This has been a tremendous year of growth and change for the Department of Political Science! During this time, it has been an honor to fill in as associate chair for my colleague Clarissa Hayward while she was on leave. Here are just a few of the ongoing initiatives to which I have been excited to contribute:

•    Expanding the faculty. By the start of the coming academic year, we will have added six new junior faculty in the areas of formal theory, American and comparative politics, environmental studies, and normative political theory.

•    Onboarding new administrative support. As our department has grown, so too have our administrative needs. It has been a privilege to do my part in helping our new amazing staff team find their feet at the university!

•    Improved curricular planning. The past year have seen significant political changes, as well as changes in the needs and interests of our students. Especially as our department has grown, bringing in new areas of expertise, we have undergone a significant transformation in our teaching plans and objectives.

•    Planning for a new public policy major. For many years, we have been home to a small but high-quality environmental policy major. Moving forward we plan to expand this program into a first-rate public policy program with distinct specialties in environmental policy, financial policy, health policy, and other more!

Never in our lifetimes has the rigorous study of political behavior, policies and institutions, and public values been more urgent. Over the past five years, it has been my honor to serve in a leadership role at one of the very best political science departments in the nation.