Political Science

Globally Engaged Faculty

The Department of Political Science at Western Michigan University has a number of faculty whose global footprint is far-reaching. They conduct field research, win prestigious grants, lead study abroad programs and engage in consulting work on four continents. Some of their accomplishments:

Gunther Hega has extensive experience in the European Union zone, especially in German-speaking Europe and at policy conferences in Brussels. He helped established WMU's study abroad site in Bonn, Germany and was its faculty director for several years.
Sushi Datta-Sandhu was one of the original researchers of eventual Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement in Kenya and is the faculty director of WMU's study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa.
Priscilla Lambert lived and studied for five years in Japan and more recently was the principle investigator in an NSF grant examining constitutional arrangements to promote gender equality around the world.
Mahendra Lawoti is an accomplished scholar on democratization and ethnic relations in South Asia. Recognized as a leading expert on Nepal, he frequently presents at conferences and is a regular contributor to two Nepali dailies.
Paul Clements, director of the MIDA program, has done extensive program evaluations of development projects in Africa and elsewhere. He is regularly sought as a consultant by development agencies as UNDP, USAID and UNICEF. Before getting his Ph.D., he spent several years in The Gambia as a Peace Corp volunteer.
Jim Butterfield has visited Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union roughly forty times as a researcher, Fulbright scholar (twice), visiting faculty member and consultant on USAID and ADB projects. He is also the faculty director of WMU's Summer in Istanbul study abroad program.
Susan Hoffmann, an expert is U.S. public policy and public management, is a Fulbright alumna in Germany and has consulted with representatives from overseas on government-created banks and lending programs.
Kevin Corder is a Fulbright veteran, having researched the European financial crisis in EU countries and especially one of its newer members, Malta.
Yuan-Kang Wang, specializes in international relations, East Asian security and U.S.-China relations. His research examines the nexus between international relations theory and historical China. He travels to China to give lectures and continue his research.