Carnahan Hall, at Southeast's Main Campus

Political Science Faculty

    This is the Fall 2008 listing of Political Science faculty and their current activities and interests.  We're part of the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Religion.  Program details are at the Political Science page.  The Philosophy & Religion faculty page has their listings.

Fulltime: | Rick Althaus | Mitchel Gerber | Debra Holzhauer | Tomoaki Nomi | Russell Renka | Kevin Sexton | Patt Sharp | Brian Smentkowski | Jeremy Walling |

Part time:  Hubert (Junior) Delay | Charles (Chuck) DiStefano | Revonda Kirby | Eric Schuchardt |
Graduate Assistant:  Barbara A. Macke

Rick Althaus, Professor of Political Science          
Ph.D. 1987 (University of Missouri - Columbia)
Office: Carnahan 211F
Phone: (573) 651-2700
Campus Mail Address:  MS2920
E-mail: ralthaus@semo.edu
Website:  Professor Rick Althaus at cstl-cla.semo.edu/althaus/
Fall 2008 Office Hours:  MWF 9:00-9:50 and 10:00-10:50 a.m.

    Rick Althaus joined the Department in 1980.  His two main areas of emphasis are public administration and public policy.  He has an undergraduate degree in agriculture, and much of his research and writing has dealt with agricultural policies and politics.  His textbook chapter on Missouri state agricultural policy is found in Missouri Government and Politics, published by the University of Missouri Press.  He teaches public administration and public personnel administration at the graduate level, and also advises students in the department's Master of Science in Administration program.  He enjoys working with students outside the classroom, and has advised several student organizations in recent years, including the Political Science Club, the Model United Nations group, and the College Democrats.  He is active in local and state political party activities.  He is a former Chairperson of the Department, is a longtime an current member of the Faculty Senate, and has been active in the university's quality improvement movement as well as several other campus committees.  He supervises the Department's internship program in the Missouri General Assembly in Jefferson City.
    He has taught PS 402-602 Fundamentals of Public Administration, PS403-603 Public Personnel Administration, and PS220--Missouri Government along with PS103 - U.S. Political Systems.

Fall  2008 Courses: pending

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Mitchel Gerber, Professor of Political Science
Ph.D. 1982 (New York University)
Office: Carnahan 211N
Phone: (573) 651-2694
Campus Mail Address:  MS2920
E-mail: mgerber@semo.edu
Website:  Dr Mitchel Gerber at cstl-cla.semo.edu/gerber/
Spotlight:  College of Liberal Arts Spotlights - Dr. Mitchel Gerber
Fall 2008 Office Hours:  TR 2:00-3:00 p.m.

    Mitchel Gerber joined the Department in 1989.  In addition to American Government, Dr. Gerber teachers American Political Thought, Modern Political Thought, Contemporary Political Theory, Ancient Greek and Roman Political Philosophy, the Holocaust, and American Foreign Policy.  In recognition of his exemplary teaching performance, Dr. Gerber has received the Outstanding Teaching Honors Award of the College of Liberal Arts.  He is the author of Sources: Notable Selections in American Government, 2d edition (Dushkin, McGraw-Hill, 1999).  He is the co-author of several teaching publications for American government courses, including State and Local Government Supplement (HarperCollins, 1991), as well as the accompanying instructional and test bank materials.  He has published scholarly articles and papers in political philosophy in several professional journals, including the National Social Science Journal.  He has been awarded several National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships, University research grants, and C-SPAN in the Classroom Seminar grants.  Dr. Gerber's scholarly-research interests include the Holocaust, seventeenth-century English political philosophy, the political theory of the framers and Anti-Federalists, and classical Greek political thought.  He is also the founder and faculty adviser to the Political Theory Club, a Southeast student organization.
    He has taught UI342 - Modern Political Thought, UI357 - Early American Political Thought, and UI440 - The Holocaust along with PS103 - U.S. Political Systems.

Fall 2008 Courses: pending

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Debra Holzhauer, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Ph.D. 1997 (Purdue University)
Office:  Carnahan 211J
Phone:  (573) 651-5137
Campus Mail Address:  MS2920
E-Mail:  dholzhauer@semo.edu
Website:  Debra Holzhauer at cstl-cla.semo.edu/holzhauer/
Spring 2008 Office Hours:  M and W 9:30-10:30 a.m.; TR 1:00-2:00 p.m.

