UT Tyler History, Political Science Areas Gain Distinction

September 12, 2023

UT Tyler History, Political Science Areas Gain Distinction

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September 12, 2023

Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
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The University of Texas at Tyler history and political science department is once again two separate departments, thanks to a steady growth in enrollment as well as accolades and research projects among students and faculty.

“We decided that splitting the department was in the best interest of the students,” said Dr. Neil Gray, UT Tyler College of Arts and Sciences dean. “This is a positive change for the college and its majors in history and political science. I want to thank Dr. Marcus Stadelmann for leading the former combined department.”

Stadelmann, a UT Tyler professor of political science who has served in the chair role prior to the consolidation, will remain the political science department chair. He joined the UT Tyler faculty in 1990. Dr. Colin Snider, an associate professor of history who joined UT Tyler in 2012, will chair the Department of History.

Highlights include:

History faculty have published books and edited volumes on topics such as Ireland and World War I, the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi, the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya, the Vietnam War and early Renaissance Europe.
History faculty and students are conducting research on other projects covering World War I, higher education and development in 20th Century Brazil, and on bears and the environment in American history.
Political science faculty have published books on topics including global studies, political change in the Texas electorate, the prospects of peace in Palestine and Israel, former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, U.S. first ladies and Burmese politics.
The department further published two Open Educational Resources books on both American and Texas government, which are free to students, saving UT Tyler students close to $1 million in book costs to date.
The UT Tyler Model United Nations delegation continues to earn the Distinguished Delegation Award that places them in the top 5% of all delegations at the annual National Model United Nations Conference held in New York City.

History and political science majors comprise of more than 200 students in the College of Arts and Sciences. UT Tyler programs provide excellent preparation for careers in various fields, including elementary, secondary and higher education, library and archival work, law, political campaigns and government.

For more information, visit uttyler.edu/history/ and uttyler.edu/politicalscience/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.