Oana Armeanu, Ph.D.

Dr. Oana Armeanu is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and a native of Romania. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. She has an M.A. in Political Science from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary (1998) and an M.D. from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Romania (1992). From 1992 to 1997 Oana Armeanu worked as a journalist for the “22” magazine in Romania and for the Radio Free Europe (1993-1995), publishing more than 500 articles and contributing to over 60 broadcasts on the social and political problems of postcommunist transition. She also obtained funding and coordinated the implementation of several projects aimed at the development of Romanian civil society and the strengthening of media freedom. Prior to coming to USI, Oana Armeanu taught at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas (2005-2007).

Dr. Armeanu’s areas of specialization are comparative politics, international relations, and research methods. She teaches classes in comparative politics, international relations, international organizations, government and politics of communist & post-communist countries, and Western European politics. Her research focuses on post-communist Central and Eastern Europe: democratization, political parties and electoral systems, and welfare state reform. She currently works on a project examining the role of political parties and coalitional politics in pension reform in Central and Eastern Europe.

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William (W.R.) Mack, Ph.D.

Dr. William (W.R.) Mack is an assistant professor of political science and a native of Indiana. He earned a B.A. degree in government from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in political science from Texas A&M University. His area of interest is American politics, specifically Congress and the legislative process, the presidency and public policy.

Prior to coming to USI, Dr. Mack taught at the University of Texas at El Paso and was a lecturer at Texas A&M. Dr. Mack was recognized for his classroom and administrative contributions to both universities by being presented the Outstanding MPA Faculty Contributions Award (2004) from the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at UTEP and a teaching excellence award from the Department of Political Science at Texas A&M. Before attending graduate school, Dr. Mack gained three years of hands-on political experience as a legislative aide in the Washington, D.C. office of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

Dr. Mack teaches courses in Congress and the legislative process, the presidency, public policy, public administration, public opinion and media, campaigns and elections, and introductory American politics. His present research focuses on the influence of informal congressional caucuses on the voting behavior of caucus members in the House of Representatives. He is also working on a manuscript that probes the effects of several congressional, presidential, and public opinion variables on the successful passage of the president’s key domestic and foreign policy initiatives in the House and Senate.

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Mary (M.T.) Morris, Ph.D.

Dr. Mary Theresa Hallock Morris, a native of Montpelier, Ohio, was raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1991, she earned her B.S. in Communication Arts from The Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio. After working as a newspaper editor for five years, she earned her Master of Arts in Community and Environmental Education from The McGregor School of Antioch University, Yellow Springs, Ohio. In March 2004, she received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University – Bloomington, after completing her dissertation on the politics of wetland loss in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone.” Her dissertation was selected as one of two recipients for Indiana University’s 2004 Katherine C. Greenough Dissertation Award for best dissertation in political science.

Prior to coming to USI, M.T. worked for Southern Mutual Help Association, a nonprofit organization located in rural Louisiana. This practical experience is put to good use in her MPA courses in Fundraising and Volunteer Administration, and in Leadership Skills. She also teaches public policy, environmental policy, research methods, and public administration courses at the undergraduate level. M.T. is the faculty advisor for the MPA Society and edits the MPA BYTES e-newsletter. Along with Chad Tew, she co-advises the College Democrats. In April 2006, M.T. was named editor of the Indiana Journal of Political Science. She is the past-president of the Indiana Political Science Association and is currently serving on the organization’s Executive Council.

Her research interests include environmental policy, political behavior, leadership behavior in nonprofit organizations, women and politics, and pop culture and politics. M.T. received an “Excellence through Engagement” Summer Research Fellowship for 2006 to support her research on the public policy impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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David Prince, Ph.D.

Dr. David Prince is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and a native of North Carolina. He has a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his M.A. in Political Science from Appalachian State University, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Kentucky. Prior to coming to Southern Indiana Dr. Prince taught at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina and at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Prince’s teaching interest is in Political Methodology and American Politics with specific interest in state and local government and the legislative process. His research interest focus on examining questions at the state level that have primarily been studied at the national level. Dr. Prince’s current research projects focus on the motivations of campaign contributors at the state level and the success of governors in enacting their legislative agendas.

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Paul Raymond, Ph.D.

Dr. Paul Raymond is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Core Curriculum Assessment. He has a B.A. from The College of Wooster, a M.A. in political science from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professor Raymond also has a M.S. in educational administration from State University of New York-Albany.

Dr. Raymond teaches introductory courses in political science as well as several upper-level courses: Political Parties, The Legislative Process, The Presidency, and State and Local Government.

Professor Raymond's research focuses on American political processes: voting behavior, political tolerance, presidential popularity, campaign communications, and public opinion. He is currently engaged currently engaged in a study of school board elections and research on the impact of Day Reporting Drug Programs on recidivism.