The Paul D. Stewart Lectureship Series in Political Science

The Paul D. Stewart Lectureship was started in 1972 with the purpose of bringing outstanding political scientists and practitioners to the Marshall campus so that our students could be exposed to cutting-edge research and outstanding political practice. It is named in honor of Dr. Paul D. Stewart who was chairman of the political science department from 1960-1974. He then served as Dean of the Graduate School from 1974 until his retirement. Over the years a truly stellar array of scholars and politicians have visited Huntington, coming to know our faculty, our department and our students. The lectures are usually held during the spring semester. A public lecture is typically accompanied by an evening banquet sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honorary fraternity where the guest speaker offers a second, less formal after-dinner talk.

The annual lectures have become a highlight of the academic year and are an important ingredient in the professional development of our students.

Past Visiting Lecturers

  • 1991: Ted Robert Gurr (University of Maryland)
  • 1992: Michael Gant (University of Tennessee)
  • 1993: Benjamin I. Page (Northwestern University)
  • 1995: Governor Cecil H. Underwood
  • 1996: Daniel P. Jordan (President, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation)
  • 1997: Joe Johns (NBC-TV Capitol Hill Reporter)
  • 1998: Robert Dilger (West Virginia University)
  • 1999: Karen O’Connor (American University)
  • 2000: Melissa Williams (University of Toronto)
  • 2001: Matthew J. Gabel (University of Kentucky)
  • 2002: Thomas Chadwick (Davis and Elkins College)
  • 2003: Michael Berheide (Berea College)
  • 2004: Ronald Petitte (Bryan College)
  • 2005: Horace A. Bartilow (University of Kentucky)
  • 2006: Hank Cox
  • 2007: Margaret Farrar (Augustana University)
  • 2008: Paul Rupp (West Virginia Wesylan)
  • 2009: Chuck Smith (West Virginia State University)
  • 2010:
  • 2011: Gerald Beller (West Virginia State University)
  • 2012: Charles Anthony Smith (University of California, Irvine)
  • 2013: Doug Borer (Naval Postgraduate College)
  • 2014: Jami Taylor (University of Toledo)
  • 2015:
  • 2016: Mikel Morris (Coastal Carolina University)
  • 2017: Mark Sachleben (Shippensburg University)
  • 2018: Lauren Santoro (Rutgers University)
  • 2019: Jon Bohlan (Hollins University)
  • 2020: Joshua Lynn (Eastern Kentucky University)