Helping Students
When you give to the College of Social Sciences & Public Policy, helping students is the bottom line. Your support is instrumental in allowing us to build on our existing strengths to transform the educational experience for students and initiate new programs to help prepare tomorrow’s leaders in business, politics, government, and the non-profit sector for a global society. Comments by two young alumni reflect the comments we hear on a regular basis from students who participate in programs made possible by your support. They provide a glimpse for you regarding the impact of your gifts in the lives of students.
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“I wouldn’t be the person or the success that I am today without my experience in the World Affairs Program. It made such a positive difference in my life.“ – Erin H.
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“I am very grateful for my experience in the Research Intensive Bachelor’s Certificate Program. I believe the advanced coursework and internship set me apart and made a difference in my acceptance to UVA Law School.“ - Lauren B., one of 360 students accepted from 8,600 applicants to UVA Law School
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We encourage you to browse through the following achievements of a number of outstanding students from our College. We are able to enrich the academic experience and provide innovative programs which prepare students for success thanks in large part to your support!
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- Dustin Daniels (Economics and International Affairs) and Jesse O’Shea (Interdisciplinary Social Sciences and Biology) were finalists for the prestigious Truman Scholarship. Jesse was also one of 20 undergraduates from across the nation to be named to USA Today’s All-USA College Academic First Team. Dustin will serve as President of the Student Government Association for 2010-2011.
- The Ralph Kaul Foundation has made a major gift to the College that provides scholarships for top applicants to our Masters in Applied Economics Program. The first Ralph Kaul fellows, Daniel McPherson and Diana Saenz, were named in the 2009-10 academic year. Daniel graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a 3.95 GPA as an Economics major. After a brief stint as a consultant with Fishkind and Associates, he spent a year teaching English in China before entering the FSU Program.
- Diana has a GPA of 3.95 from Florida State’s Panama campus. Originally from Costa Rica, she moved to Panama City, Panama, before joining the Applied Master’s program in the Fall of 2009. “Having such outstanding students gives the rest of the class something to shoot for,” says Professor Norrbin, “we are grateful to the Ralph Kaul Foundation for giving our program this opportunity.”
- Aleksey Sanchez was one of 20 students in the nation to receive a 2010-11 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship. Aleksey graduated magna cum laude in May with degrees in Russian and International Affairs. He will use the fellowship, which pays up to $50,000 a year for graduate study, to get a masters degree in international affairs at George Wasshington University.
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- Lisa Vera (Urban and regional Planning) received an FSU Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.
- Robert Jakubik, an International Affairs and Criminology major, served as President of the Student Government Association for the 2009-10 academic year. He was born in Poland and plans to pursue a career in foreign relations with the U.S. Department of State.
- International Affairs major Marie LeBlanc (double major in Spanish/French) was a finalist for the Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship.
- Senior Eric Carr (Geography) was invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University which was held in Miami. This program is designed to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses to help solve global problems. Eric’s project is to improve energy efficiency in the least efficient buildings on our campus.
- Andrea Arce-Trigatti and Jennifer Campbell (both from International Affairs) served as Gubernatorial Fellows for 2009. This program provides leadership training to outstanding students who are interested in public service.
- Jaime Bayo (Public Administration) and Corey Nyako (Economics) have received the Spring 2010 Honors Thesis Award. Jaimie’s thesis was directed by Dr. Ralph Brower and Dr. Randall Holcombe was Corey’s thesis director.
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- Jesse Klein (Sociology) received the 2010 Outstanding Senior Scholar Award which goes to students who successfully complete an honors in the major thesis and graduate summa cum laude.
- Three students in the College of Social Sciences were among the 60 Emerging Scholar Awards that the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society made nationally. This award is given to promising sophomore students to encourage them to seek knowledge and experience in their field of study. Monica Moore, of Lynn Haven, Fla., and Christian Nunez, of Lutz, Fla., are both political science majors and Kristin Phillips, of Daytona Beach, is focusing her academic career on international affairs. All three are participants in the university’s Honors Program.
- Shaina Hyder (Sociology) and Richard Benson (Economics) have been awarded a Fulbright Scholarships. Shaina will be doing research on women garment workers in Bangladesh while Richard will teach English and do research in Turkey.
- Caitie Finlayson (Geography) was awarded an Outstanding Teaching Assistant award for her work in the hugely popular class on the geography of religion.
- The College was proud to nominate Elizabeth Pagan for the FSU 2010 Humanitarian Award. She is regularly on the Dean’s List and has been awarded numerous academic honors. Her service hours are among the highest in the College and her humanitarian work involves extensive teaching and volunteer work in both Africa and the U.S.
