DePaul University faculty experts are available to provide expert analysis of the presidential election and the key issues in the race, including the economy, foreign and domestic policy, the impact of negative campaigning and the historical significance of this election, culminating in the first African-American president. DePaul University, the largest Catholic university in the United States, has an array of experts available to provide context and insight on the presidential election and the post-election political landscape.

Professors available to speak with reporters are:

POLITICS:

Molly Andolina, assistant professor of political science. Andolina is an expert on American government, political behavior, campaigns and elections, political socialization and culture, and public opinion. Her research fields include American civic engagement, generational politics (youth, GenX and the DotNet Generations) and youth activism. She can be reached at 773/325-4709 or mandolin@depaul.edu.

James E. Block, professor of political science. He is an expert on American political culture, American religion and politics. He wrote the book “A Nation of Agents: The American Path to a Modern Self and Society.” Block can be reached at 773/325-1976 or by e-mail at jblock@depaul.edu.

Mike Conklin, journalism instructor. A former Chicago Tribune reporter, Conklin can discuss political rhetoric, media coverage of the presidential race and what a Barack Obama victory means for Chicago. Some of his students have covered the presidential race for various media outlets in the Midwest. Conklin can be reached at 773/325-8651 or mconkli2@depaul.edu.

Zachary Cook, political science instructor. Cook can speak about American government and politics, media and politics, public opinion, state politics and statistics. He can be reached at 773/325-8679 or by e-mail at zcook@depaul.edu.

Mark Enenbach, visiting faculty member, School for New Learning. Vice president and chief operating officer for the Community Economic Development Association, Enenbach can discuss the electoral college and the election process in the U.S., political advertising and media campaigns, the image of the U.S. around the world, economic development, job creation, the housing and foreclosure crisis, energy bills and energy conservation, the working poor and anti-poverty efforts. He can be reached at 312/795-8955 or by e-mail at menenbach@cedaorg.net.

Bruce Evensen, professor of communication. Evensen can discuss the impact of gender, race, ageism and the urban-rural divide on the presidential race, as well as economic uncertainties and the ongoing war on terror. He can also discuss how new media is changing how Americans get their news about campaign issues and developments. He can discuss public perception of the press and the political process, the link between press credibility and voter confidence, and the effect of negative attack ads on public perception. He also can discuss media coverage of the campaign and the role of religion in the political race. A former Middle East news bureau chief for Christian Broadcasting, he has written three books on media ethics. Evensen can be reached at 773/325-2894 or bevensen@depaul.edu.

Valerie Johnson, associate professor of political science. She can talk about American, African-American and urban politics, multiracial political alliances and the politics of urban education. Her published works include “Black Power in the Suburbs” and “Power in the City.” She can be reached at 773/325-4731 or by e-mail at vjohnso5@depaul.edu.

Michael L. Mezey, professor of political science. He can discuss congressional and presidential elections and processes, public policymaking and the Electoral College. He is an editorial board member of Legislative Studies Quarterly, appears regularly on Chicago television news programs, and gives frequent interviews to local and national news media. He can be reached at 773/325-7318 or by e-mail at mmezey@depaul.edu.

Antonio Morales-Pita, adjunct professor of economics. He can discuss the international repercussion of Obama’s victory, especially on Cuba ant Latin America. He is fluent in Spanish. He can be reached at 312/362-5613 or by e-mail at amorale1@depaul.edu.

Bruce Newman, professor of marketing. He is an expert on presidential candidate image-making and advertising, voter behavior and the role of emotions in voter choices, marketing of presidential candidates, the use of the Internet in presidential marketing, volunteer and grass-roots voter solicitations, and campaign finance reform. He was a communication adviser to the senior staff of the Clinton White House in 1995 and 1996, is the author of several books on the subject, including “The Marketing of the President,” and is editor of the Journal of Political Marketing. Newman can be reached at 312/362-5186 or by e-mail at bnewman@depaul.edu.

Lisa Pecot-Hebert, assistant professor of communication. A former newspaper reporter, she can discuss the impact of this election on future race and gender relations, and media coverage and media bias of the election. She can be reached at 773/325-2966 or by e-mail at lpecothe@depaul.edu.

Christina Rivers, assistant professor of political science. Her areas of expertise focus on the intersection of race and law in American politics, including voting rights law and equal protection law, as well as black political thought from abolition through the civil rights movement. She can be reached at 773/325-4593 or by e-mail at crivers@depaul.edu.

Craig Sautter, visiting faculty, School for New Learning. Author of 10 books, including “Inside the Wigwam: Chicago Presidential Conventions 1860-1996,” Sautter can talk about presidential conventions and campaigns. He has created television and radio campaigns for political candidates as co-owner with his brother Chris of Sautter Communications: Political Strategy & Media, based in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. He can be reached at (773) 262-5806, (cell) (773) 655-7169 or via e-mail at rcsautter@aol.com.

Rachel Seher, assistant professor of political science. Seher is an expert on women and the election, feminist political thought, the youth vote, equality and social justice and the American political system. Her main focus is power, identity and political resistance among citizens who are marginalized within larger political and social systems. She can be reached at (773) 325-4961 or rseher@depaul.edu.

