International relations alumbus Shanna Corner ('05 - formerly Shanna Stebbins) has received a generous scholarship to begin attending the University of Denver graduate program in international relations this fall.
International relations alumnus and McNair scholar Amanda Miralrio ('08) will be attending graduate school at George Washington University.
Political science alumnus Josh Osborne has received a generous University Fellowship award to attend graduate school at IUPUI.
In January, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter appointed Jim Spaanstra '74 to the Board of Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. Like GVSU, the Colorado School of Mines is an NCAA Division II institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees primarily in engineering and the applied sciences. CSM currently has approximately 3500 undergraduate students and 750 graduate students from across the United States and around the world developing special expertise in the stewardship of our planet's natural resources.
Alumnus Update: Jesse Bickel '05
Before coming to GVSU, my speech professor at another university
suggested I take Political Science. He said I actually cared about
politics. While at GVSU I completed a Political Science minor, but
didn't get involved in political campus movements. In PLS 305 we
learned Mayhew's theory of politicians' actions: do what you can to
retain power. I place a high value on principle and ideology, which
is where most politicians fail. Until recently, my care for politics
was limited to the world of discussion and an occasional vote.
In October 2007 I thought it might be time to find a candidate for
President to support. Not necessarily monetarily, but in discussion.
Over the course of a few weeks, a candidate caught me off guard in his
consistency, logic, and principles. My views rarely shift but have
adjusted to match my candidate's purer reason. I have taken more
political action in the last four months than I did in the 25 years
before.
I have handed out literature in busy intersections, driven to a
neighboring state to rally and meet my candidate, knocked on hundreds
of doors in my precinct, met dozens of times with like-minded people,
fashioned signs with foam-board and markers, hand-written letters to
people, heckled opposing candidates, donated hundreds of dollars,
marched in an MLK parade, performed exit polling for 12 hours on
election day, validated precinct voting results, learned party
convention processes, hosted a training session for mass meetings in
my apartment, attended mass meetings, been elected a delegate to
county convention, schmoozed at a party picnic, spoken at training
events for conventions, and I am now coordinating a county convention
effort.
It is no coincidence that much of my work has been post-primary. An
election is not the end of action. I learned that actions are most
effective in areas outside the bounds of media coverage. Get involved
beyond election day.
On Tuesday, November 6th, Professor Diven hosted John Matuszak in her U.S. foreign policy classes. Mr. Matuszak works in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science in the U.S. State Department. He works to represent U.S. environmental policy overseas and helps negotiate U.S. participation in bilateral and multilateral environmental agreements. In class, Mr. Matuszak talked about the importance of global environmental issues and careers in the State Department.
Mr. Matuszak was raised in Grand Rapids, attended Aquinas College, and completed his graduate work at Michigan State University. In 1978, he studied abroad with the GVSU program in Cracow, Poland. He had some interesting insights about how to pursue jobs in the State Department. Students who would like to contact Mr. Matuszak can do so through Professor Diven.
From David Slentz, PLS '06: After graduating in December
2006, I moved out to Washington, DC to accept a 7 week internship with
Presidential Classroom. I worked as a Congressional Assistant at PC and
planned and executed meetings for the programs students to meet with their
Congress persons. I also worked as a liaison for some of our featured guests
who spoke to the students. Those guests included WH Press Secretary Tony
Snow, (Then) Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, author of the PATRIOT ACT
Viet Dinh, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Secretary of Labor Elaine
Chao, NBC Justice Correspondent Pete Williams, Special Assistant to the
President for Counter Terrorism Frances Townsend, and Congressman Dennis
Kucinich. The program also included seminars at the Eisenhower Executive
Office Building, Department of State, FBI HQ, Secret Service HQ, the floor of
the House of Representatives, and a private engagement at the Smithsonian Air
and Space Museum. My time was well spent there and my professors at GV
prepared me well for the questions the students often asked.
Following the internship, I went immediately into a job that was waiting
until the end of my internship. I currently work as a private defense
contractor for the Department of Defense/Department of the Navy on
acquisitions. I have offices both in the Crystal City area of Arlington, VA
and the Pentagon. I work to support the Special Assistant to ASN RDA
(Assistant Sec. of Navy for Research Development and Acquisitions). As an
EA/AA for the Special Assistant, I perform tasking mostly with Power Point
and Excel ensuring that all information is ready to present and that
information gets to all those who need it. I credit my professors with
pushing me to be open minded about exploring my options.
If anyone is interested in the world of defense contracting, please hit me
with an email. I would be happy to help anyone with any questions about the
DC area or defense contracting.
Very respectfully,
David Slentz
Junior Program Analyst
Delta Resources, Inc.