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Building Programs
Your support has tremendous impact in providing immediate ways for us to advance the academic programs making a difference in the College. From providing seed money for new programs and initiatives, to support for student and faculty research, to named professorships, to fellowships for graduate studies, your gifts touch each student and faculty member in the College every day. Following are a few examples:
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Center for Democratic Performance
This center was established under the leadership of Syde P. Deeb Eminent Scholar Chair, William Berry. According to Berry, “There are other centers around the country that promote research on democracy, public policy or public opinion. But I’m not aware of any other centers with a focus on democratic performance that involve faculty in all the major subfields of political science.”
Dale Smith, department chair, feels that “The Department of Political Science has a national reputation (top ten among departments in public universities) and the establishment of this Center adds significantly to our visibility. The Center assists us in recruiting the very best faculty and graduate students.”
The Center promotes research on how democratic institutions and processes affect such things as voting, representation, and policy making in order to assess the extent to which the practice of democracy conforms to democratic ideals.
To accomplish this end, the CSDP provides research support for Center faculty and graduate students, research assistantships to exceptional undergraduate students, sponsors lectures and conferences, and maintains a working paper series on the program’s web site.
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Claude D. Pepper Center
The Claude Pepper Center is a multidisciplinary group of scholars engaged in research and other creative activities related to aging, health, and the formation of public policy. Faculty associates span three colleges and numerous academic disciplines: economics, geriatrics, political science, psychology, public health, and sociology.
The Pepper Institute pursues its research mission in a variety of ways. Each year we bring in nationally recognized experts to give talks or participate in symposia on critical issues related to the well-being of Older Americans. The Pepper Institute also administers 1-2 dissertation fellowships each year, which are made possible due to funding provided by the Claude Pepper Foundation. The Institute also provides research support to its Associates in various forms. Lastly, some members of the Pepper Institute collaborate with research projects in other FSU research centers, such as the Center for Demography and Public Health and the Claude Pepper Center. These activities enrich the intellectual environment and contribute to the scholarly work of the Institute's Associates.
Another important activity at the Pepper Institute is its sponsorship/hosting of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FSU. OLLI offers courses and workshops for older adults in the community, and has a growing membership and curriculum. The Director and Program Coordinator of OLLI have offices in the Pepper Center Building. Many OLLI classes are taught by FSU faculty, and many of the courses are held in the Broad Auditorium in the Pepper Center Building.
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DeVoe L. Moore Center for the Study of Critical Issues in Economic Policy & Government
The DeVoe L. Moore Center at Florida State University is an interdisciplinary unit in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy that is dedicated to increasing knowledge and public understanding about the role of government in a market economy. The Center emphasizes the study of how government rules, regulations, and programs affect the economy and individuals. Bringing the insights of economics, political science, and public administration to the study of state and local regulations is a major focus of the Center's efforts.
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Experimental Social Science
In 2005 John and Hallie Quinn Eminent Scholar Chair Mark Isaac (Economics) led a group of economics and political science faculty in building the Experimental Social Science Program for the university’s “Pathways to Excellence” initiative. As of 2010, this program has welcomed a total of 13 distinguished faculty members (link to list of faculty). This cluster has enhanced this world-class program and has helped to establish Florida State’s reputation for having one of the strongest experimental social science programs. It offers exciting new ways to teach important concepts to students in addition to being a powerful research tool.
Experimental methods allow scholars to study how individuals may behave when they face different incentives and constraints. One study examined the factors that affect voters’ willingness to vote for taxes that redistribute income to the poor. Other studies have explored the design of auctions and sports tournaments, philanthropy and non-profit institutions, the polarization of politics, and sustainable energy.
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LeRoy Collins Institute
The Institute’s Director is Carol S. Weissert, LeRoy Collins Eminent Scholar and Professor of Political Science at FSU. The LeRoy Collins Institute is an independent, nonpartisan and non-profit organization which studies and promotes creative solutions to key private and public issues facing the people of Florida and the nation. The Institute, located at Florida State University, is affiliated with and works in collaboration with the State University System of Florida.
In late 2005 the Institute published Tough Choices: Shaping Florida’s Future and Facing Florida’s Revenue Shortfall. These publications provided an in-depth analysis of Florida tax and spending policy including Medicaid, preK-12 education, higher education, and children’s health and welfare. The research concluded that Florida’s pattern of low spending and low taxes conflicted with the growing demands of the states’ residents and that trouble might be ahead. The report was written by David Denslow, professor of economics at the University of Florida, and Carol Weissert. The Institute made a number of recommendations based on the research. The research was funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Reports were distributed statewide among legislators, lobbyists, and university officials as well as to the media and public at large. The research was updated in 2008 and 2009.
The current research agenda for the Institute includes a comprehensive examination of state-local governmental relationships in Florida.
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Stavros Center for Economic Education
The mission of the Stavros Center is to further free enterprise and economic education in the public schools and communities within our 12-county service area: Bay, Calhoun, Gadsden, Franklin, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla Counties. In order to accomplish its mission, the Center’s specific objectives include: Staff assistance, community involvement, educational services, library services, product development, and networking.
