Drury University Political Science and International Affairs Department

10/22/2026

Please see below the links for various candidate interviews from the non-partisan Informed Voter Coalition (IVC). These interviews are relatively short, ask specific questions, and elicit responses from the candidates. As you will see, some candidates declined to be interviewed, one was unable to because of scheduling conflicts, and one did not respond to multiple requests.

The Coalition is made up of the League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri, Ozarks Tech's Social Sciences Department, Leadership Springfield, the Springfield-Greene County Library District, the L.E. Meador Center for Politics & Citizenship at Drury University, the Springfield News-Leader, Be Civil Be Heard, Missouri State University Office of Public Affairs, NAACP Springfield, Rosie, Show Me Christian County, the Springfield Business Journal and Ozarks Public Broadcasting.

Feel free to share any or all of these interviews. The interviews will also be heard on KSMU starting next week.
November 2026 Election Candidate Interviews | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLId4myCHlMkQ
Click on the links in the YouTube video to watch individual interviews.
The following candidates declined to participate in interviews:
MO 7th Congressional District | Eric Burlison
MO House District 131 | Bill Owen
MO House District 140 | Jamie Gragg
The following candidate was unable to participate in interviews due to scheduling conflicts:
MO House District 132 | Russ Gosselin
The following candidate did not respond to multiple requests to participate in interviews:
MO House District 129 | Will Worsham

The Informed Voter Coalition works to educate the public ahead of elections by interviewing candidates for local races. Coalition partners host radio and vid...

10/21/2026

Election day is in two weeks, with seats and a host of ballot initiatives in the balance. Dr. Dan Ponder, LE Meador Distinguished Professor of Political Science, lends his analysis to this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.

Two professors have clear ideas as to what a "blue wave" would look like in the Show-Me State. And both agree that any projections of Democratic success must be tempered by one fact: "Missouri is a solidly 'red' state," said UMSL's Anita Manion.

10/01/2026

Join us on October 27 at 5:30 in the Lyceum at Olin Drury F.W. Olin Library!

Join us for the next event in the Meador Speaker Series!

On Tuesday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m. in The Lyceum (Olin Library), Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education at Missouri S&T, will speak on “Global and Domestic Implications of the US/Israel War with Iran.”

Dr. Boroujerdi is a nationally recognized scholar of Iranian politics and international affairs. Before joining Missouri S&T, he served as a professor at Syracuse University for nearly three decades and as Director of the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech. He is the author or editor of several books on Iran and has served as President of the Association for Iranian Studies, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard, and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow.

His expertise is regularly sought by major news organizations, including NPR, The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera.

In August, he penned a poignant and personal reflection in a Guest Essay, published by the New York Times, entitled "This Is What My Father’s Assassination Taught Me About the War in Iran" and is posted in the comments (Gift Article).

Who: Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi (https://sites.mst.edu/boroujerdi/)
What: “Global and Domestic Implications of the US/Israel War with Iran.” (Meador Center Speaker Series)
When: Tuesday, October 27, at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Lyceum (Upper floor of Olin Library on the Drury campus)
Cost: NONE. Meador events are free and open to the public.

07/13/2026

Congratulations to Drury Political Science and Middle East Studies alumna Rachel Abdoler on completing her PhD from the University of Chicago and appointment as Assistant Dean!

06/16/2026

06/11/2026

Fantastic experiences on the History and Political Science departments' Rome Study Abroad program! A Drury shout out at the Papal Audience and visits including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization HQ. At today's visit to the lower house of parliament (Chamber of Deputies), Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni spoke to the chamber during debate.

05/10/2026

Spring graduation always marks the moment between an ending and a beginning— and it’s always bittersweet. We’ll miss this group of graduates, but we’re even more excited to see where life takes them next. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

Unfortunately, Professors Jeff VandenBerg, Crista Hogan, and Justin Leinaweaver were unable to attend graduation, but we were all able to celebrate
at the department’s year-end banquet, a couple of weeks ago. 

05/01/2026

Round two of oral arguments in Dr. Ponder's PLSC 335: Supreme Court and Constitutional Law class was another great success.

Different students, a different case, and a different set of judges—but the same result: our students did us proud once again. They delivered thoughtful, well-prepared arguments, handled tough questions with composure, and represented Drury extremely well.

This round featured Chiles v. Salazar, a First Amendment free speech case involving counseling and conversion therapy. Judges Bates (who has been part of this exercise since our very first case, Heller v. DC, back in 2008), Goodman, and Hammer pushed the students with challenging questions while also offering helpful, constructive feedback.

A great way to wrap up. We'll do it again in two years!

04/29/2026

Half the class in Dr. Dan Ponder’s PLSC 335: Supreme Court and Constitutional Law case wrapped up their Supreme Court arguments yesterday—after braving torrential rain, hail, and wind to get there—and then arguing before actual judges from the Missouri Court of Appeals. They were outstanding.

This is not an easy assignment. Students have to master a complex constitutional law case, write a full brief, and then stand up and defend their arguments under sustained questioning. Today’s case, Hamm v. Smith, raised difficult Eighth Amendment questions and even required students to grapple with statistics—thinking carefully about IQ testing, standard error, and how courts assess culpability. They handled all of it with impressive clarity and confidence!

The judges offered generous and well-earned praise, and it was great to see the students rise to the moment. MANY thanks to Chief Judge Jennifer Growcock, and Judges Becky West and Byan Nickell for putting in the time to read the students' written briefs and then listen to argument and provide feedback. Also a shoutout to Professor Crista Hogan, who showed up for moral support and provided a few candid pictures from a different angle.

Round two tomorrow (April 30): the rest of the class will argue Childers v. Salazar, a First Amendment case involving counseling and conversion therapy.

04/28/2026

A wonderful time at our spring banquet last week celebrating graduating seniors, new Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honorary inductees, department award recipients, and recognizing all the amazing achievements of our students this year!