Newsletter Number 34: January 2, 2011 the First Year of the Decade, 2010, Began with the Earthquakes in Haiti, Which Were Follow
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Newsletter Number 34: January 2, 2011 The first year of the decade, 2010, began with the earthquakes in Haiti, which were followed by the Gulf Coast oil spill. The near-depression of 2008-09 continued to wreak havoc even as the recession formally ended, and one of the last pieces of legislation passed by the government in 2010 was clearly a bipartisan, two-pronged approach at further stimulus and relief for those suffering from the consequences of the economic troubles. The rising influence of Asia, notably India and especially China, continued to play out in U.S. foreign and trade policy. The midterm elections were amazingly expensive, contentious, and extensively (if not always well) covered; & the House of Representatives will not exactly be a tea party for the Democratic Party. Yet the flurry of significant votes and legislation passed at the end of the 111th Congress suggested (again, for those familiar with history) that the media may need a new phrase to replace “lame- duck” to discuss post-election congressional meetings. Though they kicked the budget can down the road, the passage of New START, the repeal of DADT, the unsuccessful attempts to enact the Dream Act, and the aforementioned deal on extending the Bush era tax cuts for everyone regardless of income (including the 13 month extension of unemployment benefits for 99ers, the estate tax provision, and the 2% social security break for all workers) made this a rather significant congressional session whether you are thrilled, chilled, would rather have been billed, or wish it had all been killed. And, none of this even references the recommendations by the bipartisan committee looking at some of the really big issues we still face (social security reform, the deficit, and tax reform). 2010 was also eventful for the department. We added two new colleagues, Dr. Natasha Duncan and Dr. Rolfe Peterson (and Professor Lena Surzhko-Harned is no longer “visiting” but just one of the team), and as a result we were able to expand our course offerings for students. MCAP, the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics got off to a great start in the Fall, conducting a widely cited poll and providing a superb learning opportunity for students. Homecoming was once again well attended by our alumni and – as always – quite enjoyable. Model UN, Model NATO, multiple Ad Hocs and other guest speakers, the Annual Christmas party & Beach Bash, and a trip to the American Association of Political Consultants conference kept students busy out of class too. In sum, if this first year of the decade is any tipoff to the nature of the rest of the decade, we may all end up fully appreciating the old Chinese (reputedly) curse “May you live in interesting times.” Speaking of interesting, let’s get to the alumni, and then faculty, updates. Thanks to all the alumni for staying in touch and sending in updates. It’s greatly appreciated. WHO’S DOING WHAT: (ALUMNI UPDATES) Maeve Kelly (Major ’07) – After nearly 3 exciting years with Senator Gillibrand, I've recently started a job with The World Economic Forum. I work as a Team Coordinator for Consumer Industries in their NY office. In my second week I was sent to our hdqs in Geneva, Switzerland and will likely be back very soon. So far the job has been great (and a challenge) and I'm looking forward to Davos! Amanda Greenland (Double Major ’09) – I have been meaning to contribute to the newsletter for a while, I always enjoy reading it and I appreciate you helping us keep each other updated! I am currently in DC working at the Pentagon in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. I am the youngest in my office by far which has turned out surprisingly well. I am enjoying learning from some highly experienced Intel veterans (and occasionally challenging some of their 'old school' ideas) I also have been able to take advantage of a ton of training opportunities ranging from classes at Georgetown to actual military training. I have found the policy/oversight side of Intelligence to be a very interesting dimension in the Intel world that I Mercyhurst (and the Poli Sci department in particular) prepared me well for. I am also finishing up a graduate certificate in asymmetrical warfare and throwing around ideas for my Masters. Nicole Kubit (Major ’07) – I am still working at La Roche College and, with any luck, I will graduate this May with my M.A. in international relations from Webster University. I was promoted to the coordinator of the Study Abroad+Study USA Program at La Roche College in January, but I was working two positions until June when my replacement was finally hired. The best part about my new job is that I will have the opportunity to travel because I have to check out all of the short-term study abroad programs our department utilizes. I will be going to Paris in February, Italy/Greece in May and Vancouver in June. I also got a Kindle for Christmas this year, so now I won't have to lug around a bunch of books when I'm traveling for work! Sandra Grance (Major ’02) – Still living and working in DC. I live in Capital Hill but spend most of my time traveling to state capitols. I've been working at the American Beverage Association for about 2 and a half years in the state and local government affairs department. We represent the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Think mixers… Coke, Pepsi, juices, bottled water, etc. I'm really enjoying it and gaining great experience working on multiple tax and environmental issues focusing on the entire east coast. Not to mention the negotiating and consensus building that goes into association work and dealing with major competitors. I am still running and have plans to run marathon numbers 5 and 6 in 2011 in Pittsburgh and New York City. Harley Ellenberger (Major ’97) – My 7th election season here at CMAG went off without a hitch. I guess after 13 years, tracking the 4+ months of non-stop television ad campaigns all over the country becomes second-nature - although our interns and “rookies” would probably disagree. As production director, it is my job to make sure that daily operations proceed as smoothly as possible in our 10 person office. This year we serviced more clients than ever before, processed thousands of daily reports and transcribed thousands of TV ads. We’ve got several new projects planned for the off-year and will be ramping up for the onslaught of ads preceding the 2012 Presidential election. If you want to keep up on the world of political advertising, we have a presence on all of the social media outlets – just Google CMAG to find us. Soon after Election Day, I rewarded myself for all those long days a nights with my annual 2- week deer hunting vacation in the mountains of central PA with a few of my buddies. Amongst the 6 of us we scored eleven deer total – the largest being a 7 point buck. I was fortunate enough to fill my own freezer with enough venison to last until next season. My wife Lynn (Savidge – also class of 1997) continues her work as full-time stay at home Mom. She’ll eventually get back to work in HR – probably after our youngest, Jacob (age 2 in March), starts pre-school. We were pleased that Samantha’s (now 5 years old) belief in Santa Claus remained strong despite some of the boys in her class trying to convince her otherwise. Hope all is well at the Hurst and we’ll plan on visiting campus again for Homecoming 2011. Anna Patrick (Major ’07) -- I am still in Denver in my second year at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. I will (hopefully) graduate this summer with an MA in International Development and will be on to the job search! I am putting together information to write a thesis on the implications of microfinance in Appalachia and I am currently working in the Office of Financial Aid at the University of Denver to pay the bills. I spent time this summer interning in rural Guanacaste, Costa Rica at a sustainable development cooperative where I learned how to build and use solar cookers and other solar technology and the very basics of sustainable agriculture. In my free time, I'm loving the Rocky Mountains and snowboarding as much as I can! I hope things are well with you and everyone in the Political Science department! Thank you, as always, for putting together this newsletter. It is always fun to see what other students have been doing (and also gives me great ideas for jobs)! Lindsey Weber (Major ’05) -- Everything is going well here in Washington, D.C. I continue to lobby in the Financial Services world. Since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act last summer there has been no shortage of work for us. We are in all-hands-on-deck mode right now writing comment letters mainly to the SEC and CFTC, as well as the newly created Financial Services Oversight Council, for our clients. I don't think we'll resurface or catch our breath until at least March (since most of the rulemakings have to be out by next summer). Otherwise, Michael and I are doing well...we just bought a townhouse in Old Town Alexandria. We're closing on January 31st and super excited to finally own a place. Next year seems like it will be a very busy hear for us -- very demanding jobs, settling into our new house, and planning our wedding to be held in August.