Dear Alumni and Friends,

Our department is initiating an online biannual newsletter so that you can all be kept abreast of how we are doing. You would be glad to know that we remain one of the top 10 departments in the country, and stay committed to our mission of diversity and excellence. As the new department chair, I and our entire academic leadership are committed to deepening the engagement with our alumni and friends and believe that by doing this we will increase involvement with the department and strengthen the ties within the Bruin family.

This newsletter is intended to share with you, our closest alumni and friends, recent notable news and achievements in the department and with alumni. View the entire newsletter at http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/new-alumni-newsletter.

In this issue, we profile two of our distinguished alumnae: Mona Ehrenreich '83, general counsel for Princess Cruises and founding member of the newly formed Political Science Board of Visitors; and Camille Johnston '90, who now holds the position of special assistant to President Obama and director of communications for the First Lady.

I am also pleased to bring to your attention the many awards our faculty and students have received this past year. One of our students, Scott Hugo, has been selected to be a Rhodes Scholar for 2009.

In addition, there are a number of ways to get involved with the department. We have two important events coming up - our open house at this year's UCLA Day on May 9, and our annual Bollens-Ries-Hoffenberg lecture. More info on UCLA Day open house is available at www.UCLADay.UCLA.edu <http://www.ucladay.ucla.edu/>.

We also recently established a board of visitors made up of alumni in the private sector that serves as an advisory panel to the department. We plan to organize a number of mentoring and career panel opportunities for our alumni to interact with students.

We are very interested to hear about what you have been up to since you crossed the grand stage and received your diploma. By sending us your news, you help us strengthen our connection to generations of political science alumni and improve how we communicate with our graduates. Please tell us what you are currently doing. You can e-mail us at mailto:psalumni@polisci.ucla.edu.

Remember to inform us if your physical or e-mail address has changed or will be changing. You can update it online in just one step at http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/alumni/index.html.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at our events!

Ed Keller

Professor and Chair

UCLA Department of Political Science

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ALUMNI EVENTS
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UCLA Day
Mark your calendars for the second annual UCLA alumni day is this coming May 9th.  Each spring UCLA alumni have a momentous day at their alma mater when the campus celebrates UCLA Day. It’s a time to reconnect – with the campus, with friends, with the Bruin spirit. The day is filled with experiences for one and all.  Seminars conducted by distinguished professors showcase the cutting-edge research under way at UCLA while tours highlight the beauty and ever-changing variety of our campus.

In conjunction with this event the Political Science Department is having an open house for its alumni from 5:30 to 6:30pm on the fourth floor of Bunche Hall.  It is an opportunity to meet the chair and leadership of the department, talk with its notable faculty, and network with old classmates.

Closer to the date, you will receive email invitations to the main event and to the Political Science open house, but in the meantime you can read more about UCLA Day 2009 here: http://www.ucladay.ucla.edu/

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BOLLENS-RIES-HOFFENBERG
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The Department’s annual Bollens-Ries-Hoffenberg lecture is coming up in April and the committee is hard at work in the planning of it.  We will release details once the committee has finalized the date and speaker.  Past lectures have featured three governors of California, and last year featured LA Times Columnist George Skelton, Truthdig.com’s Bill Boyarsky, and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Bill Stall.  The lecture is open to the public although RSVPs are strongly encouraged.  To receive information on this year’s lecture please visit the website at www.brh.ucla.edu

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THIS ISSUE’S FEATURED ALUMNA
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Mona Ehrenreich is currently the General Counsel for Princess Cruises.  She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Political Science and History in 1983 and went on to earn her law degree at McGeorge Law School.  She credits a class in Constitutional Law and the Supreme Court at UCLA for inspiring her to pursue a career in law.  After graduating from McGeorge, she worked for 7 years with the Law Firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher until Princess Cruises offered Mona an opportunity to help build their new legal department from the ground up.

Her job at Princess is challenging and she likens it to dealing with the ins and outs of a small nation, the complexities and politics of which she says her education in Political Science has prepared her well for.  "Having a background in political science gave me valuable insight in working with and understanding the decisions of governments, and negotiating with organizations.  I quickly found that many of the actions and decisions that you have to deal with, at face value, make little sense; the myriad of personalities and agendas I have to deal with daily can be overwhelming without that foundational understanding."  The position requires her to know and maneuver through not only the legal world of the United States, but that of dozens of nations as well as maritime laws and treaties and labor agreements in more than twenty different countries.  In addition, each of Princess Cruises' ships are small cities in themselves having a particular set of laws that depends on where the ship is and what issues are involved.  As General Counsel, she oversees the management of these laws and advises the ships’ captains on enforcement issues.

