Dr. Oana Armeanu, Assistant Professor

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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Dr. Mary (M.T.) Hallock Morris, Associate Professor

Dr. M.T. Hallock Morris is the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and the Acting Director of the Master of Public Administration program at USI. A native of Montpelier, Ohio, Dr. Hallock Morris 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 Katherine C. Greenough Dissertation Award for best dissertation in political science.

Prior to coming to USI, Dr. Hallock Morris 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. In January 2009, Dr. Hallock Morris received the USI award for Outstanding Teaching by a Junior Faculty Member.

Her research interests include environmental policy, political behavior, leadership behavior in nonprofit organizations, women and politics, and pop culture and politics. Dr. Hallock Morris received an “Excellence through Engagement” Summer Research Fellowship for 2006 to support her research on the public policy impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She received the Defiance College’s Alumni Citation for Academic Excellence in Fall 2008. Dr. Hallock Morris is the faculty advisor for the MPA Society and edits the MPA BYTES e-newsletter. Dr. Hallock Morris is currently the editor of the Indiana Journal of Political Science and is a member of the Executive Council of the Indiana Political Science Association.

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Dr. William (W.R.) Mack, Assistant Professor

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 research has appeared in political science journals such as American Politics Quarterly (now American Politics Research) and the Review of Policy Research.  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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Mr. Nathan Myers, Instructor

Nathan Myers will receive a Ph.D. in Public Affairs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in December 2009. Nathan received his bachelors degree from Knox College in Galesburg, IL and a Master in Public Administration from University of Illinois at Springfield. At UNLV, Nathan taught undergraudate and graduate level public administration classes. He will be teaching Introduction to Political Science and Legal Aspects of Public Administration this fall.

His research interests include state and federal health care policy, program evaluation, and bureaucratic politics and behavior. His latest research examines the effect of market-based state health programs on the overall health, economy and medical infrastructure of a state. Nathan has previously published research on the effectiveness of state health care programs in Policy Studies Journal and has a forthcoming article in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. He has presented research at the Midwest Political Science Association, the Western Political Science Association, and Southwestern Social Science Association annual meetings.

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Dr. Paul Raymond, Associate Professor

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.