Political Science Department

Faksh, Mahmud A.

Professor of Political Science; American University of Beirut, B.A., 1965; University of Connecticut, Ph.D., 1973. Author of:  The Future of Islam in the Middle East:  Fundamentalism in Egypt, Algeria and Saudi Arabia (1997).  Previously taught at the University of Connecticut, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; served as Senior Research Associate in Islamic and Arabian Development Studies and Visiting Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University. Has published extensively on Middle East and Islamic affairs. Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1987.

Hamilton, Michael S.

Professor of Political Science specializing in environmental and natural resources policy; B.A. 1974; M.A., 1977; Ph.D., 1984, Colorado State University. Professional experience with Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.; and City of Fort Collins, Colorado.  Publications include: The Dynamics of Law, 4th ed (2008); Mining Environmental Policy (2005), winner of the American Society for Public Administration Award for the best book of public administration scholarship published in 2004 & 2005; Threading the Needle:  Analysis of the Julie N Oil Spill and its Aftermath (1999); Impact of Acid Rain Controls on Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (1993); Regulatory Federalism, Natural Resources and Environmental Management (1990), and Nuclear Weapons in the University Classroom (1990).  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1985.

Klotz, Robert J.

Kuzma Lynn M.

Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science; Director of International Studies; specializing in international relations and political theory; Ohio State University,  M.A., 1990, Ph.D., 1995.  Her areas of special interest are U.S. Foreign Policy, International Organizations, Political Theory and Political Psychology.  She has worked with students of all ages on understanding the United Nations, in classroom and Internet settings.  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1998.

Maiman, Richard J.

Professor of Political Science; Lake Forest College, B.A., 1967; Brown University, Ph.D., 1972. Specialist in Constitutional Law, the American Presidency and American Politics. Co-author of American Constitutional Law: Introduction and Case Studies (1991) and Divorce Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice (Oxford University Press, 2001), which won the American Political Science Association Pritchett Prize for the best book on the law and courts in 2001.  Research on alternative dispute resolution supported by the National Science Foundation and The State Justice Institute has been reported in many articles in social science and law journals.  2002-03 USM Trustee Professor.  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1971.  He is on leave from USM during Spring 2009.

Schmidt, Ronald, Jr.

Associate Professor of Political Science specializing in political theory (American and European), racial and ethnic politics (American) and urban politics; University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1988, M.A., 1990, Ph.D, 1998.  He is the author of This Is the City: Making Model Citizens in Los Angeles (University of Minnesota Press, 2005).  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1999.

Vassallo, Francesca

Adams, Herbert

Coogan, William H.

Associate Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Boston College, B.A., 1963: Rutgers University, M.A., 1964; University of North Carolina, Ph.D., 1971; University of Maine School of Law, J.D., 1988. Co-author of The Science of Politics (1982) and The Motivations of Politicians (1984), and a lawyer active in civil rights and civil liberties issues.  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1972. Retired in 2004.

Fisher, Irving D.

Emeritus Professor of Political Science; University of Connecticut, B.A., 1946; Columbia University, M.A., 1953; Ph.D., 1976. Author of Frederick Law Olmsted and the City Planning Movement (1986), and specializes in political theory and urban politics.  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1967.  Retired in 1999.

Hunt, Jack

Adjunct Lecturer in Political Science; Columbia University, B.A., 1969; University of Maine School of Law, J.D., 1973.

Richard L. Pattenaude

Chancellor of the University of Maine System and Professor of Political Science; San Jose State University, B.A., Economics, 1968; University of Colorado, Ph.D., 1974. Specialist in American Government and Politics, Higher Education, Non-Profit and Public Sector Management, Planning and Budgeting.  Member of several boards and commissions including: Portland Museum of Art, Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce, Maine Development Foundation, Maine Science and Technology Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Maine, Institute for Civic Leadership. Has served as consultant to New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the National Collegiate Association for Teacher Education, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the Governors of Maine, Connecticut, and Iowa. Has published monographs and journal articles on planning, organizational change, and leadership. President of  the University of Southern Maine, 1991-2007.  (Individual Website)

Roberts, James W.

Associate Professor Emeritus of Political Science; San Diego State College, B.A., 1954; University of North Carolina, Ph.D., 1973.  A specialist in politics in the former Soviet Union who has traveled extensively in the Middle East.  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1967.  Retired in 2004.

Trautman, Karl

Adjunct Professor of Political Science; Keene State College, B.A. 1984; Northeastern University M.A. 1986; University of Hawaii Ph.D. 1992.  He has served as a policy analyst with the Senate Democratic Caucus in Lansing, Michigan, and a research assistant for Meet the Press in Washington D.C.

Woshinsky, Oliver H.

Emeritus Professor of Political Science; Oberlin College, B.A., 1961; Yale University, Ph.D., 1971.  He is the author of Explaining Politics: Culture, Institutions, and Political Behavior (Routledge, 2008), Culture and Politics (1995) and The French Deputy (1973); Co-author of The Motivation of Politicians (1984), The Science of Politics (1982), and Approaching Democracy (1996 - 1st edition).  Joined the University of Southern Maine in 1971.  Retired in 2001.