Sullivan takes over as department chair

Political Science Professor Vickie Sullivan now chairs of one of Tufts' largest departments this week.

She replaces James Glaser, who became the Dean of the Colleges for Undergraduate Education this week.

As the new chair, Sullivan said her priority is to maintain an environment where the political science faculty can be "as effective as possible for all students."

The most important task for the department this year, according to department members, is hiring.

"Our faculty determines the character of the entire political science department," Sullivan said. "That is of utmost importance to me right now."

The department's faculty is currently short by three positions, while enrollment in political science classes is at a historically high level. This semester, 1,376 students are enrolled in political science classes, 46 percent more than two years ago.

"This comes as both a blessing and a challenge for the future," Sullivan said. "It's incredibly exciting for our entire faculty that so many students are enrolling."

However, she recognizes the challenge that the understaffed department faces of assuring that all students have a fulfilling experience in political science classes.

With the loss of Glaser as a full professor, the department is currently searching for a new professor of American Politics, which has proven challenging.

"Glaser has been an incredibly effective teacher," Sullivan said. "It will be a huge hurdle to find someone who can even approach him in terms of his ability to connect with his students."

According to Sullivan, finding new professors of comparable prestige to the rest of the department will be a challenge as well. Tufts typically seeks professors of recognized expertise, and most applicants have published scholarly articles. Two faculty-authored books will be released this year, and eight more are scheduled for the next two years.

A handful of assistant professors will be up for review this spring. The entire department will be helping lead these junior faculty members through the review process.

"It's important to all of us to continue the success of political science at Tufts," Sullivan said. "We've built quite the momentum over the past few years, and we intend to try our best to continue facilitating that same productivity."