Uncategorized – Political Science and Law

Webinar: Law and Governance (MA)

morinm — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 12:43:11 +0000

The Law and Governance Master’s program creates leaders in regulatory law in industry, government and nonprofit organizations. The international part of the curriculum creates pathways to careers in international governance, compliance, and conflict resolution in governmental and industrial sectors. The degree offerings are on the cutting-edge of specialty areas such as conflict management, human resource management, private sector compliance, law office management, legal information management, trademark law, ethics and professional responsibility.

Join us on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. to learn more about:

The benefits and structure of the Law and Governance MA program
The Conflict Management in the Workforce Graduate Certificate
The application requirements and graduate admissions process

An American Peacekeeper in the United Nations

morinm — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:13:45 +0000

Pollack Speaker Series on International Security/Inside the United Nations/MRS. STACY MCDOUGALL/An American Peacekeeper in United Nations Missions in Liberia and Haiti/Tuesday, March 26th, 1:00 PM, School of Business RM 140/Sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Political Science and Law and Spanish and Latino Studies Departments, and the Political Science Club.

It’s Not an Accident: Fatalities and Injuries on NYS Dairy Farms

morinm — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 13:19:56 +0000

Relying on interviews and primary data, this case study of the New York dairy industry examines the barriers to improving health and safety on dairy farms. While farm-level culture and protocols are most directly responsible for injuries and fatalities, several other factors create a lax climate for implementing health and safety measures. These include the consolidation of dairy farms, the ethnic succession to a Latino workforce, and federal and state level policy and implementation. Differences in state agricultural labor laws and the agricultural regulatory structure, as well as the implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act contribute to poor health and safety on dairy farms.

Margaret Gray is Associate Professor of Political Science at Adelphi University. Gray’s book Labor and the Locavore: The Making of a Comprehensive Food Ethic about New York farm workers and food politics was published by the University of California Press (2014). Gray won the Best Book Award from the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Best Book Award from the Labor Project of the American Political Science Association. Her work focuses on the intersection of food politics and the conditions of low-wage, non-citizen workers in the agro-food industry. She received her PhD is from the CUNY Graduate Center (2006). Gray also has a decade’s experience working for nonprofits on economic justice.

Brigid Harrison in Conversation with Senate President Steve Sweeney

morinm — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 18:47:00 +0000

State Senate President will join Political Science and Law Professor Brigid Callahan Harrison in a conversation concerning his Path to Progress (the report of the New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group), which will be followed by a town hall style question and answer session with audience members. Free tickets to the event can be found .

This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Law, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, The College of the Arts, the School of Communication and Media, and the Office of Civic and Voter Engagement , the Political Science Club, College Republicans, and College Democrats at ��vlog, as well as InsiderNJ.

Alumni Profile – Sal M. Anderton ’95

morinm — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 17:38:09 +0000

Sal M. Anderton graduated from ��vlog in 1995. He was a double major in Political Science and Philosophy and graduated from the University’s Honors Program. While at Montclair, Sal was elected as the Student Representative to the Board of Trustees and also served as SGA President from 1994-1995. He spent one summer abroad at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, England. He received invaluable pre-law advisement and mentoring while at Montclair State. Sal continues his connection with the University as a member of the newly formed , which works to mentor students and provides a platform for fellow Montclair State graduates who have become attorneys to network.

Following Montclair, Sal attended Seton Hall University School of Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1998. While at Seton Hall Law he served as Student Bar Association Treasurer and as a Property Law tutor for first year students. His law journal note entitled “Putting a Premium on Premiums: The High Cost of Auto Insurance and the 1997 Gubernatorial Campaign” was published in the Seton Hall Legislative Law Journal. As a member of the Legislative Law Journal, he was a legal intern during his third year of law school with the State Senate Minority. In 1999, he co-authored a law review article “Protecting the Passaic: A Call to Citizen Action” which was published in the Seton Hall Law Review.

Sal has been an attorney in private practice, specializing in personal injury, real estate and labor and employment law. Additionally, he is a registered government affairs agent and represents various clients – including banking, insurance, health care and other diverse interests – on legislative and regulatory matters of concern before state agencies and the New Jersey State Legislature.

In 2008 Sal was elected to serve on the Township Council in his home town of West Orange. He served as Township Council President in 2010.

Mr. Mayor – Lester E. Taylor III ’97

morinm — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 20:03:56 +0000

By Amy Wagner, originally published in

Lester Taylor ’97 welcomes a challenge. On the road to becoming the 13th mayor of East Orange, New Jersey, he defeated a four-term incumbent in the primary, for a job that presents plenty of challenges of its own.

A densely populated city within four square miles wedged between Newark, Bloomfield, Orange and South Orange, East Orange has long struggled with high crime rates, low-performing schools and blight.

So Taylor has focused on cleaning up the city, making education a priority and capitalizing on its urban-suburban location and easy access to New York City.

He is doing this, in part, through a number of initiatives spearheaded by the new multi-departmental collaborative Quality of Life Taskforce he established within a few months of becoming mayor. One such measure incentivizes owners to clean up more than 700 of the city’s abandoned or neglected properties. “A clean city is a safe city,” he insists. “And a safe city is a profitable city.”

Taylor’s administration is dedicated to transformational change. “I want to bring everyone together,” he says.

It appears to be working. According to nj.com, shootings in East Orange decreased by 25 percent and violent crime decreased by five percent in 2014. Education is improving with programs such as the East Orange College and Career Readiness Network, which prepares teens for college and careers. And East Orange is among the first in the nation to enact a paid sick-leave ordinance.

