Meet our Graduate Administrators!
Dr. Andy Baker, Professor, Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Head
Dr. Baker joined Purdue in 2023. Prior to arriving, he was most recently Professor and Chair of Political Science at the University of Colorado Boulder and held positions of Graduate Director and Director of the Program on International Development at the Institute for Behavioral Sciences.
Professor Baker’s research focuses on how economic interests and interpersonal communication shape citizens’ attitudes about political issues and their voting decisions, and he is particularly interested in these questions in the Latin American context. He is the author of three books: (1) Persuasive Peers: Social Communication and Voting in Latin America (with Barry Ames and Lucio Renno, 2020, Princeton University Press), which won the 2021 APSA Political Networks Section Best Book Award; (2) The Market and the Masses in Latin America: Policy Reform and Consumption in Liberalizing Economies (2009, Cambridge University Press); and (3) Shaping the Developing World: The West, the South, and the Natural World: Second Edition (2022, Congressional Quarterly Press). Dr. Baker was raised in Northwest Indiana and is a lifelong fanatic of Purdue basketball! Learn more about him here: https://www.andybaker.org/
Contact Information: bakerab@purdue.edu
Dr. Jay McCann, Professor, Associate Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Admissions and Placement.
Dr. McCann joined Purdue in 1991 after completing his PhD at the University of Colorado in Boulder. In addition to his work in political science, Professor McCann is co-director of the Methodology Center at Purdue, a cross-college initiative to enhance methodological training and promote research collaborations in the behavioral, health, and social sciences.
Dr. McCann’s research interests include public opinion, political psychology, campaigns and elections, political parties, immigrant incorporation, and survey design and methodology. His recent co-authored book Holding Fast: Resilience and Civic Engagement among Latino Immigrants (Russell Sage Foundation 2020) was awarded the 2021 Latino Politics Best Book Prize from the Latino Caucus of the American Political Science Association. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Dr. McCann has held visiting appointments at the Brookings Institution, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Institute for Policy Research at the Catholic University of America. In the fall of 2021, he held the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in North American Politics at Carleton University in Ottawa. In free time, Dr. McCann can be found at local music jams playing guitar and mandolin!
Learn more about him here: James A. McCann Page
Contact: mccannj@purdue.edu
Ms. Stacy Bogan, Graduate Coordinator and Senior Administrative Assistant.
Ms. Bogan joined Purdue Political Science in 2023. In her role, she supports all aspects of graduate education in the department, from admissions through graduation. She works closely with students to help them navigate the various forms and requirements at Purdue, and takes great pride in helping students succeed. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Purdue’s Rueff School of Art and Design. Recently, she was commissioned by the College of Liberal Arts to create a portrait of Helen Bass Williams, for the Helen Bass Williams Learning Center on campus. Her art has won multiple awards, and she regularly participates in juried art shows. We enjoy the art she brings to the department walls!
Contact information: polgradcoordinator@purdue.edu