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Office of Public Relations |
Joseph Pika named James R. Soles Professor |
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Joseph Pika, professor of political science and international relations, has been named the James R. Soles Professor, effective July 1. Pika, of Newark, Del., joined the UD faculty in 1981 and is known throughout the University, the community and the state for his interest and involvement in education and government at local and state levels, as well as at UD. At UD, Pika has chaired the Department of Political Science and International Relations from 1994-99 and from 2000-2002, received UD's Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Advising awards and the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Service Award. He served as faculty director of the Delaware Social Studies Education Project from 1999-2001. He now serves as director of Secondary Education Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, director of the Center for Secondary Teacher Education and the director of Southern Delaware Professional Development. He also is co-director of the Delaware College Access Network. He is known throughout Delaware for his interest and involvement in education and government at local and state levels. On the state level, while on partial leave, Pika served as executive director of the Governor's Commission on Government Reorganization Effectiveness in 1993. In 1994, he was appointed to the Delaware State Board of Education and served as president from 2001-05. In that position, he also was an ex officio member of the UD's Board of Trustees. Pika's research focuses on American government, with an emphasis on the presidency, political leadership, education policy and Delaware politics. He is the coauthor of Confrontation and Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001-2006 and The Politics of the Presidency, now in its seventh edition. He is coauthor of an upcoming book, Understanding American Democracy: American Democracy in Context. Pika received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University and his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. James R. Soles is the Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations. Among his honors, he received the Award of Excellence from the Department of Public Instruction, the Liberty Bell Award from the Delaware State Bar Association and the del Tufo Award for Distinguished Service to the Humanities from the Delaware Humanities Forum. He was named Delaware Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and received UD's Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Advising awards. Through donations from alumni and friends, the James R. Soles Citizenship Endowment was established to support undergraduate and graduate students involved in public service and the James R. Soles Professorship in Political Science. Media contact: Martin Mbugua, (302) 831-8749, [mbugua@udel.edu] |
