Munro Seminar Begins Tonight with Nationally Acclaimed Political Scholar

November 14, 2016

Western Washington University’s Ralph Munro Institute for Civic Education will host Danny Hayes, Political Science professor at George Washington University, for its 2016 Ralph Munro Seminar keynote lecture at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, at the Mount Baker Theatre in downtown Bellingham.

All Munro Seminar events are free and open to the public. 

Professor Hayes, who will  address the role of the media in the Presidential campaign, teaches courses on American politics, political communication, and political behavior. A former journalist, his research focuses on how information from the media and other political actors influences the public. He is the co-author of "Influence from Abroad: Foreign Voices, the Media, and U.S. Public Opinion" (Cambridge University Press, 2013). His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, Political Communication, and Politics & Gender, among other outlets. He contributes to the Washington Post's blog "The Monkey Cage." In 2014 and 2015, The Hatchet named him GW's best professor.

The Munro Seminar will continue with informative panel discussions tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday afternoon. The panels will be held in the Old Main Theater on WWU’s campus.  They will feature a variety of professors, elected officials, non-profit leaders, and subject-matter experts.  Introductory remarks will begin at 1 p.m. each day, followed by panel discussions around the topics of:

Tuesday, Nov. 15

Money in Politics and Campaign Finance, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Old Main Theatre 
Moderator: Paul Dunn, senior executive assistant to President, WWU
Panelists:

  • Alan Durning, executive director, Sightline Institute
  • Todd Donovan, Whatcom County Council, Political Science Department, WWU
  • Dann Mead Smith, president of the Washington Policy Center, WWU alumnus

 

Media, Elections and Public Perception, 3–4:15 p.m., Old Main Theatre  
Moderator: Karen Stout, director, Karen Morse Leadership Institute, Communication Studies Department, WWU
Panelists:

  • Joel Connelly, columnist, Seattle Post-Intelligencer​
  • Tracy Ellis, News Director and talk show host with KGMI Radio
  • Peggy Watt, Journalism Department, WWU

 

Wednesday, Nov. 16

The Homelessness Crisis, 1:15–2:30 p.m., Old Main Theatre  
Moderator: Steve VanderStaay, vice provost for Undergraduate Education, WWU

Panelists:

  • Mike Parker, director of Whatcom Homeless Service Center
  • Walter Zisette, associate director, Capitol Hill Housing, Seattle
  • Riannon Bardsley, executive director, Northwest Youth Services, Bellingham
  • Debbi Knowles, Snohomish County Office of Community and Homeless Services, WWU alumna

 

Mass Incarceration, 3-4:15 p.m., Old Main Theatre 
Moderator: Vernon Johnson, Munro Institute director, Political Science Department, WWU

Panelists:

  • Brad Klippert, Washington State House of Representatives, 8th Legislative District
  • Brynn Jacobson, King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney/Future Prosecutors for Social Justice
  • Kathleen Kyle, Snohomish County Public Defender Association/Washington Sentencing Guidelines Commission
  • Ron Helms, Sociology Department, WWU
  • Celina Meza, Yoga Behind Bars

 

Since 1986, the Political Science Department has hosted seminars on civic education for students, educators and the community at large.  Over the years speakers have included academics, elected officials, policy experts and community activists as well as representatives from business and non-profits who join together around common themes to explore the role of civic education and civic engagement in the wider community.