The Department of Political Science celebrated the achievements of its graduating seniors during the annual Undergraduate Graduation Reception on May 9, recognizing exceptional academic performance, original research, and distinguished accomplishments across the major.
Faculty, staff, students, families, and guests gathered to honor members of the Class of 2026 whose work reflects the department’s commitment to intellectual rigor, scholarly inquiry, and academic excellence. During the reception, graduates were recognized, undergraduate award recipients were formally announced, and new members were inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society.
Distinguished Alumnus Speaker
The reception featured a keynote address from alumnus David Agranovich, currently Meta’s Director of Threat Disruption. In this role, Agranovich coordinates efforts to disrupt influence operations, cyber‑espionage, cybercrime, and adversarial networks across Meta’s platforms, while also developing policies to deter misuse of the platform.
Pi Sigma Alpha Induction
As part of the celebration, the department conducted its annual Pi Sigma Alpha induction ceremony. Twenty‑five undergraduate students were inducted into the national political science honor society in recognition of their exceptional academic achievement in the discipline.
In addition, David Agranovich was inducted as an honorary member of Pi Sigma Alpha, recognizing his distinguished career and contributions to public service, national security, and the application of political science beyond the academy.
Distinguished Senior Achievement and Academic Excellence
The Francis R. Aumann Award for Distinguished Senior Achievement, presented annually to the department’s most exceptional all‑around graduating senior, was awarded to Killian Hoyt. Established by alumni and friends of Professor Emeritus Francis R. Aumann, the award honors outstanding scholastic excellence and meaningful contributions to the department’s academic mission. Killian earned this recognition by graduating summa cum laude with Honors in the Arts and Sciences, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA, completing extensive political internships in Columbus and Washington, D.C., and demonstrating exemplary academic and service leadership. In addition, he supported the department as both a grader and a student ambassador.
The department also recognized students graduating with perfect academic records through the Lawrence J.R. Herson Award for Academic Excellence, which honors seniors earning a 4.0 GPA throughout their undergraduate careers. The 2026 recipients were:
Kaleigh Bayoumy, Samuel Becker, Linjie Dai, Abigail Eiben, Killian Hoyt, Makenna Lottig, Clarice Newman, Mary Noftsinger, Katherine Oestreich, Dominic Pagano, John Perez‑Strohmeyer, London Porter, Tess Scearbo, Olivia Scholl, Kathleen Tracy, and Charles Wood.
Best Paper Awards
Several students were recognized for outstanding undergraduate research through the Best Paper Awards, supported by generous donor endowments. The 2026 award recipients include:
- Best Paper in American Politics
- Aditya Desai, “How Personality and Political Traits Shape Satisfaction in AI‑Assisted Surveys”
- Best Paper in International Relations
- Corinna Hilmas, “Bureaucracy Above the Horizon: Structural Constraints on the All‑domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and the Transparency Ceiling”
- Alexander Hoover, “Moving Beyond the Deadlock”
- Best Paper in Political Theory
- Sloane Warner, “Containing Antagonism: Moral Caps to Prevent Dehumanization”
Senior Honors Thesis Award
The Henry R. Spencer Award for Outstanding Senior Honors Thesis in Political Science, named for the department’s founding chair, was awarded to Natalie Thacker for her thesis, “Time Series Interbranch Dynamics in Agenda‑Setting Behavior.” In her work, Natalie used an impressive novel data collection to re-examine conventional wisdom regarding political power and agenda setting. With her thesis, she makes an excellent contribution to the understanding of political influence and power.
Thacker completed her honors research under the guidance of Dr. Janet Box‑Steffensmeier and Dr. Dena Asta.
Recognizing Excellence in Teaching
The department also celebrated excellence in undergraduate instruction. Professor Emma Saunders‑Hastings received the Larry Baum Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of her exceptional commitment to teaching and student engagement. Highly respected by her students, Saunders‑Hastings is frequently described as a challenging, brilliant, and deeply engaging instructor who fosters intellectual rigor and thoughtful discussion in the classroom.