April 29, 2009
Dr. Glen Halva-Neubauer received the prestigious 2009 Liberty Bell Award. The award is given by the Greenville County Bar Association and is presented to a person who has contributed to the local community in one or more of the following areas: (1) stimulating a sense of civic responsibility; (2) contributing to the effective functioning of government in the community; (3) encouraging greater respect and understanding of law and the courts; and/or (4) promoting a better understanding of the Constitution and the rule of law.

April 27, 2009
The End-of-the-Year Celebration was held at the FYI building in downtwon Greenville. The department recognized it's academic award winners, inducted the new members of Pi Sigma Alpa, and announced winners of the Senior Honors Essay Awards: James Hollis (first place); Claire Abernathy (2nd place); and Chris Smith (3rd place).

April 22, 2009 
The Tocqueville Program Lecture Series featured Virginia Postrel, "Biotechnology and the Self-Made Man: Beyond Horror and Glamour." Postrel is contributing editor to the Atlantic Monthly, and former editor of Reason magazine.

April 16, 2009
Is Bipartisanship Possible? Republican Congressman Bob Inglis (4th District of South Carolina) and Democratic Congressman Daniel Lipinski (3rd District of Illinois) discussed parties and politics in Congress.

April 6, 2009
Congratulations to the 2009 Political Science Academic Award winners. Please click on the winners to read more about their accomplishments.
S. Sidney Ulmer Political Science Medal: Alexandria Christine Pauluhn
Henry P. Jones Political Science Medal: Amanda Rose Powell
Political Science Chair's Award: Claire Elizabeth Abernathy
Political Science Faculty Award: Rachael Nguyen Parrish and Jessica Lee Rutledge
Coulter Award: Kyle Scott Norris

April 3, 2009
Dr. Kate Kaup, associate professor of political science and chair of the Asian Studies department, wrote an opinion piece in the Greenville News about U.S. relations with China. To read Dr. Kaup's article, please click here.

March 26, 2009
Department Chair Dr. Brent Nelsen, was the L.D. Johnson Lecture speaker.
To read Dr. Nelsen's speech, "What Really Matters," please click here.

March 4, 2009 
The Tocqueville Program Lecture Series featured Leon Kass, "For the Love of the Game: Biotechnology and the Adulteration of American Sport." Leon Kass is the Addie Clark Harding Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and the College at the University of Chicago and Hertog Fellow in Social Thought at the American Enterprise Institute. Kass was also chairman of the President's Counil on Bioethics from 2002 to 2005.

February 12, 2009 
The Tocqueville Program Lecture Series featured Francis Fukuyama,"Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution." Fukuyama is Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University. Fukuyama is also the director of the SAIS International Development program, and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics.

May 23, 2007
Political Science End-of-the-Year Extravaganza at 8:00 pm at Green Valley Country Club

May 17, 2007
Social Science Undergraduate Research and Internship Conference held in Johns Hall

May 11-June 15, 2007
Matt Kuhn leaves for Canada on Friday, May 11th and return on Friday, June 15th.

Wilkins State Legislative Affairs Fellowship Program
May 23, 2007

The lion's share of the Wilkins Fellows got to witness high drama today (May 23, 2007) in Columbia. As most of you know, the General Assembly, in a joint session, elects most of the state's judges. And today the General Assembly met to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, which were the most high profile vacancies. We arrived in the House Gallery early hoping to get a good seat. Little did we know that we would be seated behind the members of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals; intermingled among us were the candidates for the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. On Monday, we met with Justice Moore (his son, Travis '90, is one of my former students) and Chief Justice Toal. Judge Stilwell, a stalwart mock trial supporter, is retiring from the Court of Appeals, and his successor was decided today as well.

We watched as it took three ballots to elect Judge Donald Beatty of Spartanburg for the Supreme Court. Given that Vic Bailey was right behind Judge Beatty watching him keep count of his votes, and I was watching Judge Stilwell's count and listening to his chatter with his Court of Appeals colleagues, it was a remarkable moment. Judge Stilwell would occasionally turn and provide me with his take on the race. Jason Novak was sitting next to one of the Court of Appeals candidates who made the decision to drop out after the second ballot for the Appeals Court race. The race for Judge Stilwell's seat was equally dramatic. Judge Pieper of Charleston won over Judge Konduros of Greenville by a vote of 81-79 on the third ballot!

Two more days for the Wilkins Fellows and me in Columbia, but we seemed poised to end on a high note.

Ciao,
Glen

Wilkins State Legislative Affairs Fellowship Program

On May 3, 2007 two of our Wilkins Fellows, Christopher Mills and Ben Adams, were commended by the South Carolina Senate today for their work as interns with the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) introduced the resolution. McConnell also chairs the Judiciary Committee.

