Byrd Symposium at JMU Examines Bush Presidencies

HARRISONBURG - While the campaign to determine the 44th president of the United States is in full swing, political scientists will gather at James Madison University to delve into the presidencies of the 41st and 43rd holders of the office. 

The JMU political science department's 2008 Byrd Symposium will focus on "The Father and Son Presidencies of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush: A Comparative Perspective." The symposium is held in conjunction with "White House Studies," a scholarly journal edited by JMU political science Professor Anthony J. Eksterowicz and justice studies Head and Professor Glenn P. Hastedt. 

The symposium presenters are among scholars who wrote articles published in 2007 in two special issues of "White House Studies" that considered the Bush presidencies in terms of domestic and foreign policies. 

Paper Presentations: 
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 
TIME: 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. 
LOCATION: Room 404, Taylor Hall, JMU 

Concluding Panel Discussion (Featuring all symposium participants): 
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 
TIME: 6:30-8 p.m. 
LOCATION: War Memorial Auditorium, Memorial Hall, JMU 

"There seems to be a conventional wisdom developing about this father and son relationship," Eksterowicz and Hastedt wrote in their introductory essay for the first "White House Studies" issue devoted to the Bush presidencies. "It seems to emphasize differences between the father and son." The journal articles and the Byrd Symposium at JMU are part of the beginning of analysis of the Bush presidencies, Eksterowicz said. 

Symposium Schedule: 

9-9:30 a.m. 

Introduction by Eksterowicz and Hastedt 

9:30-10:45 a.m. 

"From Benign Neglect to Strategic Interest: The Role of Africa in the Foreign Policies of Bush 41 and 43" 

Melinda J. Adams and Jonathan Keller, JMU assistant professors 

"Two Tales of Engagement: A Comparison of China Policies Between the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush Administrations" by Dr. Yi Edward Yang, JMU assistant professor 

11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. 

"Deposing Dictators: The Bush Presidents, Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega" 

Robert A. Strong, William Lyne Wilson Professor of Politics, Washington and Lee University 

2-3:15 p.m. 

"Comparing the Environmental Policies of Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush" 

Glen Sussman, professor, Old Dominion University 

3:30-4:45 p.m. 

"In His Shadow: The Impact of the Reagan Economic Regime and Institutional Structures in the Bush Administrations" 

Christopher J. Dolan, assistant professor, Lebanon Valley College 

The symposium is funded by the Harry F. Byrd Jr. Scholar Series. 

JMU Public Affairs contact: Janet Smith, 540-568-8008 or smithjl@jmu.edu.