional development welfare of students, both undergraduate and graduate students.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

Undergraduate Program:

• Attract a diverse and high quality population of undergraduate students who demonstrate a strong commitment to rigorous and systematic study of politics, government and public policy.
• Review and update undergraduate curriculum requirements and offerings based on academic assessment results and developments in the discipline.
• Further the achievement of university and departmental learning goals in the key areas of writing, critical thinking, responsible citizenship and speaking.
• Provide out-of-class experiences that reflect the department’s commitment to experiential learning as an integral part of undergraduate political science studies (e.g., internships, simulations, student-faculty mentoring and research, departmental Honors, and Study Abroad).
• Prepare students for success in graduate studies and law school (e.g., faculty-student mentoring of student research, student conference presentations, and information on application processes for graduate school).
• Equip students with the knowledge and skills essential to success in a wide range of professions upon completion of their degrees.

Graduate Program:

• Attract a diverse and high quality cadre of graduate students who demonstrate a strong commitment to rigorous and systematic study of politics, government and public policy.
• Review and update the graduate program curriculum and degree completion requirements based on academic assessment results and developments in the discipline..
• Provide advanced research and professional-growth opportunities (e.g., student-faculty mentoring and research, conference presentations, and scholarly publications).
• Prepare students for pursuing a wide range of academic and professional opportunities following completion of the M.A. degree—from doctoral studies on through careers in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
• Maintain recognition as a First Choice Master’s Program, including the opportunities this provides for program resources and graduate assistantship support.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

PLS will contribute to implementation of the EIU strategic plan in a number of key ways, such as:

• A commitment to academic excellence and rigor (e.g., the senior capstone course requirement; the M.A. Program as a First Choice Program; commitment to University Honors, including increased numbers of students engaged in Departmental Honors).
• Promoting access to academic study at EIU through the department's growing number of scholarships, for both undergraduate and graduate students (e.g., the Political Science Honors Scholarship which targets high quality high school seniors applying to EIU; the Political Science Graduate Scholarship Fund which is designed to provide financial assistance to an incoming graduate student without a graduate assistantship)
• Contributing to campus diversity and global awareness (e.g., increased diversity among undergraduate majors; a graduate program which each year includes international students among its cadre of students; coursework that has strong international focus elements, such as its undergraduate and graduate courses in Comparative Politics and International Relations).
• An active commitment by PLS faculty to recruiting majors and minors in conjunction with broader university and college-level marketing/recruitment efforts (e.g., a reorganized and strengthened undergraduate recruitment committee that also includes attention to student mentoring and retention processes).
• A commitment to quality academic advising of majors and minors (e.g., development of additional student-oriented advising documents, such as checklists, for posting on the departmental website; a new, comprehensive handbook for undergraduate majors coupled with a series of meetings with students to review key information in the handbook).
• Ongoing commitment to the value of integrative learning, and not just supporting the value but implementing it directly in a meaningful way (e.g., government simulations; independent study; internships; Study Abroad; Departmental Honors).
• Maintain am active stance toward interacting with alumni, including recognizing their accomplishments (e.g., the department's Facebook site which includes a number of PLS alumni; the presentaton at the spring awards banquet of the Distinguished Alumni Award; an ongoing record of success in nominations of M.A. program alumni for Graduate School recognition.)

What are the program’s two or three most promising opportunities that could help advance the university’s academic mission? Provide an estimate of additional investments or other costs required and additional student credit hours, revenue, or other resources generated.

• Recruit a tenure-track faculty member who also can contribute to the department's public policy curriculum, not only through being able to meet the needs of our Political Science undergraduate and graduate students but also to develop a course that better meets the needs of students in the M.S. in Sustainable Energy Progam.  As it stands, the department is only able to blend the M.S. in Sustainable Energy students into an existing PLS graduate course, rather than developing a broader public policy course to be offered during either the fall or spring semesters of a regular academic year.  In addition, with two recently announced retirements, it is imperative that the department recruit Unit A faculty members in the Comparative Politics/International Relations area, particularly to avoid significant damage to the ability to deliver the curriculum and continue to offer a First Choice M.A. Program.
• Build on the department's recent success with increasing the number of students in its Departmental Honors Program, which culminates in completion of an undergraduate thesis-based research project.  With more students in this program, benefits are distributed across the board--from the students themselves and the faculty who mentor these quality students on through the university's mission of an active undergraduate research component to its curriculum.
• Work with other social science departments toward establishing a Social Science Research Center on campus to provide an opportunity for enhanced student research experience in an interdisciplinary context--i.e., through the active involvement of facutly from departments such as Political Science, Economics, Sociology and Geography.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.

Note: A cancelled tenure-track search (November 2013) and the prospect of losing a Unit B position in AY14-15 do not bode well for the department having the needed capacity and faculty resources for pursuing opportunities such as those noted above. And in fact, to the extent that this development is carried out, FTE reduction presents a substantial threat to the ability of the department to offer its programs and deliver its curriculum, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  This will be particularly the case for the department's capacity to offer and staff the courses neededfor the three concentrations in the Master's program--specifically Public Administration/Public Policy; American Politics and Government; and Comparative Politics and International Relations.