University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

October 2, 2001

Contact: Bryant Payne (312) 355-2523; bpayne2@uic.edu

PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL SCHOLAR TO HEAD
UIC POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Lyn Ragsdale, professor and scholar of political science, has been appointed head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"Lyn Ragsdale is a distinguished scholar who brings a wealth of administrative and pedagogical experience to our political science department," said Stanley Fish, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "Her appointment has already received positive notice in the discipline, and I fully expect that she will consolidate the strengths the department already possesses and move into new areas of intellectual inquiry."

Looking to move the department forward, Ragsdale said she is committed to building relationships between Chicago's political practitioners and UIC's political scientists through conferences and workshops on urban politics.

"UIC is a valuable resource to this great city, especially in the field of urban politics," Ragsdale said. "It has a unique aspect that you won't find anywhere else. Chicago's strong political background serves as a natural bridge between UIC and the city.

" Ragsdale is one of the leading experts on the modern presidency and congressional elections. Prior to joining UIC, she served as a Russell Sage Fellow, an honors professor for Arizona-Iowa Consortium Study Abroad Program in London, England, and an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in Washington, D.C. She was director of the University of Arizona Survey Research Center and professor of political science at the university for 19 years.

Ragsdale has published widely in the areas of the presidency, electoral behavior and Congress. She is the former editor of Political Research Quarterly and is currently working on two books, "Presidents' Tough Choices: Major Decisions Since Truman," and " The American Nonvoter."

Noted political science scholar Jerrold Rusk, Ragsdale's husband, has also joined UIC as professor of political science.

Acknowledging the university's strengths, Ragsdale said this is a particularly interesting time to join political science at UIC.

"UIC is a good place to set up shop," Ragsdale said. "It has a diffusion of people approaching political science questions from a wide variety of angles, making the discussions fun and enabling you to learn a lot more from the assortment of perspectives."

- UIC -