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Faculty and Staff

 

 

Dr. Mel Hailey

 

Dr. Mel Hailey 

Department Chair
Director, Jack Pope Fellows Program
Pre-Law Advisor

hailey@pols.acu.edu  

Religion and Politics, Theory, Public Law, Presidency, American

Abilene Christian University, 1970, B.A.
Texas Tech University, 1973, M.A.
Texas Tech University, 1988, Ph.D.

Dr. David Dillman

 

Dr. David  Dillman  
Professor
Phi Eta Sigma Chapter Advisor

dillman@pols.acu.edu

Public Administration, American, Congress, Ethics

Abilene Christian University, 1970, B.S.
University of Houston, 1974, M.A.
University of Massachusetts, 1982, Ph.D.

Dr. Neal Coates

 

Dr. Neal Coates 
Associate Professor

coates@pols.acu.edu

International Relations, Comparative Politics, State and Local Government

Abilene Christian University, 1987, B.A
University of Kansas School of Law, 1990, J.D.
University of Connecticut, 1998, M.A.
University of  Connecticut  , 2004, Ph.D.

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Dr. Caron Gentry 
Assistant Professor

caron.gentry@pols.acu.edu  

International Relations, Women and Politics, American

Mount  Holyoke, 1999, B.A.
University of St. Andrews, 2003, Ph.D.

 

 

Dr. Gary Thompson 
Senior Faculty

gary.thompson@pols.acu.edu  

International Relations, State and Local Government

Abilene Christian University, 1960, B.S.
University of  Arkansas, 1973, M.A.
University of North Texas, 1983, Ph.D.

 

 

 Mrs. Rhonda Holder

Administrative Coordinator

Degree Plan Specialist

rkh06a@acu.edu  

In addition to their teaching responsibilities, Department members are also committed to Christian scholarship. They have authored various edited volumes and published several books, including:

  • Mentoring for Mission
  • Ministers at the Millennium
  • Civil Service Reform: An Annotated Bibliography

 

They have authored a variety of chapters in edited volumes and have published articles in various journals and periodicals, including:

  • Public Administration
  • Terrorism and Political Violence
  • Texas Politics Today
  • Handbook of Crisis and Emergency Management
  • Public Organization Review
  • Handbook of Comparative and Development Public Administration
  • Essentials of Texas Politics
  • Reform, Ethics, and Leadership in Public Service
  • Handbook of Bureaucracy
  • Pulpits and Politics: Clergy in American Politics at the Advent of the Millennium
  • Proceedings: A Conference on Administrative Leadership
  • Public Policy and Administration
  • International Journal of Public Administration

 

Department Members have been invited to present research papers at various scholarly conferences, including:

  • American Political Science Association
  • International Studies Association
  • International Political Science Association
  • Ethics and Integrity of Governance Conference
  • Christian Scholars Conference
  • Southwestern Political Science Association
  • Women’s Studies Network
  • Lilly Fellows Program National Research Conference
  • American Society for Public Administration
  • Pepperdine Lectureship
  • Christians in Political Science