P: (703) 418-1960
F: (703) 418-1962
dslentz@delta-va.com
From Tara Walkotten '05:
After graduating from Grand Valley in 2005 with a B.S. in Political Science, Minor in English, I worked as Campaign Manager for two State Representative races in the Grand Rapids area. A few months after the November election it became apparent that I needed to either return to school or relocate for work. I decided to make the move from Grand Rapids to Washington D.C. where I took a job with DCI Group (www.dcigroup.com). DCI Group is one of the largest independently-owned strategic public affairs firms in the country. We use a campaign-style approach to solve the communications and policy challenges facing corporations, trade associations and non-profit organizations. Our areas of expertise include: intellectual property, technology, global health, trade, financial services, and energy. Our client list includes such names as Exxon Moble, Verizon, Microsoft, AT&T, GM and McDonalds.
I work directly for the Chairman, President, CEO, and the firm’s 30 year-old “rising star” doing anything from policy research and tracking to event planning and execution. I am also very involved with the private equities firm owned by our executive team and an Endowment started by our Chairman, both of which are independent of DCI Group.
DCI Group has an excellent internship program and I would encourage Grand Valley students to apply if they are interested in spending some time in the District. Many interns find themselves with offers if the opportunity affords. For information on how to apply, head over to the PLS majors internship board on Blackboard.
And, of course, GV students are welcome to contact me with any questions about DCI Group or Washington DC in general.
Tara Walkotten
DCI Group, LLC
1828 L Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
C: 202.256.6112
O: 202.777.3712
F: 202.315.3668
Email: twalkotten@dcigroup.com
From Erin Meteer, PLS '06:
I finally graduated after being a super senior at GVSU with a major in Political Science and a minor in French. I graduated on April 29th, moved up to Traverse City on April 30th, and started my job on that Monday May 1st. I had zero time to unpack and get comfortable back at my parents pad… yes a college graduate living with mom and dad… it was painful. I began my journey as State Senator Jason Allen's Campaign Manager. I ran his campaign in 8 counties: Grand Traverse, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Mackinac and Chippewa. I started the campaign with a local paper who took every chance to attack my boss. He was running for Senate Majority Leader and re-election; having a Senator from northern Michigan would have been great asset for northern Michigan, but, the paper didn't see it like that, so that was challenge number one. Our opponent was no problem at all, she played a little dirty, and had absolutely no experience in holding a public office. We kept our noses clean and pressed on with a smile. I have never had a boss so willing to do the work himself. He would go door to door with me, and he would make phone calls to people who came into the office. He wrote thank you notes to everyone who helped him in anyway. He is probably the most generous, hard working and honorable man I know. I learned that dirty campaigning doesn't pay off; playing nice wins the heart of voters. After we won every county in our district (which wasn't pulled off in his first race) I was offered a job with him in his Lansing office. I mainly handled constituent calls and letters, which was fun when I could actually help people. I wrote my first (and only) resolution that was voted in by the Senate. I was able to meet a ton of great people (elected officials included). I learned a lot from my time in the Senate.
Recently I took a job with the Michigan Republican Party. I am the Major Donor Program Manager, which basically means that I plan events and raise money from our major donors. I was able to see Rudy Giuliani, have my photo taken with him, and help plan for the huge fundraiser benefiting State Party and HRCC. It was a successful dinner, and we had a great time. I am currently planning an event with special guest Governor John Engler and Lieutenant Governor Connie Binsfeld. I am learning that there is a lot of work that goes into planning events. It's hard work, but I love it.
On a non-political note, I have found a wonderful man who can put up with my crazy political life. He and I will be married summer of 2009. He works for the State Senate, has been involved in politics and is a graduate of Grand Valley. We look forward to spending the rest of our lives together and continuing our work in Republican politics.
Passing this along from Kristi Dougan, '01:
This is a cool blog! I do check it every once in awhile for the alumni updates. It is interesting to see the diverse paths that GVSU PoliSci grads have taken. Considering that I thought my class of PoliSci majors was the coolest, it is really cool to see what students have done after we left our mark.
As for a personal update after a few years of trying to find a job as an educator, I landed a post as an assistant to Michigan's Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land. I served as her assistant for 2 and 1/2 years before taking on my current task of coordinating Michigan's various voter registration programs with an emphasis on mobilizing the 18-25 year olds to get registered and vote. Anytime you see the Secretary of State Mobile Branch Office on campus, I had a hand in it at some point. It is good to look out for your school! Since the SOS has been sending the mobile branch office to Grand Valley (2004-present), GV has been the most successful in registering students to vote surpassing by far MSU and U of M. On a more local level in November, I was elected to a second 4 year term on the Sparta Village Council. This experience has allowed me to put to practice many of the policy lessons I learned at GV. Besides as the top vote getter, I confirmed the one truth in politics--"name ID is all that counts" (or maybe it was all the hard work)!
Thanks for maintaining excellence in Grand Valley's Political Science Department!
Kristi Dougan
GVSU 2001
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