(They’re not that easy to find!)
Jody Baumgartner
Constitutional Trivia: Grammar and the US Constitution
“Giving comfort to grammar errants [BTW, this may not be a word…] everywhere, the official copy of the Constitution contains an incorrect word—Article 1, Section 10 uses “it’s” when it should be “its,” even in 18th-century usage. However, the word “chuse” as used in the Constitution was acceptable at the time. So was the alternative spelling of Pennsylvania, Pensylvania; the Constitution actually uses both spellings.”
From: https://www.brainscape.com/academy/13-us-constitution-facts/
Dr. Baumgartner’s New Research on the Vice Presidency Published
Dr. Baumgartner’s article, “Public Support for Vice Presidential Reform,” was recently published online in Presidential Studies Quarterly.
The study “analysis explores public support for reforming both the selection of vice presidents and the institution itself. Survey data shows some evidence that those who favorably view the concepts of political moderation and bipartisanship support vice presidential reform, while partisans and ideologues (broadly defined) seem to oppose it. In addition, there is a negative association between job approval ratings for Vice President Mike Pence and support for vice presidential reform. The only demographic factor that was significant in the analysis was gender, with females more likely than males to support reform.”
Richlands NC Town Administrator and ECU MPA 97’ alum Gregg Whitehead Visits Dr. Xu’s Class
Dr. Xu recently invited Richlands, NC Town Administrator and ECU MPA 97’ alum Gregg Whitehead to his public budgeting and finance class. Whitehead gave students an overview of the budget, the budget preparation, and the budget process of his town. He also shared his experiences and key insights on how to be a successful local government chief administrator. Gregg also has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Appalachia State and has been working in local government for over 27 years.
Dept. of PS Kudos! Student Facebook Post from Sunday, Oct. 2 (Lightly Edited for Grammar)
“Talk about a college vibe! 28 West, a local band [that] is led by Dr. Baumgartner, a professor in the ECU polisci department! This was the exact vibe I was hoping for when I decided to go here for college. Greenville never lets me down.”
The post was in reference to 28 West’s show Sat., Oct. 1, at Nash, in downtown Greenville.
To All Those Affected by Hurricane Ian
It may sound trite or cliched, but…
Congratulations Dr. Morris: Quality Matters Higher Education Course Design Certification
Dr. Morris was recently awarded a Certificate of Course Certification for his POLS 1010 “Introduction to American Government” course, successfully meeting Quality Matters Higher Education Course Design Rubric Standards in an Official Review.
Political Science Alumna Ariana McAuley Named to ECU’s 2022 Class of Incredible Women
McAuley graduated from ECU in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She later received a double master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy from Schiller International University-Paris and the University of Roehampton-London.
She is now a Senior Global Strategy and Operations consultant for Deloitte Global in New York, where she helps develop and deliver strategic initiatives aligned with the growth priorities of Deloitte Insights.
Outside of her work, Ariana is also the programming manager for Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP), where she has served for the past two years. She is an internationally-oriented individual with educational and professional achievements abroad and has skills in both French and Spanish.
Ariana is an avid traveler and loves to learn about new cultures. When she is not working or traveling, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Sami.
Further Thoughts on the Passing of Nancy Spalding (by Jody Baumgartner)
Posts that appear on this blog are written – by me – in a third-person, disembodied style or voice. Not this one. Allow me to get a little personal – even if it seems to be focused more on the professional.
Last night I was helping, in my role as undergraduate director for the department, to resolve a rather obscure advising situation. The details are unimportant. What is important is that I realized that for the past few years, if I did not know the answer to a question like this, I’d go right to Nancy, who would drop whatever she was doing to help me.
The point here is simple: Beyond the personal aspects of her passing, which of course are tragic and sad, she’s leaving a huge hole in our department. Not only did she willingly and cheerfully take on the most difficult of advising cases, but she was a veritable treasure trove of institutional memory. How have we dealt with this (whatever this was) in the past? Ask Nancy…
And now that’s no longer possible. I don’t mean to ignore the personal aspects of this. But of course we’ll muddle through situations like the one I dealt with tonight, but I imagine I’ll be thinking of her every time one comes up. And that certainly speaks to what a terrific colleague and valued member of the department she was.