Three McDaniel College faculty members were selected for a prestigious Japan program. Another shared an international stage with the man who helped charge Saddam Hussein, and a recent graduate won a prestigious scholarship.

“I was absolutely elated, excited, and a little surprised,” says Julie Palmer ’05 (above) of winning the $2,000 Carroll Parish scholarship through the international honor society Pi Gamma Mu.

Palmer, a double-major in History and Political Science with a minor in Psychology, is now earning her master’s in Intelligence and International Security at King’s College in London. She says her McDaniel education prepared her well for the rigorous program.

“Many of my classes at McDaniel set the background for my studies at King’s College,” says Palmer. “Interestingly, many of the books I had to read for undergraduate classes were written by my current King College professors. My professors at McDaniel constantly raised the bar and challenged me to do more.”

The award was based, in part, on a recommendation from Political Science Professor Herb Smith. He recalls when Palmer once calculated the value of recommendation letters he had written for her throughout her college career.

“She told me my letters were worth $75,000,” he says.

After receiving her M.A. this September, Palmer plans to begin studying for her Ph.D. in War studies.

Among other McDaniel newsmakers, Christianna Nichols Leahy, associate professor of Political Science and International Studies, attended the International Institute of Humanitarian Law conference in Oslo Dec. 9, where she shared the podium with the man who helped compile the case against Saddam Hussein.

Leahy participated in a panel with the Minister for Human Rights of Kurdistan, Mohammed Ihsan. She also presented a paper about international humanitarian and human rights issues surrounding the war in Iraq. Leahy was on sabbatical in fall ’05 and returns for the spring ’06 semester.

A faculty team from McDaniel College was one of five selected to participate in a prestigious year-long seminar about Japan, held at the University of Pennsylvania. Associate Professor of Music Robin Armstrong, Associate Professor of Sociology Deb Lemke, and Assistant Professor of Art and Art History Susan Scott (with Ron Miller, associate professor of Theatre Arts as an alternate) will learn how to integrate Japan and Japanese studies into their curricula. The seminar will run through 2006 and will feature a three-week trip to Japan in July.