Mona is still very involved at UCLA and maintains a strong connection with the university.  She is a founding member of the newly formed Political Science Board of Visitors, an advisory panel made up of alumni that supports the Political Science Department, in addition, Princess Cruises has an extensive relationship with Anderson School of Business, and has included UCLA students in its summer internship program.  But what she enjoys most is mentoring undergraduates and law students on pursuing a career in law.  "At UCLA and in Law school, I learned how to think.  But when starting in the legal field I realized I didn't know how to actually do anything: Mentoring is vital, mentoring with quality people whom you can trust," she said.  “I was lucky to have that as a young lawyer and I want to be able to give that back.”

In addition to her involvement at UCLA and her busy job, Mona is the proud mother of two children, one of whom is a freshman at the University of Arizona.  Mona currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, a lawyer himself, whom she met at law school, and their daughter.

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UCLA RHODES SCHOLAR WINNERS
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We are excited to announce that fourth-year rugby player and Political Science student Scott Hugo was selected to be a Rhodes Scholar for 2009.  Hugo was one of two students in California to receive the prestigious fellowship along with Christopher Joseph, also a UCLA student studying Geography.  Students who are selected to be a Rhodes Scholar are given a scholarship to complete a graduate degree at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.  Hugo plans to attend Oxford this fall and pursue his Masters of Philosophy in International Relations.  The Rhodes scholarship was created by British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes in 1902. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor, among other traits.  You can read more about UCLA’s two recipients here: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/two-ucla-athletes-earn-rhodes-72118.aspx

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FACULTY NEWS
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Former Chancellor Charles E. Young has returned to UCLA to teach a class this quarter. This marks the first time former Chancellor Young has taught in four decades since he began his ascent through the administrative ranks of the university.  His class, Special Topics in American Government and Politics: 2008 Election: Policy Issues and Aftermath, focuses on the 2008 presidential election and the electoral process, the history and the changes that have occurred over time.  You can read more about it here: http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/oct/07/charles-e-young-back-classroom/

Dr. Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., has been named the new dean of the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Gilliam, a member of UCLA’s political science faculty for more than two decades, has served since 2002 as UCLA’s first-ever associate vice chancellor of community partnerships. “We are delighted that Frank Gilliam will be the new dean of the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Dr. Gilliam is an outstanding scholar and teacher who shares our dedication and commitment to excellence in research and teaching in the public interest,” said outgoing Dean Nelson. http://www.sppsr.ucla.edu/dept.cfm?d=ps&s=faculty&f=faculty1.cfm&id=305

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AWARD NEWS
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At this past year’s annual America Political Science Association conference, UCLA’s Political Science faculty won a number of top awards.  The American Political Science Association is the premier professional organization for the study of political science and serves more than 15,000 members in over 80 countries.  Some of this year’s awardees included Professor Daniel Posner who won the 2008 Heinz Eulau Award for the best article published in the American Political Science Review, Professors John Zaller and Lynn Vavreck along with current graduate students, Seth Hill and James Lo, who received the Lazarsfeld Award for the best paper at the 2007 APSA conference Political Communication section, and Professor Ray Rocco, who received the 2008 Adaliza Sosa-Riddell Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentor.  Professor Miriam Golden has for many years studied the relationship between organized labor and politics. She received the Lawrence Longley Award for the best article published in 2007 for “Electoral Systems, District Magnitude and Corruption.”

Professor Emeritus, David C. Rapoport, long a leading figure in the study of terrorism and political violence, won the 2008 Dickson Emeritus Professor Award, which honors outstanding research, scholarly work, teaching, and/or educational service performed at UCLA by an emeritus or emerita professor since retirement.

Our Chairman, professor Edmond Keller, was the winner of the African Studies Association’s Distinguished Africanist Award for 2008. This award recognizes and honors individuals who have contributed a lifetime record of outstanding scholarship in their respective field of African studies and service to the Africanist community.