H. Peter Steeves, associate professor of philosophy. He can discuss legitimacy and ethics of elections and the electoral process, war and post-war politics, environmental issues, Latin-American issues and local vs. federal issues related to the election. He can be reached at 773/325-1153 or by e-mail at psteeves@depaul.edu.

Wayne Steger, professor of political science. He can speak about public policymaking, media coverage of presidential elections, election forecasts and outcomes, endorsements/party behavior, voter behavior and evaluating presidential success in Congress. He can be reached at 773/325-4240, 773/677-5328 (cell) or by e-mail at wsteger@depaul.edu.

Laura S. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor. The award-winning Chicago journalist and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times is available to discuss African-American voters, race and social justice issues in the upcoming elections. She attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver and has covered Barack Obama’s career since the early 1990s. She can be reached at 773/325-4675 or by e-mail at lwashin3@depaul.edu.

James Wolfinger, assistant professor of history and education. He has written extensively about race and politics in 20th century American. He is currently working on a history of black Chicago titled “Building the Black Metropolis,” and is author of the recently published book, “Philadelphia Divided: Race and Politics in the City of Brotherly Love.” He can bring a historical perspective to journalistic discussions of race and politics. He can be reached at 773/325-4290 or by e-mail at jwolfing@depaul.edu.

POLICY:

Ronald Chennault, associate professor of education. Chennault can discuss Obama’s  education platform, including his position on the No Child Left Behind Act, performance pay and school choice. He can be reached at 773/325-4691 or by e-mail at rchennau@depaul.edu.

Rebel Cole, associate professor, real estate. Cole served as a financial economist for the Federal Reserve Board from 1991 to 1998. He can discuss the key economic issues facing Obama, including the housing crisis and stemming the rising tide of foreclosures. He can discuss issues related to banking, finance and real estate. He can be reached at 312/933-0584 or rcole@depaul.edu.

Ludovic Comeau Jr., associate professor, School for New Learning. A former reporter in his native Haiti who also served as chief economist at Haiti’s central bank, Comeau can discuss Obama’s economic platform, the U.S. financial crisis from a global perspective and the historical significance of this presidential election. He can be reached at 312/362-8484, 312/476-3659 or by e-mail at lcomeau@depaul.edu.

Werner F.M. De Bondt, professor, finance; chair and director, Richard H. Driehaus Center for Behavioral Finance. A leading expert on behavioral finance, including investor psychology, psychology of financial markets and financial decision making, uncertainty and risk, and how the stock market reacts to dramatic news or events. He can discuss global financial markets, financial regulation, recession, and consumer, business and investor confidence. He can be reached at 312/362-8394 or by e-mail at wdebondt@depaul.edu.

Richard P. Farkas, professor, political science. Farkas can talk about U.S. policy toward democratizing societies and significance of the next president’s relationship with Eastern European countries. He can be reached at 773/325-1977 or by e-mail at dfarkas@depaul.edu.

Ali M. Fatemi, chair, Finance, College of Commerce. He can discuss international finance and corporate finance. He can be reached at 312/362-5183 or by e-mail at afatemi@depaul.edu.

Roxanne Ferrici, assistant visiting professor of education. Ferrici can talk about education issues in the election, including the No Child Left Behind Act, Head Start and early education, and Obama’s choice of Linda Darling-Hammond as education policy advisor for his campaign. She can be reached at 773/325-8692 or rferrici@depaul.edu.

David Franklin, assistant professor of law. He is an expert on presidential power, separation of power, separation of church and state, and the United States Supreme Court. Franklin is one of Obama’s former law students and a former clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He can be reached at 773/510-5923 or by e-mail at dfrankl2@depaul.edu.

Andrea Kaufman, associate professor of education. She can talk about Obama’s role in early childhood education policy in Illinois and how it may foreshadow some of his policy in federal government. She can be reached at 773/325-7661 or by e-mail at akaufman@depaul.edu.

Michael Miller, professor of economics. He can discuss the unemployment rate and other economic indicators and what they mean for the economy; general macroeconomic issues and business conditions; money, banking and financial markets and interest rates. He can be reached at 312/362-8477 or via e-mail at mmiller@depaul.edu.

Barbara Radner, director, Center for Urban Education; associate professor, School for New Learning. Radner can discuss the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act, having served on state committees charged with implementing the program. She can also discuss the challenges the new president faces to make school reform work, based on her work with 80 Chicago public schools, and the undoing of George W. Bush’s education legacy. She can be reached at 312/362-5155, 773/899-0409 (cell) or by e-mail at bradner@depaul.edu.

David J. Roberts, associate professor, School of Accountancy. He has written extensively on tax policy, tax cuts and proposals to change the tax structure; the federal budget and deficits; and Social Security. He can be reached at 312/362-8388 or by e-mail at droberts@depaul.edu.

Jeffrey Shaman, Vincent de Paul Professor of Law. He is an expert on constitutional law and the Second Amendment. He can be reached at 312/362-8143 or by e-mail at jshaman@depaul.edu.