Political science is the study of constitutions, law, and government, at the local, national, and international levels, and of those things that influence the exercise of political power, such as individual interests and attitudes, norms, institutions, and culture.
On Saturday, April 25, Professors Roger Abshire, Mari Garza, and Emily Cedillo represented the Department of Political Science at the university’s second Bobcat Day of the Spring 2026 semester.
The event welcomed thousands of prospective students and their families to campus for a closer look at what Texas State University has to offer. During the program, faculty members met with attendees to discuss academic opportunities and provide insight into both the field of political science and the department itself. They connected with more than 100 students and parents, answering questions about political science, public administration, and pre-law while sharing informational materials on degree options, course requirements, internships, career pathways, and available classes.
Dr. Roger Abshire emphasized the value of the event, stating, “Bobcat Day is a great opportunity for the Department to make an outstanding first impression on prospective Political Science students.”
There are two Bobcat days per semester. You can visit the event’s website here.
On Thursday, April 23, the Department of Political Science held its annual Awards Ceremony for the 2025-2026 school year. Departmental awards and scholarships were presented by Dr. Ken Grasso, Department Chair; Dr. Vince Bagnulo, the department’s Associate Chair; Dr. Howard Balanoff, Professor and Co-Director of the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program; and Dr. Michelle Evans, Director of the Legal Studies Program. Dr. Mary Brennan, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, distributed College of Liberal Arts Academic Excellence Certificates to juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.75 or higher.
Faculty, students, and their families were able to come together at the LBJ Student Center to celebrate the year’s accomplishments.
Students recognized at the ceremony included:
Political Science Awards and Scholarships
Outstanding Graduate Student: E. Reagan Haik
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Ashton Hansen
The Richard B. Henderson Political Science Award: William Barry
The James H. McCrocklin Memorial Political Science Endowed Scholarship: Camilla Velazquez
The Bettylee & Daniel Farlow Endowed Scholarship in Political Science: Jakob Salsgiver
The Barney & Linda Knight Endowed Scholarship Fund: Saniyha Coleman, Lea Hartman, Fritz Kokinda, Monique Perez, Layla Saldua
The Walter Richter Endowed Scholarship Fund: Valentina Vera-Gonzalez
Public Administration Awards and Scholarships
William P. Hobby Center for Public Service Scholarship: Mst Thahsina Aktar Asha, Hannah Faith Amaya, Tanya Garduno, Heather Hampton, Ben Holt, Syeda Zareen Jahan, Ishrat Ritu, Ariela Velazquez
Francis Rich Scholarship: Savanna Batson, E. Reagan Haik, Nusrat Neela, Julia Hester
Clarence E. Ridley Scholarship: Walker Allee
ICMA Local Government Management Fellowship: Riyanka Aryal, Joa Brown
Pi Alpha Alpha Inductees: Fall 2025 – Mst Thahsina Aktar, Stacy Oakley, Chezelle de la Peña; Spring 2026 – Hannah Faith Amaya, Joa Brown, E. Reagan Haik, Zoe Kulas, Nusrat Jahan Neela, Ariela Velazquez
Legal Studies Scholarships
Outstanding Legal Studies Graduate Student: Andrea Toro Yehya
The Dale Hardin Memorial Endowed Scholarship: Alyssa Abitia
On Saturday, April 11, several student organizations from TXST attended “Careers in Politics 2026,” a conference organized by the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas at Austin. The event offered students insight into diverse career paths in politics, policy, and public service. It provided direct access to professionals working in campaigns, government, nonprofits, media, and advocacy. Additionally, there were resume-building opportunities, including professional headshots.
Representatives of the following student organizations participated in the conference: International City County Management Association (ICMA) student chapter, Supporting Women in Political Science (SWIPS), and the Mock Trial Team. Several poli sci students who were not affiliated with an organization also attended.
Attendees spoke positively about the experience, particularly about the networking opportunities with the various esteemed speakers. The keynote speakers were Rep. Dade Phelan of TX House District 21 (a prominent Republican legislator and former Speaker of the House) and Samantha Lopez-Resendez, Democratic Nominee of TX House District 50.
