JMC News: In Pursuit of Excellence

Professor Richard Zinman, University Distinguished Professor in James Madison College and the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, has been selected as this year's recipient of the Honors College Award for Distinguished Contributions to Honors Students.

Aaron Adler (IR, senior) is the recipient of the Dorr Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Writing.

A group of Israel advocacy student activists at MSU, led by Jennifer Bloom (PTCD/IR, junior) was recognized as "2005 Israel Activists of the Year" at the American Israel Public Affairs Conference (AIPAC) in Washington DC, May 22. Avi Davidoff (IR, sophomore) was the campus advocacy coordinator. A delegation of 15 MSU students was on hand, along with Jewish Studies director, Ken Waltzer. The group, which planned a series of Israel advocacy events at MSU this year, was honored for its several accomplishments.

Kenneth Curell (IR, junior) is the recipient of the Burton L. and Rosalie P. Gerber Scholarship for 2005-2006. He is specializing in Muslim Studies and International Business, is the president of MSU Students for Life, speaks French is teaching myself Bengali, and will begin Arabic in the fall. His senior year, he will study abroad in Israel for a semester followed by an internship with Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) in Bangladesh. Curell hopes to work in the government intelligence community. The scholarship's aim is to support an outstanding student pursuing a career in international relations and public service. 

Justin Dolfus (IR, junior) was awarded a Michael and Audrey Rubner Scholarship for 2005-2006. The scholarship's aim is to support an outstanding student pursuing the study of international relations and a preference for Middle East studies and experiences.

Terrell Frazier (SR/Journalism, senior) was accepted into the American Sociological Association Honors Program, one of 60 selected nationally. The ASA Honors Program “provides undergraduate sociology students a rich introduction to the professional life of the discipline. Exceptional sociology students from throughout the country and the world come together for four days and experience all facets of the ASA annual meetings.” Frazier will be sharing his research on the dynamic between Black Power and integration advocates within the Civil Rights movement at the meeting in August in Philadelphia. Kelly Miller (SR, 03), the first Madison participant in the ASA Honors program, is completing her first year of graduate school in Sociology at Notre Dame.

Justin Gengler (PTCD/IR/Muslim Studies, ‘05) was one of 21 MSU students recognized for academic achievement by The MSU Board of Trustees at its April 8, 2005 meeting. The May graduates all achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Gengler, from Flushing, MI, is a member of the Honors College. His senior thesis, entitled “On Religion and War,” looked at the relationship between war and five different religions, using both sacred texts and cross-nationally comparative statistical data. He was also the winner of this year's Jack Chapin Memorial Prize, which is awarded annually to the outstanding senior in political theory. It memorializes Jack Chapin (JMCD ‘77), one of the college's most brilliant graduates. Gengler plans to attend the University of Michigan in political science, focusing on comparative politics and continuing the study of Arabic.

Emily Harcum (IR, senior) was awarded a Dean's Scholarship for 2005-2006. Her academic interests are international affairs, foreign relations and international law. Born in Pennsylvania and the youngest of four children, Harcum is interested in working at the State Department, specializing in international affairs with Western Europe/EU. 

David McClintick (IR, sophomore) was recognized with a merit award at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum, for his poster presentation on "The Simon and Ehrlich Wager: A Historical Perspective." The research for his presentation was conducted as part of his professorial assistant responsibilities to Professor Ross Emmett.

Madison senior Katherine Pitsch (IR/Muslim Studies) is the MSU recipient of a prestigious graduate fellowship (worth $10,000) sponsored by Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR), an association of retired U.S. Foreign Service officers with offices in Washington, D.C. Pitsch has studied Arabic and Kazakh at MSU, and is also fluent in Spanish.

Aaron Stine (IR, senior) is the recipient of a Dean's Scholarship for 2005-2006. His academic interests include Chinese language and culture, studying abroad in China, the economy and politics of modern China and international law. He would like to enter the intelligence community either with the NSA or CIA as a language analyst or work in the field of international law. He plans to spend a year in China following graduation in 2006 to teach English and become fluent in Chinese.