Poli Sci to hire new senior profs

The School of Arts and Sciences's Political Science Department is looking to hire an additional three to four full-time senior faculty members, in an effort to make the department more visible, according to Political Science Chairperson Thomas Callaghy. The move comes as part of the department's ongoing rebuilding plan -- begun in 1988 -- and is in accordance with the University's Agenda for Excellence. Callaghy said that while no restructuring will take place, the department will hire the additional senior faculty in order to compete with peer institutions. Currently, the Political Science Department consists of 20 full-time faculty members. But the nation's top 10 Political Science departments have a median full-time faculty of 42, Callaghy said. He added that the department would like to hire faculty members who have a strong background in American politics. At present, only 5 percent of the department's total faculty specialize in American politics, in comparison to 21 to 35 percent at the nation's top 10 political science departments, Callaghy said. Marisa Golden is the department's only full-time American politics professor, while William Harris, Jack Nagel, Anne Norton and Henry Teune are all part-time. Interim SAS Dean Walter Wales will head the committee responsible for selecting the new faculty members, although the new dean will take over when appointed. The rest of the committee consists of nine professors and Deputy Provost Michael Wachter. The five SAS representatives are History Professor Richard Beeman, Sociology Professor Samuel Preston and Political Science Professors Ian Lustick, Nagel and Norton. Finance and Economics Professor Robert Inman will represent the interests of the Wharton School, while Annenberg School for Communication Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Law Professor Kim Schepple will serve on behalf of their schools. The committee hopes to make its selection within the next year and a half, according to Wales. A separate search is looking for a junior faculty member in American politics. Wales said the additions to the department will benefit the University as a whole. "We will have a superior department and we expect that any new appointments will result in more interaction between faculty in the department and other departments," he said. And Golden said "only good can come out of [the hiring]." She added that, in addition to enhancing the reputation of the department across the profession, it will enable the Political Science Department to offer more courses to University students.