The UCA Department of Government, Public Service and International Studies, formerly the Department of Political Science prior to this semester, held a reception to honor its 2023 Distinguished Alumnus, announce two new programs for students, welcome a new assistant professor and celebrate the department’s renaming.
Alumni packed Buffalo Hall on Sept. 12 to hear speeches from department faculty and Distinguished Alumnus Cody Hiland, an Arkansas Supreme Court justice.
“On behalf of my colleagues and in cooperation with the UCA Foundation, it is my honor to announce the establishment of the Student Experiential Learning Fund in the Department of Government, Public Service and International Studies,” associate professor Mark Mullenbach said.
“Once it is fully implemented, the SELF fund will provide small grants to students in the department to help raise some of the extra costs associated with participating in experiential learning activities outside of the classroom,” Mullenbach said.
Mullenbach said experiential learning opportunities allow students “to gain knowledge, experience and skills that are vital for their future professional careers in government public service and International Affairs,” and are “often life-changing.”
“Three of the department’s four bachelor degree programs now require students to complete experiential learning coursework in which they earn credit hours after participating in internships, independent research, study abroad and Model United Nations,” Mullenbach said.
“The primary goal of the fund is to ensure that no student in the department is unable to participate in an experiential learning activity because they don’t have that extra $100 or $300 in their budget,” Mullenbach said.
According to a news release from the department, “students majoring in political science, public administration and international studies” will be eligible for SELF.
“We cannot establish and will not be able to sustain the SELF fund without the generous financial support of our department, alumni and others,” Mullenbach said.
Associate professor Mary Beth Sullivan announced a new research program.
“The Department of Government, Public Service and International Studies is also launching a new online student journal to allow for the publication of academic research by current undergraduates at UCA,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the journal will publish “original student research in all areas related to political science” and there will be “a call for papers going out this spring,” but interested students could reach out to her now.
“Many of our students are doing amazing work and we want to give them an opportunity to showcase that work,” Sullivan said.
According to the news release, the name change “reflects the department’s emphasis on preparing students for professional careers in government, public service, and international affairs across a broad range of private, public, nonprofit, and nongovernmental organizations.”
UCA established the renamed department in 1971. Currently, it offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in political science, a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and a Bachelor of Public Administration degree.
Clay Arnold, department chair, said the new department title “more accurately describes what we are about.”
The department also welcomed new associate professor Hyo-Won Shin. Shin specializes in comparative politics and Southeast Asian politics, Gizachew Tiruneh, associate professor and director of the international studies program, said.
“Dr. Shin is a replacement for Dr. John Passes-Smith, who retired at the end of last semester after working for over 30 years here at UCA,” Tiruneh said.
Hiland, a 1993 UCA graduate appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court earlier this year, closed the ceremony with his acceptance of the department’s 2023 Distinguished Alumnus award, which the department established in 2014.
“This is an incredible honor,” Hiland said. “There are a lot of people that you could have honored.”
Gov. Sarah Sanders appointed Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court earlier this year after Justice Robin Wynne passed away.
“I love the idea of moving from political science to public service,” Hiland said, referring to the department’s name change. “Public service has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? And inherent in the idea of public service is the idea that we’re helping other people. I don’t know if there’s a greater calling in life than serving our fellow man.”
Attendees of the ceremony included past Distinguished Alumni such as Robin Gifford, former program assistant administrator for Arkansas State Police, other UCA alumni, former faculty members and current students.