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Lander to Host Statewide Political Science Conference

Faculty and students from 23 colleges and universities in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee will gather at Lander University March 11-12 for the annual meeting of the South Carolina Political Science Association.

Dr. Lucas McMillan, assistant professor of political science at Lander, conference program chair and SCPSA vice president, said most participants will be faculty members but graduate students will also present their research.

Undergraduates were also invited to present polished papers and compete for the annual Mary Jean Byrd Award for the best undergraduate paper. Two Lander students, Jeremy Babb of North Augusta and Ty Grogan of Greenwood, will be among those presenting papers and competing for the award.

The conference will include 14 panel discussions covering a variety of topics including issues in American national politics, South Carolina politics, international relations and judicial politics. McMillan noted that eight Lander faculty members from political science, business, criminal justice management, economics, health care management and sociology will participate as presenters, discussants or panel chairs.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Loch Johnson, regents professor of political science at the University of Georgia and a noted expert on national security issues. Johnson has extensive experience with the U.S. House and Senate intelligence committees and is a consultant with the National Security Council and State Department. His topic will be "An Appraisal of Covert Actions as Instruments of American Foreign Policy."

McMillan said the topic is sure to be of interest to students and faculty.