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David Stamm ’08 (Holland, Pa.) has been getting a crash course in George W. Bush’s presidency over the past several weeks.
The government and law major is working with John Kincaid, Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service, to research the current administration’s attention to federalism and the federal relationship with state and local governments.
They are collaborating through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
“Ultimately, we will attempt to come up with an empirical measure to analyze how much emphasis is being placed on federalist issues by the administration,” Stamm says.
Kincaid plans to use the results of the research in a book chapter he is writing about the Bush presidency.
Stamm has been tracking down all the President’s speeches, proclamations, signing statements, and other documents from 2006 concerning federalism and state and local government issues. He will do the same for 2001-2005, and will continue the research until Bush completes his second term.
“He’s going to know a heck of a lot about the Bush presidency,” says Kincaid, who has asked Stamm to continue assisting him with the project through the upcoming academic year and the following year.
Stamm already has uncovered some trends.
“Since Republicans are usually champions of state and local government issues, one would expect the same from the current administration,” he says. “However, as of now, it seems that [Bush] is not paying as much attention to these issues as other Republican presidents.”
Kincaid is pleased with Stamm’s work and their collaboration. He believes the EXCEL program provides faculty with the assistance they need to conduct research, while allowing students to gain valuable research skills.
Stamm has been interested in political science since a young age. He believes the research skills and techniques he has developed through his EXCEL research will be beneficial when he attends law school after Lafayette.
“The EXCEL program allows students to gain valuable research experience that can benefit the student academically during the remainder of his or her time at Lafayette and beyond,” Stamm says. “Since it is a small school, students have a lot more opportunities to conduct research and build strong relationships with faculty members than students at a larger school. The students who take advantage of this type of opportunity will reap the full benefits offered by attending a small school with involved faculty members.”
Stamm plays the snare drum in the pep band and will be the sports editor for The Lafayette this fall.
Kincaid has lectured and consulted on issues of federalism, intergovernmental relations, constitutionalism, and regional and local governance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The senior editor for a series of volumes on comparative federalism, he was quoted extensively in a New York Times article in April. He was named Distinguished Federalism Scholar in 2001 by the American Political Science Association, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the study of federalism and intergovernmental relations.
He has received six Fulbright grants to bring together leaders and professors from around the world to summer institutes on campus to debate and discuss federalism, republicanism, democracy, constitutions, and other governmental issues. He is the author of various works on federalism and intergovernmental relations. He also is a recipient of the Donald Stone Distinguished Scholar Award from the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management of the American Society of Public Administration.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.