   Debra Holzhauer joined the department in Fall 2004, after serving as an adjunct faculty with a variety of public and private universities in the Midwest.  Her broad areas of specialization are International and Comparative Politics, with an emphasis on European politics and environmental politics.  She is faculty advisor for the university's Model United Nations club.  Her current research projects involve examining the ideology, party organization, tactics of the Liberal Democrats and Greens in the British party system; the impact of Green Parties in the European Parliament; and exploring the environmental agendas of British political parties.  In her spare time, of which she seemingly has less and less, she enjoys reading historical mystery novels, watching West Wing (where she would really like to work), and, of course, sleeping and eating.
    She has taught PS 335 - American Foreign Policy, PS380 - International Organizations, PS 460 Government and Politics of Western Europe, PS470 - Politics of the Developed World, PS570 - Comparative Government, and UI350 - Middle Eastern Politics, along with PS104 - Comparative Political Systems.

Fall 2008 Courses: pending

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Tomoaki Nomi, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Ph.D. 1998 (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Office:  Carnahan 211E
Phone: (573) 651-2644
Campus Mail Address:  MS2920
E-mail: tnomi@semo.edu
Website:  Tomoaki Nomi at http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/nomi/
Fall 2008 Office Hours:  MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m., TR 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

    Tomoaki Nomi joined the Department in Fall 2003.  His two broad areas of specialization are International Relations and Comparative Politics. His dissertation was on trade and industrialization policies of Newly Industrialized Countries in East Asia.  His current research is on the central-local government relations in Japan.  His other research interests include demography, migration, education policy and gender relations among others.  Before coming to Southeast Missouri State University, he taught at Marietta College, Eastern Illinois University, and Western Washington University.
    He has taught PS280 - Introduction to Global Issues, PS355 - Less Developed Nations, PS377 - Government and Politics of East Asia, PS580 - International Politics, PS595 - International Law, UI322 - International Political Economy, and UI350 - Middle East Politics along with PS104 - Comparative Political Systems.

Fall 2008 Courses: pending

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    Russell Renka joined the Department in 1978.  Professor Renka's teaching and research specialties are the American presidency, the American legislature, and their relationship.  He is the website manager of the principal presidency research organization, the Presidency Research Group (Welcome To The PRG).  He teaches a unique Modern Presidency course (UI320 - The Modern Presidency) combining politics, history and speech-communication disciplines.  He has created an extensive and widely used U.S. Presidency Links website; a Modern Presidents from FDR to the Present website; a set of presidential speech websites on John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and William Clinton; and an on-line modern presidency text (seen via Timeline of Modern Presidents).
    His recent research work is on violations of committee seniority in the U.S. Congress.  He has earlier published papers on "the two presidencies"; and on factors contributing to presidential success in Congress.
    He received the Outstanding Teacher Honors Award of the College of Liberal Arts in 1996.  He has placed all courses on comprehensive on-line basis, via syllabi, assignments, samples of student papers, student address lists, extensive subject links, textbook links, and ad hoc analyses or papers he authored.  He's a member of the American Political Science Association, the Midwest PSA, the Legislative Studies Section, and the Presidency Research Group.
    Professor Renka teaches UI320 - The Modern Presidency and PS365 - The Legislative Process in spring semesters; PS360 - Political Parties and Voting Behavior and PS418/618 Public Policy Analysis in fall semesters, and PS103 - U.S. Political Systems every semester.

Fall 2008 Courses: pending

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Kevin Sexton, Instructor of Political Science
Office Address:  Carnahan 211K
Office Phone:  (573) 651-2751
Cell Phone: (573) 579-6537
Campus Mail Address:  MS2920
E-mail: kpsexton@semo.edu
Website:  Instructor Kevin Sexton at cstl-cla.semo.edu/sexton
Spring 2008 Office Hours:  MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m., and TR 10:00-10:50 a.m.

Kevin Sexton graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1995 with his Bachelor of Science in Education Degree, and 1998 with his Masters of Science Degree.  He has been teaching political science courses at the University since he was the graduate assistant for the Department of Political Science.  Prior to attending Southeast Missouri State University Kevin spent five years in the United States Marine Corps.  Upon graduation from Southeast Missouri State University he has worked in several community development positions, with a specific emphasis on community development issues related to low-income population and communities.  He has been married to Crystal Sexton (Stroupe) for twenty years, and has three daughters, Jennifer, Kristen and Ashley.  He is currently employed full-time with the Missouri Primary Care Association, and is the part-time youth pastor at Red Star Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
    Kevin teaches sections of PS103 - U.S. Political Systems on the Main Campus and in the Sikeston Higher Education Center.

