By Emily Sallee

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that two Wildcats have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships, which provide funding to participate in intensive language and cultural immersion programs for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities.

Mihir Kale, a political science major, Chellgren Fellow and member of the Lewis Honors College, will study Swahili virtually through the MS Training

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2021) —The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced Madeline Williams has received a Fulbright Canada-MITACS Globalink Research Internship. Through this highly competitive opportunity, she will undertake advanced research projects virtually for 10 to 12 weeks.

Williams, a sociology and political science junior in UK College of Arts &Sciences and member of Lewis Honors

By Julie Wrinn

Graduate students in political science are well aware of the importance of fieldwork for their dissertation research, but for Helen Kras (Ph.D. 2021, M.A. 2020), fieldwork also became a deciding factor in her academic job search.

“Every university I had interviews with asked about fieldwork and stated they would be interested in having me teach about fieldwork in methods classes,” she said.

Kras is completing her dissertation on public opinion and gender-based violence in Latin America. In fall 2021, she will join Regis University in Denver as a tenure-track assistant professor of political science. To relieve the financial burden of research travel, private support made all the difference for Kras.

“Through the Ken and Mary Sue Coleman Award and the Research and Travel Award, I was able to conduct fieldwork in Brazil and El Salvador,” she

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- When Horace Bartilow was growing up in Jamaica in the 1970s, he’d watch helicopters carrying herbicide fly overhead. They were headed for the marijuana crops that farmers were growing in the center of the island --— one facet of the U.S. global war on drugs.  

Now, many years later, Bartilow is researching the politics and economics behind the drug wars as a professor of political science in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences. His latest book, “Drug War Pathologies: Embedded Corporatism and U.S. Drug Enforcement in the Americas,” finds the corporatist forces that sent those helicopters in the sky and perpetuate the drug war, both inside and outside the United States.  

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will induct six new members into the A&S Hall of Fame next week as part of its 2020 class of inductees.

For the first time in 21 years, the Hall of Fame ceremony will take place virtually, offering the campus community and the public the opportunity to watch the induction ceremony and celebration. The ceremony had to be delayed last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Those interested in attending must register at https://forms.as.uky.edu/hof-rsvp and can tune in at 7 p.m. EDT Friday, April 9, at www.as.uky.edu/hall-fame-live.

The 2020 alumni inductees include:

Ouita Papka Michel (

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 5, 2021) — Throughout the month of March, the University of Kentucky will recognize Women’s History Month with a series of events and special programs.

Women’s History Month is about honoring the achievements and contributions women have made across the U.S. and throughout the world. The UK Martin Luther King (MLK) Center will host a variety of programs, in collaboration with its campus partners, in addition to the College of Arts and Sciences, the UK Women’s Forum, the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and other campus organizations.

Many programs will honor UK women throughout the institution's history.

“This institution has an impressive history of women leaders who have shaped our identity as Kentucky’s university,” said

By Lindsey Piercy 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2021) — Today, Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris will become the first woman to serve as vice president.

At noon, a formal ceremony will mark the start of the new presidency. While key elements will remain steeped in tradition, many events won’t look like those of the past. Instead, they have been “reimagined” as the United States continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a tumultuous year in politics, how will this inauguration go down in the history books?

Tiffany Barnes, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science in the 

In light of the recent developments in Washington, D.C., a WKYT journalist interviewed Clatyon Thyne, chair of the Political Science Department; as well as Michael Zilis and Stephen Voss, associate professors of political science. Zilis and Thyne discuss the Electoral College vote in Congress and the invasion of the U.S. Capitol, and Voss looks at the Senate runoffs in Georgia. You can see all three interviews

Tiffany D. Barnes, associate professor of political science in the University of Kentucky's College of Arts & Sciences, has co-written an article for Ms. magazine on Janet Yellen the former chair of the Federal Reserve who is President-elect Joe Biden's choice for treasury secretary. Her co-author is Diana Z. O'Brien of Rice University.

"The selection of Janet Yellen as the first woman to serve at the helm of Treasury and oversee the biggest economy in the world is noteworthy," the article states. "But Yellen’s appointment is in keeping with research that shows women are especially likely to be selected for leadership in the middle of crises. Is she being set up to fail?"

You can read the article here.

By Richard LeComte 

An overwhelming number of conflicts seem to be breaking out all over the world. They range from the Syrian civil war and the rekindled war between Armenia and Azerbaijan to protests over police actions in the United States. Enter Jesse C. Johnson, director of the Peace Studies Program in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences. The idea of bringing resolution – and peace -- to hostile environments spurs a host of topics for classes and research.  

“The purpose of the Peace Studies Program is to introduce students to what research has to say about how to reduce conflict in the world and to leverage the research to sort out what the most effective policies

By Emily Sallee

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 4, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that foreign language and international economics/Chinese and international studies major and Chellgren Fellow Michael Di Girolamo has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Chinese. The Critical Language Scholarship is an intensive language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities.

