Past President, Learning Communities Association
Professor of Political Science
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas

I am a Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. I joined the faculty in 1995 and have taught in the university’s nationally recognized First-Year Learning Communities Program (FYLCP) since 1997. In November 2016 I was nominated and elected Founding President of the new Learning Communities Association (LCA). From fall 2003 through summer 2016 I served as a Director for the FYLCP, and worked on program development, faculty development, and learning community assessment.

 I enjoy applying quantitative research methods to the study of learning communities. My learning community research includes “Do Learning Communities Make a Difference?” (PS: Political Science and Politics, 2004), “How Do Learning Communities Affect First-Year Latino Students?” (Journal of Learning Communities Research, 2008), and “Classroom Assessment of Learning Communities for Political Scientists” (in Assessment in Political Science, 2009). I have also made numerous presentations and led workshops at the National Learning Communities Conference.

 I am active in promoting teaching and learning in political science and served as President (2009-2011) of the Political Science Education Organized Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA). In addition, I’ve served on the program committee for the APSA Conference on Teaching and Learning (2006-2008) and on the 2005 APSA Program Committee for the Annual Meeting. My political science teaching and learning research is published in the Journal of Political Science Education. My most recent political science publications, as a co-author, are the textbook Practicing Texas Politics, 2017-18 edition and chapter “Who Gets to Have a Say in Policy Making?: A Look at Health Care Policy” in Considering American Government. I have also served as President of the Southwestern Political Science Association and on the Council of the American Political Science Association.

            My degrees are in political science with the B.A. from Texas A&M University, and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Houston.