Faculty Public Engagement

In addition to academic publications, members of Drake's Political Science department are frequently invited to speak to students, alumni, and the general public through interviews, opinion pieces, panel discussions, and podcasts. Here are some recent examples.

Rachel Paine Caufield

• Rachel Paine Caufield on the politics and procedure of electing a new Speaker of the US House of Representatives
• Rachel Paine Caufield on keeping the Iowa caucuses
• Rachel Paine Caufield on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River show:
  • January 18, 2024
  • June 20, 2024

Debra DeLaet

• Profs DeLaet, Skidmore, and Williams speaking with Drake alumni about the war in Ukraine
• Drake University hosts panel discussion of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Mary McCarthy

• Mary McCarthy on the symbolism of the meeting of the US, Japan, and South Korean leaders
• Mary McCarthy comments for the BBC on sexual slavery in countries occupied by Japan during World War II
• Mary McCarthy discusses the outlook for U.S. President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Suga's summit

David Skidmore

• David Skidmore, "Will Mike Johnson repeat an isolationist error that preceded World War II?" Des Moines Register, February 29, 2024
• David Skidmore, “What it Means to Be an ‘Old Friend of the Chinese People,” The Diplomat, December 12, 2023.
• David Skidmore, “Kissinger and the Seductions of Power,” Iowa Capital Dispatch, December 2, 2023
• David Skidmore, “China-US Relations After the Biden-Xi Summit: Beyond Stabilization," The Diplomat, November 18, 2023
• David Skidmore served as a visiting scholar for International Faculty Week at Tec de Monterrey in Guadalajara, Mexico November 6-10, where he gave four guest lectures on topics in international affairs.
• Profs DeLaet, Skidmore, and Williams speaking with Drake alumni about the war in Ukraine
• Drake University hosts panel discussion of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
• David Skidmore’s podcast with Kyle Munson: US-China: Searching for Common Ground
• David Skidmore’s commentaries:
  • "How Rent Control Helped Create East Palo Alto," Shelterforce, March 22, 2022
  • "How China’s Ambitious Belt and Road Plans for East Africa Came Apart," The Diplomat, March 4, 2022. Reprinted in the European Financial Review, April 20, 2022
  • "Public Servants Deserve a Hug, Not a Swift Kick," with Kyle Munson, Iowa Capital Dispatch, February 26, 2022

Kieran Williams

• Kieran Williams on the 30th anniversary of the breakup of Czechoslovakia and why it is not a model for other countries
• Profs DeLaet, Skidmore, and Williams speaking with Drake alumni about the war in Ukraine
• Drake University hosts panel discussion of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
• Kieran Williams on witnessing the failed 1991 coup in Moscow that led to the end of the Soviet Union:
  • Cold War Conversations
  • Blog post