This is Department Chair Tony Robinson, writing to welcome all our students to the spring 2026 semester, with best wishes for your success!
We hope your find your classes energizing and satisfying, and that you find yourself feeling very welcome in the Political Science program. We are committed to student success and hope some of the following ideas and resources might be helpful to you this semester.
- Looking for a quite place to relax or study? Visit our Political Science student lounge on the third floor of Student Commons. Any of our students are welcome to use this quite space as a study break, and you will find a coffee machine and refigerator there for your use as well. The lounge is at the west end of the third floor hallway in Student Commons,down by the Dept. Chair's office. If the door is closed, any faculty or staff member can give you the door code to enter. Just drop by!
- Political Science Club Reboot. This coming semester, we will be working to re-launch the Political Science student club, a student organization that in the past has sponsored political discussion events, movie nights, study groups, group field trips, and whatever else might interest students who step up to organize this association. Professor Vanessa Navarro-Rodriguez will be helping to launch the first meetings of this club, so be on the lookout for invitations to join in discussions and get this club going again!
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Departmental Special Events. Throughout each semester, Political Science organizes several special events on important political matters. Last semester, we hosted an immigrant rights forum, a free speech/academic freedom forum, and a multi-speaker discussion of the situation in Gaza, among other events. We always advertise these events on our website, in newsletters, and through student email--so we hope you will monitor these channels and come to events that interest you! One unique opportunity this coming semester is that Professor Jim Walsh is serving as the National Chair of the American Conference for Irish Studies, May 27-31, which will be held right here on the Auraria Campus. This is the world's largest Irish Studies conference, involving hundreds of scholars from every part of the world. You will be able to enjoy opportunities such as academic panels on Irish history, culture, and politics, or attend special events with Irish musicians. To know more, or even to propose presentation of your own work on Irish studies, contact Professor Jim Walsh.
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Visit the Department! We would love to see you drop by our hallways to check out the department in person and speak with advisors or professors about any of your interests or questions. If you haven't come by the Student Commons third floor lately, drop on in. Visit your student lounge, or our library, which are always open to students. Say "Hi" to the Department Chair who is often in his office, connect with advisors like Professor Bassem Hassan (Undergraduate advising) or Professor Omar Swartz (Law Studies advising), meet our friendly Office Business Professional, Kayla Spencer, and check out all the political news and commentary on hallway bulletin boards.
Once again, all the best wishes for a great spring semester!