Poli Sci Dept. lands two new faculty hirings

Princeton's John DiIulio and Stanford's Jerome Maddox will begin teaching American Politics courses in the fall. The Political Science Department has officially hired two new faculty members, representing the first new appointments in more than a year for the undermanned department, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston announced yesterday. John DiIulio, a full professor at Princeton University, and Jerome Maddox, an assistant professor at Stanford University, will join the department in the fall and will begin teaching immediately. Preston hailed DiIulio -- a 1980 College graduate who has taught at Princeton since 1986 -- as "one of the leading political scientists in the country" and a "fabulous addition to the faculty." "Every place in the country has basically tried to hire him," Preston said. "I couldn't be more excited about what he brings to Penn." And Political Science Professor Jack Nagel, who taught DiIulio at Penn, said he was "thrilled that [DiIulio] is joining the faculty." "He was a remarkable student and has had an incredible career in political science since then," Nagel added. DiIulio currently teaches a popular course in American Politics at Princeton and will teach a similar course here at Penn, Preston added. DiIulio -- who will serve as the Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion and Civil Society -- also specializes in public affairs and urban development. He has previously served as an advisor to Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. The department first noticed the new recruit when he returned to campus in November as a keynote speaker for the three-day Steinberg Symposium, which brought several urban mayors to campus. According to Preston, DiIulio's numerous letters of recommendation were particularly impressive and repeatedly stressed his "incredible energy and his capacity as a scholar, researcher, thinker." "He qualifies as a public intellectual," Preston explained. "He is somebody who publishes in scholarly outlets but also publishes in more accessible outlets." Preston said DiIulio's application must still be reviewed by the Provost Staff Conference -- a committee of deans led by Provost Robert Barchi that must approve all hiring decisions -- but said he considered the deal essentially done. Maddox, Penn's other recruit, also specializes in American Politics and will teach a course on Congress and the American legislative process in the fall. Preston said Maddox -- who received his doctorate in Political Science from Harvard University in 1997 -- will be a "terrific political scientist," noting that Stanford has one of the premier departments in the country. Maddox also said he was "ecstatic" about his new appointment and considered it a "great opportunity." "I'm very excited to enter the Penn community," Maddox added. "I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out." With two new appointments and the potential for several others in the near future, the department -- which has been weakened by the recent departure of several highly regarded professors -- hopes to rebuild itself. But Nagel noted that while both appointments are "terrific additions," there is still more work to be done. "We need to make a lot of new appointments," Nagel said. "We're at least 50 percent smaller than we need to be." Preston recently released a new SAS strategic plan, which highlighted the Political Science Department as one deserving of increased faculty appointments. The plan calls for more funding for the department over the next several years.

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