By Jay Blanton and Kody Kiser

Tuesday will mark one of the most important — and certainly unusual — elections in decades.

Local, state and federal elections are being contested in the midst of a pandemic and in the wake of unrest across the country around issues of racism. The country is deeply polarized. Recovery from a deep recession is uneven and unsure. Congress is in a stalemate over whether to provide more stimulus as part of relief from COVID-19.

Tuesday night — and the days afterward — will determine who controls both the House and the Senate as well as the presidency. In Kentucky, major races for the U.S. Senate, Congress and local legislative offices have captured national attention and drawn tens of millions of dollars in contributions

By Lindsey Piercy

A public health crisis, movements against social injustice and the rampant spread of misinformation — 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges. Amid this uncertainty, Americans are casting their ballots in a pivotal presidential election.

In recent weeks, polls have shown President Donald Trump trailing behind Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Does Trump still have a visible path to a second term? Will we receive the highly anticipated results on election night? And could the outcome be contested?

Experts at the University of Kentucky are working to answer those pressing questions.

Stephen Voss, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences,

By Richard LeComte

The University of Kentucky has named 15 students as recipients of funding to the Lunsford Scholars Program in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky.

The Lunsford Scholars Program provides Arts & Sciences students the chance to pursue out-of-the-classroom educational opportunities including education abroad, internships, service-based learning and undergraduate research both locally and outside of Kentucky. Aside from student scholarships, the donation also supports a symposium and speaker series to be held each year.

“The program supports students who seek high-impact educational experiences,” said Clayton Thyne,  chair of the Political Science Department and director of the program. “It’s about civic engagement broadly defined.”

W. Bruce Lunsford, a UK alumnus, lawyer and businessman, recently

By C. Lynn Hiler T

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence has announced its newest class of 31 Chellgren Student Fellows.  

The Chellgren Center Student Fellows Program aligns with the university’s goal of cultivating undergraduate excellence. By providing experiences that go beyond the classroom, students become prepared for the next phase of their career, whether it be graduate school or a gap year dedicated to service. 

COVID-19 has certainly made for an unprecedented academic year. Students and professors are adhering to mask regulations in the classroom, dining halls are empty and many classes are completely online. In spite of this unexpected turn of events, Philipp Kraemer, Chellgren Chair

                Cherish Derrickson and Anastasia Zevan are two juniors studying Political Science here at the University of Kentucky. Having met two years ago in their Writing, Rhetoric, & Digital Studies (WRD) 110 class and becoming instant friends, neither of them knew that they would come together and form a club that aimed to foster civil discourse and constitutional knowledge amongst UK undergrads. This spring marks a year from when the students first had the idea and have since been able to turn their ambition into action with the start of the Constitution Club that now meets monthly and has experienced steady membership growth.

                From Paris, Kentucky, Cherish isn’t too far away from home while she studies at UK. Aside from her Political

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 11, 2020) — Most choose to attend college to earn an education — hoping they will gain knowledge to prepare them for the pursuit of a career. But the path to a degree can unlock more than job opportunities.

Just ask Chris Gorman.

It was fall of 1961, and the University of Kentucky freshman was eager to embark on his six-year plan — a fast-track strategy that would allow him to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree by the age of 24. 

“By nature, I’m a very social person,” he said. “To go from a small elementary school and high school to a major university was like putting a kid in a candy shop.”

Gorman referred to himself as a “bright-eyed kid,” but he was prepared to

This summer, political science Ph.D. student Matthew Cain served as a summer research associate for RAND in their Washington, D.C. office. RAND is a federally funded public policy research  organization that has a broad focus on national security. As an adjunct researcher, Cain will work on ongoing projects under the guidance and mentorship of RAND’s Director of the Cyber and Intelligence Policy Center.

During his first year of graduate school, Cain learned of RAND through political science alumnus Pete Schirmer during an alumni board meeting. Cain was drawn to RAND because of his interest in cybersecurity policy. “Most of cybersecurity research is done in the policy world, and not as much is done in the political science field,” explained Cain. “Throughout my academic career, I’ve cited RAND’s work in my own research, and I really wanted to capture this opportunity to be

By Julie Wrinn

In less than three years since earning her degree at UK, Sydney Darwin has become a terrific example of how a political science major can lead to a surprising array of fields. While still in school, Darwin worked as a digital media intern for Cornett, an advertising company in Lexington, and as a communications intern for the Nevada Policy Research Institute. After graduating college, she joined Richard Becker's campaign for the Kentucky House of Representatives as a campaign strategist. After that, Darwin served as a Marshal’s Aide for the U.S. Supreme Court and was soon promoted to assistant supervisor of the Marshal’s Aides. This led to an assignment for the Chambers of retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy as a Temporary Judicial Assistant while his Judicial Assistant was on