Ben will serve the committee for an additional three weeks, but Christopher's last day with the committee was today, May 3, 2007. Christopher will spend the last three weeks of his internship with Burnie Maybank, the former Director of the Revenue Department, working on revenue estimation project given to him by the Budget and Control Board. Mr. Maybank is currently a partner with the Charleston office of Nexsen Pruett.

Check out our Web site: <http://www.wilkinsfellows.org>.

Traver Toole represented Furman University at the
Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference in Annapolis, MD
on April 9-13, 2007

Since 1961, the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) has provided an annual forum for outstanding undergraduates to meet and discuss major contemporary issues. The Conference has become a way of bringing together the nation’s future Navy and Marine Corps officers with their peers from other colleges and universities, both civilian and military, from across the country and around the world.

All NAFAC delegates, upon nomination from their respective universities, are afforded the opportunity to engage in lively discussions, hear renowned experts on the issues, share their own personal views on world events, and learn more about the United States Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval Service.

The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference attracts distinguished speakers each year. Recent guests include President George H. W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley and General Wesley Clark.

2007 will mark the 47th year of The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference. Past years have focused on topics such as Africa, the Middle East, Terrorism, the Role of Technology in International Relations, as well as many other relevant topics.

Traver standing behind Dr. Henry Kissinger		Traver Toole at NAFAC in Annapolis, MD

Traver summarizes his trip to Annapolis, MD:

Representing Furman University at the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) in Annapolis was a very rewarding, unique, and enlightening intellectual experience. The topic at the conference was “Asia at the Crossroads” in which the delegates were divided into specific roundtable discussion topics which included:
• Financial Crisis 1997-98 and Beyond
• Human Insecurities- Poverty and Epidemics
• Proliferation-North Korea Nuclear Crisis
• The Future of U.S.-Japan Alliance
• Demographic Turbulence and Regional Security
• The Beijing Consensus- China, India, and East Asian Model
• Rivalry between China and Japan
• The Environmental Challenge-India and China
• The Taiwan Issue
• Energy Competition-China, Japan, and India
• Challenges of State Building in Southeast Asia
• The War on Terror-The Second Front in Southeast Asia
• Democratic Transition in Southeast Asia
• East Asia’s Underworld-Transnational Crime

There were approximately 200 students in attendance representing all 6 U.S. Military Academies, 10 foreign Military Academies, and over 20 foreign countries all over the world, even as far as Australia. About half of these students were from civilian universities and were the brightest of the brightest, many of them currently obtaining their Masters degree or PhD’s in an area relevant to the conference topic. Each roundtable topic was led by a Naval Academy midshipman and a moderator which has expertise in the specific area.

When I arrived on Monday afternoon I was excited to meet my roommate for the week as he was from Benin and since I recently studied abroad in Africa we had lots to talk about. We attended a light dinner and informal mixer at the Naval Academy later in the evening. I was overwhelmed meeting so many people from diverse backgrounds and quickly befriended them. Throughout the course of the week we held 6 roundtable meetings, many other meetings with experts and ours days were long but eventful. On Tuesday we were welcomed by Vice Admiral Rodney P. Rempt, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy and David Shambaugh, a China Policy Expert followed as our first speaker for the conference. Ambassador Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs had planned to attended the conference as a speaker but unfortunately canceled at the last minute due to the fact that he is the Head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue and had to return to Asia to continue the talks. Expecting Christopher Hill but receiving David Shambaugh was no let down.

Following Davis Shambaugh’s speech we began our first roundtable discussion. My roundtable topic dealt with Transnational Crime which was probably the most exciting topic of the conference. Dr. Weeks from the Naval Academy War College moderated our roundtable. Our topic of Transnational Crime covered major criminal behavior including human, narcotics, and weapons trafficking, counterfeiting, and piracy of goods and intellectual property. We addressed the role and impact that transnational criminal entities have in Asian and international affairs and we gained a holistic appreciation for the intricacies of the Asian underground world, understood why such crime is thriving, and predicted what role transnational crime will play in Asia’s future. Monday evening everyone ate at a local restaurant in Annapolis called Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs. This was a nice time to continue meeting everyone and I quickly made friends with a student from Cape Town South Africa. Talking to him about my recent trip to Africa was pleasurable but we both realized how much we missed being in Africa.

