Featured Alum News from our Fall 2020 department newsletter, Homo Politicus. Access the newsletter archive here.

Jeffrey Broxmeyer (Ph.D., 2014) published Electoral Capitalism: The Party System In New York’s Gilded Age (University of Pennsylvania Press 2020) and “Bringing The ‘Ring’ Back In: The Politics of Booty Capitalism,” in the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

Sam Hellman (M.A., 2020) accepted an offer for a Ph.D. program in Chinese Literature at Columbia University.

Fanny Lauby (Ph.D., 2014) was promoted to Associate Professor and received tenure at William Paterson University. Lauby also published “The leadership challenge: undocumented youths in social movement coalitions in the United States,” in Social Movement Studies.

Pierre Losson (Ph.D., 2018) appeared on The Arch & Anth Podcast to discuss the social, legal, and political factors determining whether returns of a cultural heritage object take place. He was also accepted as a fellow at Columbia University’s Italian Academy in support of his work “Claims for the Return of Cultural Heritage Objects: Latin America.”

Adam McMahon (Ph.D., 2018) published “Layering and the foundations of the modern American surveillance state, 1970-2020,” in Intelligence and National Security.

Michael Miller (Ph.D., 2017) is the program director for the Just Tech program, a new initiative at the Social Science Research Council (SSRC).

Yekaterina Oziashvili (Ph.D., 2012) published “Unsafe in any State: Reopening U.S. Schools Will be a Catastrophe,” in Left Voice.

Nick Pehlman (Ph.D., 2019) published “When Ukraine Abolished the Police: Lessons for America” for the Wilson Center.

Toni Pole (Ph.D., 2005) published “Am I Pretty? 10 Tips to More Aesthetically Pleasing PowerPoints,” in PS: Political Science & Politics.

Christopher Putney (M.A., 2020) published “Why Donald Trump’s model of executive power cannot cope with the Covid-19 crisis,” in the LSE US Centre.

Adam Sachs (M.A., 2020) was interviewed by GC News about pivoting careers during the pandemic and becoming the Director of Finance at Heights and Hills. 

Michael Sharpe (Ph.D., 2008) received fellowships from the Northeast Asia Council (NEAC) and the Japan Foundation. He published “Extending Postcolonial Sovereignty Games: The Multilevel Negotiation of Autonomy and Integration in the 2010 Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and Dutch Kingdom Relations,” in Ethnopolitics and “Learning Through The Pandemic: Transactional Online Education is Failing Our Students,” in American Association of University Professors. Sharpe was interviewed by Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asia Institute and the Ralph Bunch Institute’s International Horizons podcast on racism and immigration in Japan. He was a panelist at the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation on “Teaching in the Time of COVID.” 

Patricia Stapleton (Ph.D., 2012) was recognized by CUNY Graduate Center as a Graduate of the Last Decade Award recipient.

Michael J. Thompson (Ph.D., 2005) published The Specter of Babel: A Reconstruction of Political Judgment (SUNY 2020).

In Memoriam

Tom Waters

Our colleague and friend, Tom Waters, age 57, passed away due to complications from COVID-19 on April 4th, 2020. Tom epitomized the special qualities of our program, particularly in his dedication to using social science analysis to dissect the sources of inequality and exploitation in urban society and to address them by fostering social justice through community organization and progressive legislation. His ethnographic study of decision-making in a Manhattan community board deftly explored how the interplay between bureaucratic expertise and community engagement limited the scope of debate around land use. Through a quantitative study of neighborhood trajectories across New York City, he developed a more nuanced understanding of the forces driving neighborhood change. His not-yet-completed doctoral dissertation examined how the decisions and practices of city housing policy and program administrators played an important role in the disparate development paths of two comparable low-income New York City neighborhoods. A pillar of his many communities, Tom’s friends, colleagues, and family often describe him as beloved — below are some of our memories.

“Tom was the first Political Science student I met on my first trip to the department lounge on my first day of classes. He was busy working, but still made time to welcome me and introduce himself and explain helpful things to a new student. He was friendly, kind, and made me feel welcomed and like I’d made the right choice in choosing the Grad Center. Over the next years, I learned that this is who Tom was: always engaged in the work of helping others, in the most genuine and caring ways. Although Tom can longer share his compassion and guidance directly, everyone who was fortunate enough to know him knows that his contributions have helped so many people, and will continue to, for decades to come.” – Elena Cohen (Ph.D., 2020)

“When I was first looking at the possibility of completing a Ph.D. as an older student, I came across a promotional video about the Political Science Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. Out of everyone on the video, I was especially struck by Tom Waters who was praising the program for its ability to create opportunities for nontraditional students. It’s quite strange, but it almost felt like he was speaking directly to me. He also picked up the phone…even after I shamelessly cold-called him at work after watching that video. In fact, he gave me — a total stranger — a good 45 minutes of his time to discuss all the ins and outs of the program. It was obvious from this first encounter that he was a person of great integrity, honor, and genuine humility. Although we only crossed paths briefly, Tom’s genuine character was clear as day and I am fortunate to have known him, however briefly. He certainly made an impact on me and my life. May his memory be for a blessing.” – Josh Keller (Ph.D., 2014)

“I bonded with Tom when we first met, as we both were older students and both had backgrounds in left-wing organizing and activism. Tom had a warm, accepting personality but also an incredibly deep knowledge of and insight into a wide range of policy issues. He often answered questions with an array of references and wonderful book suggestions. I recall introducing prospective public policy students to Tom at the annual Poli Sci Open House. A conversation with Tom was a sure-fire way to sell our program! Tom had a special love for housing issues and was a major force in the affordable housing movement in NYC. His practical and academic work were both significant. His voice and passion will be sorely missed. I hope others learn from his example and rush in to take up his banner.” – Bruce Bernstein (M.A.)

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