Political Science has a number of funds to support the students and vision of the department into the future. Giving to the following funds will aid the department in development, student travel, scholarships, research grants, publications, and other areas so that we can remain strong and provide the same opportunities for future students that we have in the past. We appreciate all donations to our Department.
Political Science Graduate Student Support Fund
Provides support to graduate students in the Department of Political Science. Expenditures at the discretion of the department chair or his/her designee.
Political Science Development Fund
Established October 30, 1970, by the Department of Political Science. Income funds teaching, research, faculty travel, student aid, public service, publications and other similar programs.
Political Science Advancement Fund
Provides support for emerging needs and priorities for the Department of Political Science at the discretion of the department chair or his/her designee.
Your gift makes a difference.
Anais Fernandez
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity in funding. I am very honored to be the recipient of the Research Award for my proposal--“Exploring Religion Through the Lens of Colonial Latin America”, an ongoing collaborative project with some of my peers.
I am currently a senior, majoring in Political Science and Spanish minoring in Andean and Amazonian Studies. During my free time, I am part of the OSU Women’s Glee Club and the Folclor Hispano Dance group. Supporting my research means so much to me, especially as a first-generation student who is certain they want to investigate in and about Latin America. My project will look at the dynamic religious histories to construct a collaborative anthology that will take shape as a zine.
I am truly grateful for the scholarship support. I have a strong and deep connection and interest in researching Latin America. By donating to this scholarship, I've been able to find a space and support within my university to continue researching the topics I want to explore. I hope to go on to graduate school in the next couple of years to earn a Doctorate in Anthropology.
Thank you,
Anais Fernandez Castro
Sam Klein
I am deeply grateful to be named the 2023 recipient of this scholarship. To be recognized as an individual passionate about fighting for working people… well, I am simply beyond words. It is truly an honor to focus my education on learning how to best advocate for ideas which seek to uplift the everyday people that make this country so great. And I look forward to dedicating my career to fighting for the working people of our nation.
This journey that I’ve begun seems natural as I am the product of working people and working neighborhoods. My journey honors the tradition of Jewish Americans who have been vital in the unionist movement, not just here in the United States but worldwide. I often find myself awestruck when I think about standing on the shoulders of those who came before me and continuing their fight to better the lives of others. I am on this path not just because it’s something I want to do and like doing, but also because I know it’s the right thing to do. This is a cause worthy of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears.
This scholarship goes beyond recognition that encourages me to make a difference, it significantly impacts my life by allowing me to reduce the amount of student loans needed to fund the final year of my undergraduate degree. Your generous gift will save me and my family money. As a result, it puts me in a better financial position after graduation. For this, I cannot thank you enough.
Once again, please accept my deepest gratitude for the recognition and, more important, for the work you do in trying to better others’ lives. The fight of the Ohio AFL-CIO to ensure that everyone who wants a union can have a union is pivotal in combating a system that has not, and does not, play fair. I look forward to standing alongside you in the fight for many years to come because together we can, and will, make a difference.
Thank you,
Sam Klein
Haven Young
I wanted to begin by thanking you for your immense generosity and support because it has changed my life for the best! My name is Haven Young, and I am a junior at Ohio State University as a sociology and political science double major with a minor in theatre. I recently completed my only class for this summer semester which was my study abroad course, Genocide and its Aftermath in Rwanda. Prior to this course I have taken various classes such as urban social problems, the craft of acting, and my personal favorite, identity politics. My study abroad course helped me build a deeper connection with my academics as it personified the curriculum outlined in textbooks and lectures with real-life scenarios, I experienced firsthand. My future career goals were uncertain up until this trip due to the multitude of academic and personal interests that left me unsure of which path was best for me. Fortunately, studying abroad helped me realize I want to work in social justice advocacy with non-profit organizations. Rwanda is able to heal and rebuild after the tragic genocide because their people advocated for their rights, safety, and liberty and I want to help apply this basic theme to all walks of life in order to make the world a better place. My educational journey would have never developed this way without this trip and your generosity.
