Political Science
Department News
May 19, 2022
Stephen Hensley - 2022 President's Undergraduate Medalist
Stephen Hensley, a double major in Political Science and Philosophy (Pre-Law), was
selected as the President’s Undergraduate Medalist, which is the University’s top
honor for an undergraduate student. Stephen is also graduating with COSS Honors and
his senior honors thesis was titled, "Carceral Mechanisms of Political Repression
in Post-Soviet Russia and Georgia." Incarcerated at age 17, Stephen earned college
credit while in prison and upon release, entered Fresno State’s Project Rebound, a
program to help formerly incarcerated individuals earn their degrees. Once at Fresno
State, he became a student coordinator for Bulldogs for Recovery; co-founded Youngsters
for a Change, a nonprofit to help at-risk and formerly incarcerated youth; and serves
as co-chair of the Fresno County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Stephen
will be attending the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in the Fall.
May 16, 2022
Congratulations to our outstanding graduates and to all of our graduating students!!
Ann Kreuscher - 2022 Outstanding Political Science Student
Ann is our department's Outstanding Student for 2022. She is Smittcamp Honors College
Presidential Scholar and is graduating with COSS Honors. Her honors thesis, "Pay to
Play: Gender and Partisan Differences in the Net Worth between Congressional Candidates
and Incumbents", was presented at the Midwest Political Science Association's Annual
meeting in 2021. Ann served our majors as the President of Pi Sigma Alpha, and under
her leadership, the chapter won the Best Chapter Award from the national organization.
Ann also represented the department and Fresno State in the prestigious Panetta Fellowship,
spending a semester working in Congressional Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy's D.C.
office for the Fall 2021 semester. In her four years at Fresno State, she interned
for four other members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Central Valley.
She also interned with the Fresno County District Attorney's office and the U.S. Federal
Prosecutor's office. Additionally, Ann worked as a student assistant in the Department
of Political Science and held a part-time job outside of school. After graduation,
Ann will be attending the University of Virginia School of Law.
Laura Clark - 2022 Outstanding Graduate Student, MPA & College of Social Science Outstanding
Thesis Award
Laura was selected as our Outstanding Graduate Student (Masters of Public Administration)and
the COSS Outstanding Thesis recipient for 2022! Laura's thesis, "The Administration/
Educator Influence on the Transition of Students, with Idea Services, from K-12 to
Postsecondary/ College During the COVID-19 Pandemic," examined how administrators
play a role in guiding students into either a 2 or 4-year institution for their higher
educational path. The results are now being presented to local school districts and
community colleges. The study has opened discussions between community colleges and
the Fresno Unified School District on how to serve students with differing abilities
better. In the future, Clark is interested in leveraging any opportunities and connections
to assist local educators in helping K-12 students with IEPs transition to a positive
postsecondary experience.
Alex C. Walker, 2022 Svenson Award Recipient
Alex Walker is the inaugural recipient of the Karl Svenson Award. This award, named
for former Fresno State Political Science Professor, Dr. Karl Svenson, honors a student
who has shown "outstanding academic prowess" in Political Science. Alex, a transfer
student from West Hills Community College, entered Fresno State during the pandemic
and has demonstrated both outstanding academic and outstanding campus leadership from
the beginning. He participated in the COSS Honors Program and in addition to his BA
in Political Science will graduate with certificates in legal studies and in social
justice and social change. In 2022, Alex was the President of the College of Social
Sciences Student Leadership Council. He also served as Vice President of Central Americans
For Empowerment, a Peer Mentor for the COSS Linked Peer Mentor Program, was the ASI
Election Commissioner, Vice-Chair of the ASI Legal Committee, the campus student representative
for the President's Enrollment Management Advisory Group, and the student representative
for the Academic Subcommittee on Grading. He has applied to the Capital Fellows Program
and plans on studying for the LSAT and applying to law school next year.
March 30, 2022
The Department is thrilled to announce that Dr. Melanie Ram, professor and former department chair, has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Schuman European Union fellowship for the fall semester of 2022. As a Fulbright scholar, Dr. Ram will be traveling to Italy, Croatia, and Romania to study sub-regional organizations, interorganizational collaboration, and regional cooperation in Southeastern Europe. She will also take time to meet and interact with faculty and students at universities in these countries to share her research. Congratulations, Dr. Ram!