Combined with this year’s earlier placements of Chris Hare (University of California, Davis) and Sarah Fisher (Emory and Henry College), three of our graduate students have accepted tenure-track positions, which means that they will have the opportunity to earn tenure after several years at their new institutions.

In addition to his new permanent position as an assistant professor in UT Tyler’s Department of Political Science, Mark has also accepted a nine-month position as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. The APSA Congressional Fellowship is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious congressional fellowship, which UGA Professors Chuck Bullock and Tony Madonna also have had the distinction of participating in. During this fellowship, Mark will have an opportunity to get a hands on understanding of the legislative process by serving on a congressional staff.

Meanwhile in his more permanent position, UT Tyler is rated among the best public universities in the West by U.S. News and World Report. Mark has accepted these two opportunities after spending a year as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics at Bates College. His teaching and research focuses on how changes within political institutions have affected policy outcomes, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress. Mark’s teaching experience at Bates includes courses about the U.S. Presidency, Public Policy & Social Welfare, and American Political Institutions. He intends to offer these courses to the students at Tyler, as well as a seminar on American politics for students pursuing master’s degrees. He has already published two peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, as well as a book chapter. For more information about Mark Owens’s work, see: http://www.markowens.org/