Faculty members in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan are well-known not only for their intellectual contributions to the field, but also for their considerable efforts and accomplishments in serving as effective mentors of doctoral students.

Dean Janet A. Weiss of the Rackham Graduate School honored Professor James Morrow with a Rackham Distinguished Mentor Graduate Award for his dedication to the sustainable intellectual development of young scholars in the field. The ceremony was held in the Rackham Amphitheatre at 2:00 on Thursday, April 19, 2012. Family and friends were present at the ceremony to celebrate the moment of recognition.

"This award means a lot to me because it combines two of the great rewards of our work: the esteem my colleagues have for me and being able to contribute to the training of the next generation of scholars," said Morrow.

Morrow’s former students are active scholars and professionals, pursuing their research at the nation’s top research institutions, including Columbia University, University of Maryland, College Park, Rutgers University, George Washington University, and the Rand Corporation, just to name a few.

Some of his former student received significant awards for their dissertations, such as the Harold D. Lasswell Prize from the American Political Science Association for best dissertation in public policy (Jennifer Kavanagh in 2010, RAND) and CAMOS Prize for best dissertation in strategic studies from the Committee for the Analysis of Military Operations and Strategy (Sarah Croco in 2008, University of Maryland, College Park).

Tenured faculty members who have advised a substantial number of doctoral students over a number of years are eligible for nomination. The selection committee reviews letters from the nominee’s dean, associate dean, department/program chair or graduate chair, or graduate students or alumni. Only four to six awards have been presented annually since 2006. Morrow was one of the four awardees in 2012, a significant honor given the large size of the faculty at the University.

Professor James Morrow received a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Rochester in 1982 and a B.S. in Mathematics with honors at the California Institute of Technology in 1978. He has been an integral part of the Department in advancing research in World Politics and fostering the next generation of scholars in the discipline. One of Morrow’s current research projects seeks to understand which laws of war are violated (or observed) and when such violations are likely to occur. For detailed information about his research agenda, visit his website.