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ALUMNI MOVERS & SHAKERS
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Congratulations to Political Science alumna Camille Johnston!  Johnston graduated from our department in 1990.  She now holds the position of special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady.  Prior to this, Johnston served as the former Director of Communications for Mrs. Tipper Gore and most recently, she worked as a communications consultant for the Entertainment Industry Foundation on the Stand Up To Cancer campaign, the nationally televised fundraising special that aired simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC and that raised more than $100 million for cancer research. Prior to this, Johnston was the Senior Vice President of Communications for the Los Angeles Dodgers overseeing corporate communications, media relations, internal communications, publications, and broadcasting. After leaving the White House, Johnston joined Rodale Inc. the largest independent publisher in the U.S. as Vice President of Corporate Communications. A veteran of the 1992 and 1996 Clinton-Gore campaigns, Johnston also served as Press Secretary for Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Education Secretary Richard Riley. From 1997 – 1999, Johnston was the Director of Communications for WBBM-TV in Chicago, Illinois.

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ALUMNI LEADERSHIP
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In February, the Political Science Department will launch the Political Science Board of Visitors, an advisory panel made up of alumni and supporters who will work with the Political Science Department on meeting the challenges it faces in an increasingly competitive academic and economic environment.  The idea was conceived by UCLA alumnus and incoming Chair of the Board, Bill Pratt, who is a Managing Director at Marsh USA.  Bill has fond memories of his time at UCLA and wanted to give back to the university by helping the Political Department remain a competitive force in academia.  He envisions the Board of Visitors bringing together some of the Department’s brightest alums from all backgrounds – legal, financial, communications, marketing and branding, technological, government, and entertainment and more to offer their unique skills to tackle the challenges that the Department faces from a nonacademic perspective. 

"In these unprecedented times, the Board of Visitors will help the department create solutions which will enhance its position as the premier public university political science department," Pratt said at a recent alumni leadership meeting.  The Board is currently made up of six committed members, and Bill hopes to grow the Board to fifteen.  If you are interested in learning more about the Board or would like to get involved, please contact Eric Nakano at (310) 825-8633 or by email at enakano@support.ucla.edu.

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MCHARGUE GIFT
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The UCLA Political Science Department recently received an estate gift of $500,000 from Daniel S. McHargue.  Daniel was born 1917 and graduated with a PhD in Political Science in 1949.  He taught at the University of Michigan in the field of American government where he taught for over 30 years, and wrote widely on the U.S. Supreme court.  His works have been credited with influencing the legal opinions of the late Supreme Court Justice Frankurter and Marshall and he was widely respected among his peers.  After retiring from the University of Michigan, McHargue moved to Southern California where he passed away in 2008.  The UCLA Political Science Department is extremely grateful for his generosity and support and plans to use the money to provide financial aid for the Department’s graduate students.

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GIVING BACK
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Gifts to UCLA make a lasting contribution – to students, communities and the world.  By investing in the promise of human potential, UCLA’s alumni, faculty and friends demonstrate confidence in the power of knowledge to improve people’s daily lives.

The impact of such philanthropy is measured in problems solved, innovations sparked, diseases cured and lives enriched.  Gifts to UCLA of every size enable transformations in the department.  The University of California faces new state-budget-drive challenges next year, but support from alumni and friends like you make a difference in the life of the UCLA Political Science Department.  The University of California faces new state-budget-driven challenges next year, but support from alumni and friends like you make a difference in the life of the UCLA Political Science Department.

I encourage you to consider a gift to the UCLA Political Science Department.  Alumni and friends who are, or wish to become, Chancellor’s Associates may now direct their annual gifts to the UCLA Department of Political Science and retain all of the benefits that have traditionally been given to Chancellor’s Associates.  For information, visit http://www.uclafund.ucla.edu/leadership/index.html

Alumni interested in making a gift to the UCLA Political Science Department by endowing a scholarship, supporting faculty research, making a planned gift or other gift, should contact Eric Nakano in the development office at 310-825-8633 or email at enakano@support.ucla.edu.

Thank you for supporting the work and many achievements of the UCLA Political Science Department.

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IDEAS? SUGGESTIONS? WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
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Do you have any ideas or suggestions that can make our newsletter even better?  Want to get involved with the Department or reconnect with UCLA?  We’re always looking to get our enthusiastic alumni involved and we’d love to hear from you.  You can contact Eric Nakano for questions or comments at enakano@support.ucla.edu.