Department History
The Department of Political Science is an academic unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and was first established at NIU in 1961.
CLA&S Golden Anniversary Faculty Awards
From left to right: Daniel Wit, William Monat, James Banovetz and Christopher Jones.
Daniel Wit, William Monat, and James Banovetz were honored with Golden Anniversary Faculty Awards by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in April 2010 for their distinguished service to the Department, College and University.
Department of Political Science 50th Anniversary Celebration
On April 19, 2012, the Department celebrated 50 years with a public lecture in the Sky Room of the HSC by Dr. John Aldrich of Duke University, followed by a reception, dinner and program in the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center. View the program (includes timeline). View the video "NIU 50 Years of Political Science" on YouTube.
Department Chairs
The following individuals have served as department chair:
Daniel Wit
1961-1969
William R. Monat
1969-1971
Anthony Fusaro (Acting Chair)
1971-1972
James M. Banovetz
1972-1979
M. Ladd Thomas
1979-1982
Clark D. Neher
1982-1988
Lettie McSpadden
1988-1993
Clark D. Neher
1993-1996
Andrea Bonnicksen
1996-1999
Daniel R. Kempton
1999-2006
Christopher M. Jones
2006-2011
Michael T. Peddle (Acting Chair)
2011-2012
Matthew J. Streb
2012-