On Wednesday we continued our Roundtable discussions and our keynote speaker was Admiral Gary Roughead the USN Commander of the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet. He is responsible for the world’s largest combined fleet command, encompassing 102 million square miles and more than 190 ships and submarines, 1,400 aircraft, 191,000 Sailors and Marines and 30,000 civilians. Admiral Roughead spoke of what he believes to be the most pressing issues in East Asia. He felt transnational crime was one of the most pertinent issues in the region and I was glad to be apart of the roundtable that discussed this issue. After his speech we continued our roundtable discussions.

Later that afternoon, all 4,000+ Midshipmen from the Academy held a formal parade for our next guest, the honorable Dr. Henry Kissinger and all of the NAFAC delegates. Following the parade Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Rodney P. Rempt held a dinner reception at his residence, the Buchanan House, for all of the delegates and Dr. Kissinger. This was an exciting time because there I was having dinner with the former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, someone who I have read about for years in my Political Science classes. Even at his age he is still quite energetic and very funny. After the dinner reception Dr. Kissinger addressed all of the NAFAC delegates for well over an hour. I was completely elated. It’s not everyday one has the opportunity to meet someone of his stature and hear him speak or much less, have dinner with him. For me this was the highlight of the conference.

On Thursday we continued our roundtable discussions and then held a panel discussion with Robert D. Kaplan, Mr. John Dillon, Meredith Jung-En Woo, Stephanie T. Kleine-Ahlbrandt, and Keiichi Higuchi all of whom were experts in East Asian affairs. Later in the day, I and several of the delegates went sailing with a few of the Academy Midshipmen along the Severn River and throughout the Chesapeake Bay. We ended the conference that evening with a formal banquet. Dr. Thomas J. Christensen is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs presented the closing remarks.

Over the course of the week I met people from all walks of life. There were delegates there from all over the world and they brought valuable perspectives with them. I learned so much from the speakers and even from the delegates. Many of the delegates were pursuing their Masters or PhD’s at the most prestigious universities. Some delegates even had previous military experience as Army Rangers or from other branches. One delegate from Iraq told of his experience when he was captured by the Taliban and was lucky enough to escape. Some of the delegates I met were from Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany, Canada, Ukraine, France, Poland, England, Norway, Colombia, Mexico, Pakistan, India, Iraq, South Africa, Benin, Kenya, Brazil and several other foreign countries. Meeting students from all over the world and making friends with them was very exciting knowing they are future leaders of our world. Attending the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference was an honor and I learned so much from the speakers, roundtable discussions, and the friends I made.

For more information about NAFAC go to http://www.usna.edu/NAFAC/

April 11-13, 2007
South Carolina Student Legislature meeting in Myrtle Beach, SC

April 14, 2007
Midwest Political Science Association Conference

in Chicago, Illinois

	The Midwest Political Science Association Meeting took place in Chicago, IL in April 2007. Dr. Danielle Vinson and Furman students Jamie Stephens and Neca Parker attended. Here are a few pictures from the presentations.            Jamie Stephens writes: The conference was great! It was a wonderful opportunity to see what kind of opportunities lay beyond a Bachelors degree in Political Science. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many scholars presenting new and different ideas and theories. I personally think this conference (or one of a similar type) is a definite necessity for any student even considering graduate school. Neca and I presented posters, which I think was a very rewarding experience. To get to speak to such qualified people about the research that we each had done was a great opportunity. The entire conference was really a wonderful learning experience.

April 13-15, 2007
AMTA National Championship Tournament, hosted by Stetson University, St. Petersburg, Florida

Furman University Mock Trial Team finished 9th
in their 32-team division
in the National Mock Trial Championship
in St. Petersburg, FL on April 13-15, 2007

This year's finish represents the 10th year in a row that the Furman team earned a top-ten finish.

Given that approximately 550 teams started the season in August, we were exceptionally pleased to have earned a spot among the final 64 teams at
the national championship, and even, more pleased to have landed a top-ten finish.

The team finished with a 5-3 record, winning and losing against Washington University of St. Louis (one of favorites to win the tournament), losing
both ballots to Harvard (the eventual tournament runner-up), winning both ballots against Boston University, and winning both ballots against the
University of Maryland (a perennial powerhouse that is one of two four-time national champions).

The team is led by Irfan Rhemtulla '07, chemistry, Greer, SC, and Pete Demarco '08, political science, Bloomsburg, PA. Rhemtulla and DeMarco are
joined by:

Becca Logan '08, Hockessein, DE, Political Sceince
Wes Carson '08, Simpsonville, SC, Political Science/Philosophy
Julius van de Laar '07, Heidelberg, Germany, Communication
Studies/Political Science
Allison Heldreth '10, Psychology/Political Science, Summerville, SC
Erica Giovanni '07, Communication Studies/Political Science, Ormond Beach, FL
Matt Kuhn '08, Political Science/Economics, Mocksville, NC

The students are coached by Professor Teresa Cosby, Professor Ted Ritter, D. Brad Rustin '03, Leigh Paoletti '96, Allie Bullard '04, Ruth McAllister, and David Koysza '01.

