Howdy and bienvenidos!  Our growing, diverse department is friendly, student-centered, and committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service.  Our talented faculty and staff have much to offer our majors, minors, and graduate students.  We also take enormous pride in teaching many students from other disciplines and in our active involvement with the university community and the broader El Paso del Norte region.  Many of our alumni have gone on to distinguished careers in El Paso, elsewhere in Texas and the United States, in Juárez and México, and around the globe.  We hope that you will explore this page to learn more about our exciting programs, career paths departing from a Political Science major or minor, and the varied resources that we offer.  Please contact us if we can be of assistance or if you would like to receive our newsletter by e-mail.  And if you are a Political Science alumnus who has lost contact with your alma mater, please let us know how we can reach you.  ¡Estamos a sus órdenes!

Fall Semester 2008: Grant from U.S. Election Assistance Commission 
The Center for Civic Engagement, whose director is Political Scientist Dr. Kathleen Staudt, has once again received a grant from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to train young, bilingual poll workers for the November 4 general election.  Three Political Science classes are being taught in conjunction with the grant and/or the election: POLS 3312, The Party System, Campaigns, and Elections (Dr. Gregory Rocha); POLS 4319, Special Topics in American Politics: Help America Vote (Dr Tony Payan and Dr. Guillermina Núñez of Anthropology); and POLS 5310 American Political Behavior (Dr. Kathleen Staudt). 

July 2008: Professor Genna Wins Major Grant 
 Professor Gaspare Genna won a North American Mobility Project grant from the Department of Education ($178,628). The NAMP sponsors student exchange and faculty research in order to promote North American integration in various areas. Dr. Genna will be the director of the UTEP led-project: “Beyond Borders:  Regionalism, Migration and Security in North America.” UTEP will partner with Florida International University on the US side, and network with Canadian universities (Carleton University and the University of Alberta) and Mexican universities (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas and the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León). 

July 2008: Professor Staudt Publishes Latest Book
Dr. Kathleen Staudt's book, Violence and Activism at the Border: Gender, Fear and Everyday Life in Ciudad Juárez, was released by the University of Texas Press in paperback. In recent months Dr. Staudt has given keynote speeches about the book and her research at Wayne State University in Detroit and at the second annual International Conference on Sexual Violence at UACJ in our sister city.   

July 8, 2008: Political Science Professors Meet Prince
Dr. Gaspare Genna, Dr. Taeko Hiroi, and Dr. Tony Kruszewski met the Prince of Bhutan, Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, at an exclusive reception during his recent trip to UTEP.  The Royal Family of Bhutan has been a strong advocate for the democratization of that Himalayan country.   

July 2008: Gutiérrez Visits Italy
UTEP Political Science Lecturer Richard Gutiérrez visited Italy under a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

June 2008: Professor Hiroi Helps UTEP Students Discover Brazilian Capital
Dr. Taeko Hiroi, a specialist in Latin American and Brazilian politics, accompanied a group of UTEP students to explore Brasilia, the capital city of the South American giant.  In preparation for the trip, she provided the students with background on Brazilian politics and society.  In Brasilia the students attended lectures at the Universidade de Brasilia, presentations by legislative staff at the Chamber of Deputies, and a briefing at the U.S. Embassy.  The students then traveled to Paraty for two weeks of language studies.  

June 2008: Professor Genna Publishes Book Chapter
A chapter by Dr. Gaspare Genna, “Power Preponderance, Institutional Homogeneity, and the Likelihood of Regional Integration,” appeared in Regional Integration Fifty Years after the Treaty of Rome: The EU, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, published by the  University of Miami Press. 

May-June  2008: Benedict Hall Gets Bright New Look
UTEP crews painted and replaced ceiling tiles in venerable Benedict Hall, the home of the Political Science Department and the Center for Civic Engagement.  The CCE office also has a new configuration to better serve students and the community. 

May 2008 Professor Genna Attends Conference in Europe
Dr. Gaspare Genna was an invited participant at the Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Summer Seminar at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He presented a paper, “Debating European Union Immigration Policy: Prospects for Third Party Immigration Liberalization.” 

May 2008: Award for Students for Reform
Students for Reform received the award for Outstanding New Student Organization. Dr. Kathleen Staudt serves as this organization’s faculty advisor. 

April 2008: Professor Staudt Wins Major Teaching Award
Dr. Kathleen Staudt received the UT System Chancellor's award for Innovations in Teaching, one of only two statewide. Professor Staudt was recognized for trailblazing work in service learning while directing the Center for Civic Engagement. Over the past ten years the CCE has contributed approximately 300,000 hours of community service, giving UTEP students  opportunities to earn partial credit by assisting in adult ESL courses, programs for high school students, and other activities.  

April 2008: Professors Genna and Hiroi Present Research in Chicago
Dr. Gaspare Genna and Dr. Taeko Hiroi presented papers at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, one of the most important yearly gatherings of scholars in the discipline. 

March 2008: Political Science Professors Share Research in San Francisco
Professors Charles Boehmer, Gaspare Genna, Taeko Hiroi, and Kathleen Staudt presented papers at the 2008 annual meeting of the International Studies Association in San Francisco. 

March 2008: University Democrats Active in Primary Season
The University Democrats facilitated several major events in El Paso, including visits by Senator Hillary Clinton and comedian George López, a supporter of Senator Barack Obama. Dr. Kathleen Staudt is the faculty advisor for the University Democrats. 

February 5-9 2008: UTEP Students Attend Conference at Air Force Academy
Nicolas Komorowki and Ashlee Placencio participated in an undergraduate student conference, “Dismantling Terrorism,” at the U.S/ Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  Professor Charles Boehmer facilitated their invitation to the conference and accompanied them on the trip. 

January 2008: Professor Schmidt Publishes Work on Peru
Peru: The Politics of Surprise, authored by Dr. Gregory Schmidt, appeared in W. Phillips Shively’s Comparative Governance series, a publication of McGraw-Hill Primis. 

January 16, 2008: Professor Schmidt Assumes Leadership of Department
Dr, Gregory Schmidt became chair of the Political Science Department, joining UTEP after 23 ½  years of service at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Schmidt was hired in April 2007 after a national search and made several transitional visits to UTEP in the Fall 2007 semester.  Both he and the department would like to thank Dr. Gregory Rocha, who graciously served as Interim Chair for a year and a half. 

December 2007: Professor Boehmer Leads Graduate Program
Dr. Charles Boehmer became the new Director of Graduate Studies, assuming responsibility for a growing M.A. program and for preparing a proposal for a joint Ph.D. Program.  The department is grateful to Dr. Irasema Coronado, who served as Graduate Director for one and a half years despite heavy administrative responsibilities as an Associate Dean. 

November 22, 2007: Six Students Inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha
Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science honor society, welcomed six new UTEP students into its ranks: Christina A. Almodovar, Michael Bustillos, Jenny T. Cisneros, David M. García, Grayson J. Miller, and Claudia Ordaz.  These students were selected on the basis of their outstanding academic performances.