Faculty

The Political Science faculty at SRU is a dynamic group of educators in a variety of subfields, including American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy & the Law, and Political Behavior, who will help you succeed. Click on a name below to learn more about each member of our faculty.

Heather Rice, Department Chair

Dr. Heather Rice

Dr. Heather Rice received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013 and a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. Her research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning in the political science classroom and the intersection of state politics, public policy and public opinion on gay rights. She regularly teaches courses on American National Government, Civil Discourse and Democracy, Assessing Public Opinion, Political Film, and Politics of Sexuality. Dr. Rice also serves as the co-director of the Rock Integrated Studies Program.

Heather Frederick

Dr. Heather Frederick

Dr. Heather Frederick is the APSCUF faculty representative to the SRSGA Board of Directors and serves in a non-voting capacity. She has been at Slippery Rock University since 2004 and teaches in the Department of Political Science and serves as the Prelaw Program Coordinator for the University. Dr. Frederick currently advises the Debate Society, Law Society, and the College Republicans. Previously, Dr. Frederick was involved with SGA as their faculty advisor, served on the cooperative activities board, and advised the SGA elections commission.

Cheryl Kerchis

Cheryl Kerchis is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. After college, she worked for two years in Southern Africa in a development program focused on education. She also worked for several years as a policy analyst in the Pittsburgh region before coming to SRU. Cheryl loves all things related to public policy, both international and domestic. She regularly teaches Policy Analysis and Evaluation, International Political Economy, International Relations, Civil Discourse and Democracy, and Politics of Race.

David Kershaw

Dr. David Kershaw

Dr. David Kershaw received his PhD in Political Science from the University of North Carolina in 2009. His research focuses on public policy that impacts disadvantaged populations. He regularly teaches courses on Research Methods, Public Policy, and Politics of Race.

Nicholas Spina

Nicholas joined the department in 2019 and teaches courses in international relations and comparative politics. His teaching and research interests are in democratic development, post-communist politics, civil society and trust. His research has been published in academic journals such as International Political Science Review, Political Studies, and Comparative European Politics. He previously taught for five years at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin and for two years at the American University in Bulgaria. He was also a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia from 2004-2006. Nicholas has a B.A. in economics from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Missouri.

Political Science

Faculty

Political Science

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