Friends, Students and Alumni,

Fall at the University of Virginia is always an exciting time. Things are even more so for the Department of Politics as we have finished moving to our new home in Gibson Hall on the South Lawn. With offices, classrooms and seminar spaces—not to mention a brand new Starbucks—this building is already a favorite of faculty, staff and students. And while Gibson is a wonderful structure, what is going on within those walls is even more satisfying: collaborative research and teaching by the very best faculty and students at Mr. Jefferson’s University.

This year, as with every election year, is a busy time for political scientists. The upcoming election promises to teach us much about partisan realignment, the role of the mass media, citizen participation and political rhetoric. Combine the importance of a election with an ongoing war in Afghanistan, nation-building in Iraq, and economic malaise at home and you have all the ingredients necessary to keep a politics junkie going for the entire semester.

Our department plays host to any number of colloquia and seminars over the course of the academic year as we welcome prominent scholars from around the globe to present their research in political theory, American politics and political economy. In the spring of 2011 we will kick off a new seminar focusing on security studies. Check the departmental calendar for times and places; you are welcome to join current faculty and students at these events.

We enjoy hearing from our alumni! Please let us know what you are up to and if you are on grounds this fall please drop by our new digs on the South Lawn. We’d love to see you!

Sincerely,

David Leblang
J Wilson Newman Professor of Governance
Chair, Department of Politics