Studying at Ohio State and Africa seemed like an absolute dream that I could never obtain due to financial constraints, but I have found various sources of financial support to help me achieve both desires and I will continue to share my gratitude for this. I come from a working-class background in small-town, low-income, Appalachia in a little place called Hillsboro, Ohio. Through my continuous hard work in school, I was able to build a resume that impressed Ohio State enough to not only accept me but also fund my education through scholarships. I defeated the odds. I would not be completing my bachelor’s degree at a dream school without the universities help or take my studies abroad to the uniquely beautiful Rwanda without your scholarship. By lightening common financial burdens faced by students like me I can properly focus on my studies and branch out to new places no one from my background has ever seen.
Ohio State has always been my dream for many reasons that have remained true throughout my time here. The biggest reason for my decision is obvious – it was affordable thanks to the scholarships I received from them, but even before I obtained financial aid, I knew I wanted to be a buckeye. Diversity and inclusion are prioritized here and after spending my entire life, I longed to feel incorporated as an equal in a community. The amazing academic reputation of this institution also made it attractive, especially in terms of the social science programs. To complement their excellent education are hundreds of extracurricular activities and clubs, a talented football team, and the blossoming city of Columbus. Ohio State is a large, diverse, and prosperous diversity and is the perfect fit for me.
I would not have been able to go to Rwanda without your financial support and I cannot thank you enough. You have changed my life for the absolute best. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
With love,
Haven Young
The attached photo is me on a Canopy Walk in Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda!
Company Match
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. If your company is eligible, the impact of your gift to The Ohio State University may be doubled or possibly tripled! Some companies even match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses.
Contact
You may wish to create your own fund for the Department. Contact Tammy Parker to explore giving opportunities that match your interests, legacy giving, or endowment funds.
Additional ways to support the Department.
One of the amazing opportunities our students have available to them is study abroad. In order to help ensure this experience for students, the Study Abroad Fund helps to provide support for travel and research in other countries around the world.
The Lawrence J.R. Herson Fund enhances the academic goals of the department and promotes scholarly excellence among political science majors. The fund was established on May 7, 1999, by the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University with gifts to The Ohio State University Development Fund from alumni, friends and associates of Professor J.R. Herson, in honor of his long and distinguished career in the Department of Political Science, on the occasion of his retirement from the University.
The Randall Ripley Fund promotes the academic goals of the department by supporting graduate student research in American politics, including a focus on Canada. The Randall Ripley fund will be used to support graduate students in the department of Political Science. This kind of support is critical to our ability to attract the best and brightest graduate students.
Rip came to Ohio State in 1967 from Washington, D.C., where he was a fellow at the Brookings Institution and interned in the Majority Whip’s Office of the U.S. House of Representatives. Many of us first met him while working on his major research project on the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) – or during his amazing 34 years at Ohio State as Chair of the Department of Political Science and Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in which he established the Department and then the College as nationally recognized leaders in their fields. Through these years, he taught, prodded, and led us with boundless energy. Rip’s official retirement from Ohio State in 2005 has allowed him to transfer his passion to teaching Canadian politics and practicing practical politics in Pataskala, Ohio when not he is not rooting for his Cleveland Indians or quoting the bard.
The Madison H. Scott Fund is dedicated to promoting the education of minority students in the department. The latest recipient is Nyron Crawford and he has been utilizing the fund to advance his dissertation research through conducting CSLS surveys. Crawford explains, “The Community Satisfaction and Leadership Study (CSLS) is a survey-based experiment designed to understand how attributions of blame/responsibility and negative emotions affect the political judgments, evaluations, and voting behavior of African Americans. With the support of the Madison Scott Grant, this project has been able to incentivize and subsequently increase the number of African American participants, a population that is otherwise underrepresented in most research samples."
Donations to the Brice Acree Memorial Fund will go to memorialize Professor Brice Acree with a plaque on a tree on campus and that any additional funds will be used to sponsor students’ participation in hackathon on the theme of “Mental Health at OSU” to be held in the Spring, the proceeds of which will go as donations to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If funds allow, the hope is to establish a scholarship as well.