Political Science Blog Archive

The Major Brent Taylor Foundation Gala

August 26, 2021

Eitan Hersh, author of Politics is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, and Assistant Professor of Civic Studies from the Department of Political Science at Tufts' Tisch College spoke on Thursday, October 15, at 11am via Zoom. The Office of Civic Engagement hosted the event and the lecture lasted about an hour and was well attended. Dr. Hersh from Tufts spoke on his book, Politics is for Power, published in January 2020: He reiterated the main message of the book, a condemnation of political hobbyism, which is like treating politics as entertainment, and the book is a call to arms for well-meaning, well-informed citizens who consume political news but do not take political action. Hersh suggests that normal citizens should be spending the same number of hours building political organizations, implementing a long-term vision for our city or town, and getting to know our neighbors, whose votes will be needed for solving hard problems as they do tweeting and posting about political gossip. It was a fascinating discussion.

Michael Barber, from BYU Political Science, and John Holbein, from the University of Virginia, authored an article in the AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science, on the current topic of mail-in voting and its impact on elections.

Curt Magleby is Vice President, U.S. Government Relations, Ford Motor Company and spoke to our Public Affairs Career Lecture Series on Thursday, September 26, 2019. He spoke about his position engaging with policymakers on a wide range of legislative and regulatory issues and overseeing Ford's federal, state and local government affairs. Magleby previously was director, U.S. State and Local Government Relations. He reports to Mitch Bainwol, chief government relations officer.

Rich Hartvigsen spoke at the Public Affairs Career Lecture Series and is Vice President of Global Government and Industry Affairs for Nu Skin Enterprises. He spoke about his career at Nu Skin Enterprises in the legal area of direct selling and marketing a broad range of personal care and nutritional supplement products through a network of independent distributors numbering nearly 800,000 individuals in fifty‐one countries around the world.

On Thursday September 12, 2019, Shannon Manning spoke to our Political Careers Lecture Series. She spoke about her 20 years’ experience in grassroots advocacy and communications. Shannon Manning serves as Senior Vice President of Advocate Engagement at DDC Public Affairs, a public relations organization which handles public and private sector PR. Shannon has played a key role in the evolution of DDC’s approach to advocacy over the years, and was partof the cross-functional team that, in 2008, pioneered DDC’s community-based advocacy offering, which helps clients build long-term advocacy programs that can engage a range of stakeholders on multiple issues on a long-term basis. This community-based approach to advocacy now serves as the strategic foundation for several of the company’s most successful campaigns, delivering increased ROI in support of our client’s political and business objectives.

BYU lecture series was eager to have David Barlow as its speaker on March 7th, 2019. Barlow received his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University. He received his J.D. degree from Yale Law School, where he was a Truman Scholar. Barlow worked for the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin for a time. He then was chief counsel to Mike Lee in connection with Lee's position as a member of the Senate judiciary committee. David B. Barlow has served as United States Attorney for the district of Utah since October 2011.

On February 21st, BYU Lecture Series was blessed to have Margaret Woolley Busse speak to students. Margaret Busse started her lecture by asking students, “What would you be if you were what you thought about in the shower?” She explained how in the shower one can let their mind naturally think and go where it wants, when there really is nothing else to think about. She went on to share that for herself, Busse thinks of the most effective ways to help people lead lives of dignity, purpose, and prosperity. This seemed to become the focus of her lecture, to give insight that might help BYU students live lives of dignity, purpose, and prosperity.

On Thursday, January 24th, BYU lecture series was pleased to have Senator Jeff Flake speak to students. Jeff Flake is a politician who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 2013 to 2019. A Republican, Flake previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013. Jeff Flake was born in Snowflake, Arizona, and attended Brigham Young University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and later his Master of Arts degree in political science.

On Thursday, January 17th, 2019, Crystal Young-Otterstrom spoke to student on the value of humanities and arts within the political sphere. Crystal has been involved in politics for 15+ years and has kept her career service oriented. She is one of the three co-chairs of Latter-Day Saint Democrats of America and recently was the treasurer of the Utah Democratic Party. She is also Executive Director of Utah Cultural Alliance and heavily involved in Utah’s cultural sector.

On November 8th, 2018 BYU Lecture Series was privileged to hear from Elizabeth Fitzsimmons. Elizabeth is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State since October 1, 2018. She was previously the Acting Deputy Spokesperson for the Department from March to August 2018. Prior assignments include Deputy Executive Secretary to Secretaries Kerry and Tillerson, Senior Advisor at the Foreign Service Institute, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. She joined the Department in 1995, and at the time of her swearing in was the youngest member of the Foreign Service.

BYU Lecture series was privileged to hear from John Dinkelman on Thursday, November 14th, 2018. John Dinkelman is chief of staff in the Bureau of Administration at the U.S. Department of State. Dinkelman’s overseas assignments with the Foreign Service have included: Yugoslavia, the UK, the Marshall Islands, the Netherlands, Turkey, Mexico, and most recently the Bahamas as chargé d’affaires. During his five years at the Foreign Service Institute, he trained over 2,700 officers—more than 40 percent of the American diplomatic corps—for which he received the 2006 Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award.

Brigham Young University enjoyed having Ally Isom speak at the Public Affairs Lecture Series on Thursday, November 2nd. Ally Isom is currently the director of Institutional Messaging for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The evening was full of her sharing motivational experiences and inspiration advice. She continually reminded us throughout the night that there is “no magic formula for success, except faith.”

On October 11th, 2018, Heber E. Scruggs spoke to students at the BYU Public Affairs Lecture Series. “Bud” Scruggs focused his lecture on his experience in business and politics, while also leaving students with advice for their futures. He gave high regards to the “bright and good students at BYU”!

On Sunday, March 4, 2018, Ally Isom, Director of Institutional Messaging for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and a BYU Alum, presented a fireside at a beautiful home in Sandy, Utah. Julie and Derek sang and played the piano, then Ally began by speaking about “asylum” and how she was on an emotional frontier, and altered permanently, by the death of her daughter. At the time, she was emotionally seeking refuge. The frontier is where we learn the most, she said: the power of identity, and the power of voices.