News

February 4, 2016

Rockefeller College Forum Tackles 2016 Presidential Primaries

The University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy is hosting a forum, Decision 2016: Separating Reality from Rhetoric, as two leading political strategists go head-to-head in a lively discussion about 2016’s presidential front-runners, phenoms and forgettables.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, February 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of UAlbany’s Performing Arts Center. Progressive pundit, radio host, political consultant and attorney Christopher Hahn (B.A. ’94) and veteran White House and Congressional advisor Ron Christie will engage in a vigorous debate over the candidates and policies shaping this year’s race for the White House. The forum will be moderated by attorney and noted political analyst/strategist Michael Tobman (B.A. ’95).

The debate will focus on which competitors remain viable heading into the New Hampshire Primary, and the long-term outlook for candidates as the calendar moves on to Super Tuesday all the way through the Democratic and Republican Conventions.

The debate also highlights the expertise of UAlbany faculty experts, who are available to discuss a wide range of topics with implications for the 2016 general election, including perceptions of the U.S. presidential election process and implications for foreign countries, immigration reform, campaign financing and the U.S. Supreme Court.

UAlbany’s presidential election experts include:

• Rey Koslowski, Associate Professor of Political Science:  He can discuss homeland security, border security and the impact of international immigration on U.S. presidential politics. Koslowski is the author of Migrants and Citizens: Demographic Change in the European States System (2000); Real Challenges for Virtual Borders: The Implemention of US-VISIT (2005); and co-editor of Global Human Smuggling: Comparative Perspectives (2001).
• Michael Malbin, Professor of Political Science: Malbin can discuss the impact of campaign finance reform on the U.S. presidential election cycle. The professor of political science specializes in campaigns and elections (especially the role of money in politics) as well as the politics of the U.S. Congress. He teaches UAlbany’s Semester in Washington and is executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, an independent non-partisan think tank in Washington D.C.
• Ryan Irwin, Assistant Professor of History: He can discuss how America’s impact and the U.S. election is perceived overseas, and the importance placed on the election outside of the United States. Irwin’s scholarship explores the historical relationship between globalization and decolonization. He examines the changing mechanics and shifting perceptions of American global power, including comparative imperialism, international institutions, non-state activism, and technological development.

Check out UAlbany’s online roster of faculty experts.

Roster of Faculty Experts.