CAS CONNECT 2018

Building Froma ‘Moment of Reflection’ Jalalzai’s vision for Political Science starts with a five-year strategic plan F arida Jalalzai had chaired the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Department of Political Science for two years when she came to Oklahoma State University for a non-administrative position in August 2015. Thanks to a recent promotion, she is now head of OSU’s Department of Political Science. Jalalzai served as interim department head from July 2017 to July 2018, when she accepted the promotion. She is excited to utilize her experience from both universities to oversee what she calls a “moment of reflection” for the department. “We have a huge opportunity because we have some positions to fill, and we could grow up to 50 percent over the next few years,” Jalalzai said. “We are establishing a five-year strategic plan. We have invited three external reviewers from different universities across the country to observe what we’re doing and help us determine what we should do in the future. We want to build on the things we do uniquely well.” The department’s strengths include teaching and research about American political behavior, campaigns, elections, minority politics, and conflict and security studies. Jalalzai wants to ensure the plan reflects that without falling into the trap of assuming the best choice is always to maintain the status quo that led to past success. “It’s easy to move through, year to year, without a clear path,” she said. “That’s tempting to do, but you won’t progress that way. Our department doesn’t have a lot of institutional memory, which can be challenging. We are at this really important moment of introspection before rolling up our sleeves and doing something new. We are committed to taking some clear ideas that we have really discussed as a faculty and throwing them out there for criticism by people from some of our aspirant peers.” Jalalzai expects that feedback to boost the faculty’s creativity in determining how and where to go next. STORY JACOB LONGAN | | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE “We are at this really important moment of introspection before rolling up our sleeves and doing something new.” FARIDA JALALZAI OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SC I ENCES 17