Taylor is passionate about the city where he and his wife are raising three children. “I’ve assembled a dynamic team who share my vision of setting a standard of excellence for East Orange and turning it into a destination city,” he says. “East Orange is ideal for commuters and families who want the best of both worlds in terms of urban living with a suburban feel.”

His interest in politics and education was nurtured at Montclair State, where he majored in political science, played football and was an undergraduate Admissions Ambassador. He went on to law school at Howard University.

Taylor is a partner at Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Fader, where he built a thriving educational law practice. “I’m not an educator, yet my advice has impacted people’s lives on a day-to-day basis,” he notes.

As a mayor, Taylor also overhauled the city’s dysfunctional and scandal-ridden water commission and restored the city’s 18-hole golf course in Short Hills. Although he hopes to create a meaningful legacy with projects like these, he says he would most like to be remembered for his honor, integrity and respect for his office. “I want my kids to be proud of me.”

While Taylor intends to run for reelection, his name has lately been floated as a prospective candidate for lieutenant governor or even governor. “I’m open to opportunities as they present themselves,” says Taylor, adding that he’s honored and flattered by the idea.

In the meantime, his focus is clear: “I want to be the best mayor I can be.”

Recent Interviews – Brigid Callahan Harrison

morinm — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 18:44:02 +0000

Updated 6/8/2016

This year’s presidential election has kept Brigid Callahan Harrison busy. A professor in the Department of Political Science and Law, reporters frequently call her for analysis of state and national politics.

Here’s a sampling of recent interviews and coverage:

In addition to teaching and publishing books, she writes columns for the and other outlets. In November 2015, Harrison was named to PolitickerNJ’s 2015 Power List.

She says her interest in politics was first kindled through family discussions around the kitchen table at the height of the Watergate era when her father sat on the city council in Runnemede, New Jersey and also ran for mayor.

Female voices and the political scene
Harrison has taught at MSU since 1994, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that she stepped up her involvement with the media. That was after a panel discussion by the American Political Science Association emphasized the importance of women sharing their perspectives and serve as role models for other young women and girls. “I took this to heart,” she said in an interview.

Her investment in this area is obvious in the number of citings that she receives on an almost daily, weekly, and monthly basis. To keep tabs on Harrison’s regular analysis of topical issues, you can follow her via ��Ի��.

Learn more

Hello world!

morinm — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 15:09:58 +0000

Welcome to ��vlog Sites. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Pamela Lerner Portin ’77 Pays it Forward

morinm — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:40:41 +0000

Pamela Lerner Portin ’77 has a special appreciation for the challenges of getting an education.

A scholarship student at Montclair State, she worked hard outside the classroom to avoid taking out student loans. She was an R.A. in Bohn Hall, taught swimming at the YMCA, and worked at Lord and Taylor in New York City on weekends. She also served as secretary of the Student Government Association.

“When I look back on my days at Montclair State, it always brings a smile to my face — the education, the professors, dorm life, and so many great on- and off-campus experiences,” says Pamela, a veteran technology executive and Principal of Pamela Portin Consulting LLC, a firm that creates and executes strategic integrated marketing, policy, and public relations initiatives for the consumer technology marketplace. Pamela loved her political science major and made the most of her time at Montclair State. She had internships with Congressman Peter Rodino, with New York City Mayor John Lindsay, and with Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick.

“When I started my own business, I decided that with the first money I made, I would establish a scholarship at ��vlog to give opportunities to other political science majors helping them continue with their studies and careers,” she says. “Scholarships can impact students in so many ways in their lives and the lives of their families and their future too,” she shares. “If one person in a family makes the decision to attend college because she was awarded a scholarship, then her attendance at college can positively impact their lives, her family and her own family to come.”

Pamela established the first political science scholarship for an outstanding political science major. “I’m excited about getting to help the next generation of our country’s public policy leaders,” she says. She also is a founding member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Kathryn Goldner ’15, a political science and history major, is the current beneficiary of the Portin Scholarship. “It was an honor to receive the Pamela Portin Scholarship, and I cannot thank Ms. Portin enough for her generosity,” Kathryn shares. “The money from the scholarship will help me save up for graduate school and may even make it possible for me to do a semester in Washington, D.C., before graduation.” Kathryn also is a member of Montclair State’s prestigious Honors Program and the Alpha Lambda Delta honors society.

“This past semester I have been working on a research project with Professor Clatterbuck in the Philosophy and Religion Department on Christianity and Traditionalism on the Crow Reservations in Montana,” Kathryn adds. She plans to attend graduate school in political science or history. “I would love to be a professor in either subject,” she adds, “especially after some of the amazing faculty I have met at Montclair State.”

“Montclair State makes it easy for a scholarship donor to see the direct impact of a contribution,” Pamela adds. “I’ve had the opportunity to attend the Political Science Scholarship reception and meet the professors on the Selection Committee and the recipient of the scholarship. It was very moving for me to meet the student and to hear firsthand how the scholarship helped him and his dreams and plans for the future.”

Previously in her career, Pamela served as Director of Children’s Safety for Microsoft; and she is currently Chair of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Communications Committee. She lives in Washington State with her husband and son.

To make an immediate impact in students’ lives, make your scholarship gift today by visiting . For more information about named scholarships at Montclair State, contact Ely Santoni at 973-655-7298 or santonituere@mail.montclair.