ULM Political Science faculty and students participate in state meeting

Published April 9, 2026

A group of ULM Political Science faculty and students pose at an annual state meeting.

CAPTION: Pictured L-R: Dr. Pearson Cross, Dr. Henry Sirgo, Dr. Greg Granger, Joshua Schopp, Dr. John Sutherlin, Caitlin Slavich, Dr. Courtney Harris, Jordan Van, Dr. Jennifer Dumas, Eleonora Franco, Dr. Leigh Hersey 

MONROE, La. – Political Science faculty and graduate students from the University of Louisiana Monroe recently participated in the Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Political Science Association (LPSA), held Friday, February 27, at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La.   

At this year's LPSA meeting, ULM Master of Public Administration (MPA) students Caitlin Slavich and Jordan Van participated in a roundtable discussion on ULM's Public Defenders Training Program with ULM Political Science professors Dr. John Sutherlin, Dr. Courtney Harris, and Dr. Leigh Hersey.  According to MPA student Caitlin Slavich, "The roundtable discussion I participated in was very helpful for me to figure out what comes next. The feedback was beyond beneficial for me to move my project in a direction for continued success." 

MPA student Joshua Schopp presented research on a public administration-themed panel also featuring papers from Political Science professors Dr. Courtney Harris, Dr. Jennifer Dumas, and Dr. Leigh Hersey and MBA student Eleonora Franco. Reflecting on the experience, Joshua noted, "I am grateful for the opportunity to represent ULM at the LPSA conference. It was an honor to present my research and learn from experts in the field. I am especially thankful for the MPA program and the mentors who have supported me.” 

Dr. John Sutherlin also presented a paper on a panel themed, "Policy, Society, and System-Level Consequences," while School of Behavioral and Social Sciences Director and Political Science Professor Dr. Pearson Cross presented a co-authored paper with Dr. Joshua Stockley on a Louisiana politics-themed panel. 

ULM MPA students gained valuable research and networking skills as a result of attending LPSA and are eagerly awaiting future conferences. As MPA student Jordan Van stated, “This was my first year presenting at the LPSA Conference. I was humbled by the vast amount of expertise assembled, and I am very much looking forward to another opportunity to attend in 2027.” 

The Louisiana Political Science Association (LPSA) is the statewide academic organization of Political Science researchers and students. At LPSA's annual meetings, Political Science faculty members, undergraduate students, and graduate students from colleges and universities throughout Louisiana and the region present original research and engage in roundtable discussions on a variety of topics, including International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics, and Public Administration.