On Oct. 9, 2025, Faith Okpotor, chair of the political science department, hosted a political science townhall, with her colleagues Samuel Rhodes and Khristina Haddad in attendance. During the event, each professor introduced themselves, outlined their academic goals, explained the department’s structure, and discussed student standards, concluding with a Q&A session.
Amongst the attending professors, Okpotor is the international relations specialist. Haddad is a political theorist; Rhodes is an Americanist and the internship director. Dr. Holly Jo, who was absent due to a meeting in California, is a comparativist.
The professors set multiple goals for the department, with the central goal being to help students identify political science as an art, science, and philosophy. Within that goal, they explained how they want students to articulate their role as citizens of the country and their place in the broader global community. Therefore, they established the CCC framework: connections, community, and commitment.
The secondary goal is to prepare students for future careers in political science. Hence, they encouraged students to complete multiple internships during their undergraduate education and to leverage their connections to get a good internship. They then requested that students, upon completing their internships, inquire about the availability of more opportunities for future students and notify a professor to help connect their peers.
Within the political science department, there are two tracks: Citizenship Theory and Practice and Global Politics.
Citizenship theory and practice teach students about American politics and political theory, preparing them for careers in campaigns, public policy, and law. Rhodes and Haddad are the advisors for this track.
On the other hand, global politics teaches students about international relations, preparing them for careers in diplomacy, foreign policy, trade, intelligence, international security, and other roles across public and private NGOs. Professors Okpotor and Jo are the advisors for this track.
The professors explained that upon completing their majors, students should become responsible, versatile citizens with a vision for the future. During their time here, students should respect their professors, pursue at least one internship, and take their academic integrity seriously.
During the Q&A, the professors were asked how government policy has affected the political science department. The professors explained how, while there has been no effect so far, there is no luxury of being static; events are dynamic and ever-changing.
A student also asked how current events affect them as political science professors, and they explained that they do. However, Dr. Rhodes stated that the campus still needs to stay in tune with politics because if it stops, it will only get worse. Haddad encouraged students to limit their social media use to protect their mental health.