On Tuesday, April 28, the Mock Trial Team celebrated the end of the school year with a banquet at Kerbey Lane Cafe. The banquet gave team members a chance to share a meal and reflect on their experiences. It also gave them a chance to discuss their plans for next year. They were joined at the banquet by faculty advisors Drs. David Levy and Christopher Brown, who expressed their pride in what the team has accomplished and praised the dedication of its members.
Officers shared how excited they were to begin competing next school year and their plans to build up the team’s skills through continued scrimmages in the meantime. Members were also able to recognize team members set to graduate in May, thanking them for their participation and wishing them well for the future.
The Mock Trial Team at Texas State University is a competitive academic organization that prepares students for intercollegiate mock trial competitions. Founded in 2025, the team provides members with hands-on legal experience through trial simulations, workshops, and guest speaker events. Open to students of all majors, the organization emphasizes skill development, collaboration, and preparation for future legal careers.
For additional information, email Dr. David Levy at kia38@txstate.edu or visit the official Instagram page here (@txstatemocktrial).
On Monday, April 27, the International City County Management Association (ICMA) student chapter at Texas State met with the city manager of Pflugerville, Texas, Sereniah Breland, at Buda’s City Hall. She gave a presentation entitled “From Where I Started to City Management: Leadership, Growth, and Impact.”
The presentation focused on the means by which future and current public administrators can deal with the professional tensions that arise in bureaucratic institutions. Particular attention was drawn to the city managers in navigating these tensions. Attendees gained insight on strategies for effective human capital management, work-life balance, advancement in public-sector careers, and the strengths/weaknesses of leadership roles in municipal governance.
Sereniah Breland is currently appointed as the City Manager of Pflugerville. Previously, she served in the cities of Alvin, TX, and Guthrie, OK, as well as serving as City Manager of Goliad, TX. She began her career in local government as an assistant to the City Manager in Greenville, TX through the Urban Fellowship of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which led her to Denton, TX as a Recycling Coordinator and then Sugar Land, TX as the Support Services Director.
The International City County Management Association (ICMA) advances professional local government through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics. ICMA’s members are the professional city, town, and county managers who are appointed by elected officials to oversee the day-to-day operation of our communities. At the subnational level, ICMA has state associates, including the Texas City Management Association (TCMA). TCMA cultivates a grassroots pipeline of professional talent with chapters on college campuses, including the Region 7 chapter at Texas State University.
For more information on Texas State’s International City/County Management Association student chapter, please contact President Hannah Kriese at hgc6@txstate.edu or faculty advisor Dr. Miha Vindis at mvindis@txstate.edu.
On Friday, April 17, the College of Liberal Arts hosted the 2026 Undergraduate Expo, an annual opportunity for undergraduate students across COLA’s nine departments and three centers to share their research. Students participate in oral or poster presentations, competing for recognition from a panel of judges as well as from their peers.
The following students’ projects were participated in the in the expo:
Alondra Ayala, “Civil Society Resistance to Third-Term Presidencies: Zambia and Cameroon in Comparative Perspective” (oral)
Haley Smith, “Foundations in Decay: An Analysis of Democratic Backsliding in Mexico” (oral)
Danielle Rodriquez, “Social Media & U.S. Foreign Policy: How Digital Platforms Shape Responses to International Crisis” (poster)
Four political science students participated in the event, all of whom worked directly with Dr. Vince Bagnulo, Assistant Professor of Instruction in the department.
Dr. Bagnulo, the department’s Associate Chair, who coordinated the department’s participation in the event, observed that “the reflected students’ dedication, diligence, and willingness to go above and beyond what is expected of them. Each students’ impressive work served as a reminder of the extensive talent and work ethic of political science students.”
Prizes were generously donated by TXST alumni, with 1st Place Poster and Oral receiving $1000 scholarships and 2nd Place Poster and Oral receiving $500 scholarships. This year’s winners were Brandon West (History, oral), Carolina Cambron (Geography, oral), Isabella Litwin (Spanish & Business Management, poster), and Electra Zatorski (Psychology, poster).
Additional photos can be seen on the College of Liberal Arts’ Instagram page (@txstla) here.
The Department of Political Science houses two academic journals, an international mediation newsletter, and two program magazines - Political Science's Alumni NewsWire and Public Administration's Public Matters.