April 2-3, 2007
"European Union and the United States: Partners for Peace or Global Competitors?"

March 29-April 1, 2007
FUFA event: The 12th Virginia International Committee Simulation at UVA in Charlottesville, VA (VICS XI).

Furman University Foreign Affairs won 4 awards at Virginia International Committee Simulation (VICS) and Finished out the most successful season in the organization's history!!!

Virginia International Committee Simulation (VICS)
Charlottesville, VA - March 29 - April 1, 2007

From March 29 - April 1, Furman University Foreign Affairs took a team of six delegates to the University of Virginia for the 12th Virginia International Committee Simulation (VICS). Unlike traditional Model UN, VICS is a very unique experience in that the simulations deal with specific scenarios that have either happened in the past, or have the potential to take place in the future. Therefore, delegates are not just simulating the workings of the UN, but are dealing with complex issues and constantly changing situations where a body must come to a workable solution.

Isaac Arnold served on Barack Obama's 2008 Presidential Campaign, acting as Press Director. Nathan Guinn represented Timothy D. Cook, COO of the Apple Board of Directors. Ann Duan acted as Su Yu, Senior General of the Army in the Chinese Politburo of the 1950s. I, Amy Norton, represented John McCone, Director of Central Intelligence during EXCOMM's meetings to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. In a joint simulation wherein the Pakistani and Indian Cabinets confronted a modern Kashmir Crisis, Vijnata Trivedi portrayed Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri, while Sonia Patel portayed India's Minister of Atomic Energy, Jijo Raju.

Furman brought home four awards from VICS. Isaac Arnold, Nathan Guinn, and myself each received Honorable Mentions from our respective committees (3rd place) and Vijnata Trivedi was named Outstanding Delegate (2nd place) in the Pakistani Cabinet. Our successes at VICS served to round out a very successful conference season for FUFA - the most successful in the organization's history.

--written by

Amy C. Norton
President, Furman University Foreign Affairs

Furman University Foreign Affairs won 2 awards at National Model United Nations representing Ghana!

Outstanding Position Papers

Honorable Mention

It was a team effort, thanks to the hard work and effort of
Christina Antalis, Dez Clodfelter, Shana Coshal, Laura Delustro, CarolAnn Denyer, Luxi Fang, Vicky Nikolova, Ally Parker, Sonia Pater, Brian Paigosa, Courtney Sainovich, Lily Salloum, Kartikeya Singh, Anand Viswanath, Ashley Yingling, and Kirsse Zemedhum!

Furman University Foreign Affairs (FUFA)
(former Model UN)
at
National Model United Nations (NMUN)
New York City, NY
March 20-24, 2007

The Furman University Foreign Affairs (FUFA) Organization traveled to New York City March 20-24, 2007 to compete in the National Model United Nations Conference. The conference allows for schools at this conference to compete with delegations from all over the world. Schools from all over Europe, Canada, Mexico, Ghana, Japan, and other nations participate in this international conference in which 40% of the attendees of the conference were international students. To say the least, this conference was a life-changing experience for the delegates that participated because of how much they learned during this conference. The delegation from Furman University, representing the Republic of Ghana, brought home two awards. The first was an honorable mention delegation award and also an outstanding position paper award. This conference allows for its delegates to compete in the actual UN Building in New York City where Furman University delegates were allowed to take part in debate in the different halls within the United Nations Headquarters, which was a surreal experience in itself. The participants of this conference were Ashley Yingling, Luxi Fang, Ally Parker, Sonia Patel, Anand Vishwanath, Brian Raigosa, Kartikeya Singh, Shana Coshal, Carol Ann Denyer, Lily Salloum, Laura Delustro, Vicky Nikolova, Kirsse Zemedhun, Desirae Clodfelter, Christina Antalis, and Courtney Sainovich.

Written by Sonia Patel & Shana Coshal
Head Delegates for National Model United Nations 2007

.Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael Bressler

March 22, 2007
Dr. Ken Conca, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, sponsored by EES

March 15-19, 2007
National Mock Trial Tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hosted by Hamline University, St. Paul, MN

March 16-18, 2007
FUFA event: Southern University Model Arab League (SUMAL) 2007 at Converse College, Spartanburg, SC. Country to be represented is Mauritania.