SPOTLIGHTS Maxwell Wins Book Award

Angie Maxwell, Blair Professor of Southern Studies and associate professor of political science, was awarded the national V. O. Key Award for Best Book in Southern Politics. She and her book, The Indicted South: Public Criticism, Southern Inferiority, and the Politics of Whiteness (University of North Carolina Press, 2014), were honored at the Southern Political Science Association national meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“I teach V. O. Key’s work almost every semester,” Maxwell said. “For my book to receive this kind of prestigious award named for such an influential scholar is thrilling. I am grateful for the encouragement.”

The Indicted South has received consistent praise and was featured on MSNBC news show, The Cycle. David Roediger, Foundation Distinguished Professor of American Studies at the University of Kansas, described Maxwell’s book as a “well-researched and often stylishly written study of the intellectual history of the twentieth-century South.”

The Journal of American Studies (Cambridge) called the book “bold,” “provocative,” and “fearless,” and American Studies (US) wrote that it “expands the canon on whiteness generally and brings new depth to research on southern whiteness.” The book has also garnered praise from the Journal of American History, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Journal of Southern History, the Middle West Review, and was deemed “highly recommended” by Choice, a magazine that reviews current publications for academic libraries.

Key is considered the father of southern politics research after a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation resulted in his publication of the landmark book, Southern Politics in State and Nation (1949). The award named in his honor is given annually to the best book on southern politics.

In addition to authoring The Indicted South, Maxwell coedited Unlocking V. O. Key, Jr.: Southern Politics for the Twenty-first Century (University of Arkansas Press, 2011) and The Ongoing Burden of Southern History: Politics and Identity in the Twenty-first Century South (Louisiana State University Press, 2012). She also edited a new edition of Ralph McGill’s A Church, A School (University of South Carolina Press, 2012). Her research has appeared in the academic journals Southern Cultures, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Journal of Black Studies, American Behavioral Scientist, Race and Social Problems, Social Science Quarterly, and The Southern Quarterly, among others. Her current book project is The Long Southern Strategy (Oxford University Press).

Posler Tapped as President

Brian Posler, provost, Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, has been named president of Lake Erie College. The appointment was made in February, and Posler will take office at the private liberal arts college in June.

“I am thrilled to become the 12th president of Lake Erie College,” says Posler. “I gratefully accept the mantle of leadership of this dynamic institution with its vibrant spirit of community and grand liberal arts tradition. I look forward to joining the directors, faculty and staff as together we fulfill our mission to prepare students for meaningful lives, successful careers and responsible citizenship.”

Posler received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell College and a master’s and doctorate in political science from Rice University. He held several faculty positions at Millikin University before becoming associate provost at the University of Southern Indiana. In 2012, he came to Baker University as the executive vice president for academic affairs before becoming provost in 2014. Posler is also the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Baker University as well as a professor of political science.

Researchers Recognized

A joint 2015 Leamer-Rosenthal Prize for Emerging Researchers was awarded to Peter Aronow, assistant professor, political science and biostatistics, Yale University; David Broockman, assistant professor, political economy, Stanford University; and Joshua Kalla, PhD student, political science, University of California, Berkeley. The three researchers were recognized for uncovering the inconsistencies in funding and data in a highly influential paper published in Science. Their discovery precipitated a swift retraction from Science as well as a seismic reaction in the social science community. The aftershocks of the episode sparked serious conversations about research transparency and methods.

Breslauer Awarded for Leadership

University of California, Berkeley professor emeritus George Breslauer is the recipient of the 2016 Clark Kerr Award for Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education. An expert on Soviet politics and foreign relations, Breslauer earned a bachelor’s degree and PhD from the University of Michigan, and joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1971.

He has served in a multitude of roles, including as chair of the political science department and of the Center for Slavic and East European Studies, dean of the division of social sciences, and executive dean of the College of Letters and Science. From 2006 to 2014, he was Berkeley’s executive vice chancellor and provost, managing the campus’s day-to-day operations and budgeting.

A letter from the Committee on Faculty Awards for the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate cited accomplishments that merit the Clark Kerr Award, which is a tribute to the leadership and legacy of President Emeritus Kerr, Berkeley’s first chancellor, and recognition of extraordinary contributions to the advancement of higher education. Past recipients include the late California governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and past Berkeley Chancellors Ira Michael Heyman and Chang-Lin Tien.

The letter, signed by the committee chair, professor Peter Berck, called Breslauer exceptionally well-qualified to receive the Clark Kerr Award. “He will bring honor to the memory of Clark Kerr just as this medal will bring honor to him,” Berck wrote.

Breslauer was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award in social sciences in 1997, was appointed Chancellor’s Professor in 1998, and received the Berkeley Citation, one of the campus’s highest honors, in 2013. In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“I have spent my entire career at this extraordinary university, striving to meet its high standards in my teaching, scholarship, and administrative leadership,” said Breslauer in response to the Clark Kerr Award. “Let me extend sincere thanks to the UC Berkeley Academic Senate for its appreciation of the fruits of my efforts. Surely, recognition by one’s academic peers is the most gratifying form of validation.”

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