Fall 2008 Courses: pending

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Patt Sharp, Instructor, Extended and Continuing Education - Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC)
Home Phone: (573) 888-6455
SAHEC campus telephone:  (573) 472-3210
Home e-mail: sharp@we.rr.com
Southeast e-mail: psharp@semo.edu
Website:  pending

Patt earned both her Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Science in Public Administration from Southeast Missouri State University.  During her graduate program, she was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha (national political science honor society) and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.  Over the years, she taught English, journalism, math and/or business classes in public high schools and adult vocational centers.  A finalist for Missouri Journalism Teacher of the Year, Patt was a co-founder of the Southeast Missouri Scholastic Press Association for high school students.  She served as the Eighth Congressional District member of the Missouri State Board of Education (2001-2004).   As a member of the National Association of State Boards of Education, she served as the Missouri Team Leader for the national Healthy Schools Network and on national educational study groups.  Patt has served on the Democratic State Committee, has been a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and, in 2004, Patt was the Democratic nominee for the State Senate from Missouri's 25th Senatorial District.  Patt is married to Stephen Rhodes Sharp, a former Prosecuting Attorney and State Senator and the current Presiding Circuit Judge of Dunklin and Stoddard Counties.
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Brian Smentkowski, Associate Professor of Political Science; Pre-Law Advisor
Ph.D. 1994 (University of Kentucky)
Office: Carnahan 211H
Phone: (573) 651-2698
Campus Mail Address:  MS2920
E-mail: bpsmentkowski@semo.edu  
Website:  Brian Smentkowski, Ph.D. at cstl-cla.semo.edu/smentkowski; and The Pre-Law Program
Fall 2008 Office Hours: 

    Brian Smentkowski joined the Department in 1993.  Brian's major teaching and research interests fall into two categories: (1) Public Law and the Judicial Process and (2) American Political Institutions and Elections. Since 1993 he has served as Pre-Law Adviser.  In addition to survey classes in American government, Brian routinely teaches Constitutional Law, U.S. Judicial Systems, State Government, Administrative Law, and Introduction to Political Science.  On the research front, Brian has presented and published a number of scholarly manuscripts in his fields of study.  His research interests focus on divided state government; the relationship between electoral behavior and electoral systems; and civil rights interest groups.  For the past two years, Brian has authored Encyclopedia Britannica's Book of the Year section on "The American Courts"; and he has served as section editor and principal author of Civil Rights, Economic Rights, and Human Rights, a volume in The Encyclopedia of American Interest Groups, plus several articles in M.E. Sharpe's Encyclopedia of Third Parties.  Presently, he is working on a second manuscript dedicated to pedagogy and political science.  A full c.v. is available at his homepage, listed above.
    He has taught PS 390 - The American Judicial System, PS490 - Constitutional Law, PS425/625 - Administrative Law and Procedure, and PS240 - Introduction to Political Science along with PS 103 - U.S. Political Systems.

Spring 2008 Courses:
PS240-01 - Introduction to Political Science - MWF 9:00-9:50 a.m. in CR210
PS490-01 - Constitutional Law - TR 12:30-1:45 p.m. in CR210

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    Jeremy Walling joined the Department in 2002.  Jeremy’s fondness for boring institutions attracted him to Congress and public administration.  His dissertation studied the US Senate, an elite institution forced into popular control by the Seventeenth Amendment.  Jeremy also studies bureaucratic politics and administrative ethics.  He was the co-editor of the Ethics Symposium issue of Public Personnel Management (Winter 1999).  In addition, he co-authored (with H. George Frederickson, University of Kansas) a chapter in the second edition of the Handbook of Administrative Ethics.  Prior to Jeremy’s doctoral work at Kansas University, he earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Southwest Missouri State University.  He has completed internships and consulting jobs for the US General Accounting Office, the Springfield/Greene County (MO) Health Department, the Forrester Group (Springfield, MO), and the Kansas Appleseed Foundation.
    Jeremy teaches Public Administration courses PS 405/605 - Organization Theory and Behavior, PS 415/615--Government Budgeting, PS645 - Research Methods for Public Administrators, and PS655 - Federalism.  In Fall 2007 he teaches PS240 - Introduction to Political Science.  He has also taught PS 310--Government and Politics of the American States; PS103 - US Political Systems; and UI100 - Civility.

Spring 2008:
PS103-740 - U.S. Political Systems - web
PS103-741 - U.S. Political Systems - web
PS310-01 - Government and Politics of American States - MF 12:00-1:15 p.m. in CR210
PS405-70 and PS605-70 - Organizational Theory and Behavior - Tuesday, 6:00-8:50 p.m. in CR210

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Hubert (Junior) Delay, Instructor, Extended and Continuing Education - Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC)
Office Address: PB 301; or at Mississippi County Courthouse (ask for the County Clerk)
Campus Mail Stop 6850
Office Phone: (573) 683-2146 x-222
E-mail:  hdelay@semo.edu or jrdelay@misscomo.net
Website:  pending
Spotlight:  College of Liberal Arts Spotlights - Junior DeLay
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Charles I. (Chuck) DiStefano, Instructor of Political Science
Office Telephone:  (573) 332-0066 x114
E-Mail: cidistefano@semo.edu
Website:  http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/cidistefano/