University of Iowa Department of Political Science

Congratulations to Professor Julie Pacheco on co-authoring a paper titled, "Voces Vitales: Participatory Dissemination for Civic Health Among Latino and Immigrant Communities in Iowa" that has been published in the Journal of Participatory Research Methods.

https://tinyurl.com/JPRM2026

The Political Science Department was well-represented at the Model Constitutional Convention held at the Washington University in St. Louis College of Law. Undergraduate student Sydney Bellinghausen and recent graduate Isaiah Pielak served as student delegates representing Iowa, and Professor Smith was a faculty advisor to the Allegiance Committee. The student delegates passed six amendments to the Constitution, including a ban in partisan gerrymandering, an equal rights amendment, and protections of digital privacy rights.

🪿🌞 Breaking news from the pond… Gertie the Office Goose is officially in summer mode! 😎🌴🍉
She’s waddling by to wish everyone a relaxing, sunshine-filled summer AND honk out our summer schedule:

📅 June 1 – August 10
🏡 Mondays & Fridays: Remote (aka chillin’ by the pond 💻)
🏫 Tuesdays – Thursdays: On-site (she might waddle by to say hi! 👋)

Let’s make it a quack-tastic summer! stay cool, have fun, and don’t ruffle your feathers! 🌻🍦

The University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums

If you’re in the Cambridge, MA area on Friday, June 5th, don’t miss this opportunity!
Professor Pacheco will be part of a Plenary Session as part of the Carnegie Fellowship. It's an exciting chance to engage with impactful ideas and thought leadership.

Be sure to join and be part of the conversation!

🎉 Congratulations, Emma Anderson! 🌍📚
We’re proud to celebrate Political Science and International Relations alum Emma Anderson on receiving a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Tajikistan for the 2026–27 academic year!

This incredible achievement reflects Emma’s dedication to global engagement, education, and cross-cultural exchange. We can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make abroad as she shares her knowledge and learns from communities in Tajikistan.

Please join us in congratulating Emma on this exciting next chapter! 👏✨

https://tinyurl.com/Fulbright-26-27

Sending a big Hawkeye congratulations to our Political Science Masters and PhD graduates! Your achievements inspire us, and we can’t wait to see what you do next 🖤💛

First photo (from left): Zachary Hemmen and James Valentin — not pictured: Jensen Cooper

Second photo (from left): Alex Bezahler, Stephanie Schmitt, Chase LaSpisa, Professor Rene Rocha, Professor Julie Pacheco, Professor Elise Pizzi, Simal Gerot, and Professor Sara Mitchell

Congratulations to Professor Smith on the publication of his book From Gridlock to Governance: Negotiation Strategies Congress Uses to Overcome Stalemate.
The book discusses strategies that politicians have historically used to break stalemate on topics like health care insurance, representation in Congress, and slavery, and the impact those strategies have on the content of legislation. If you have questions about the book, feel free to contact Professor Smith at [email protected]

Our beloved office mascot, Gertie the Goose, is honking out a huge congratulations to the 2026 Political Science & International Relations students!🖤💛🍾 The University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

Congratulations to Dr. Simal Gerot on the successful defense of her dissertation titled, "The Power of Routine: How News Consumption Habits Shape Political Attitudes and Well-Being in the U.S."