March 19, 2004

Political-Science Dept. at Vanderbilt Is on the Comeback Trail; 2 AIDS Researchers Leave U. of Alabama at Birmingham for Emory

By PIPER FOGG, LILA GUTERMAN, and SHARON WALSH

MAKING PEACE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE: After a tumultuous two years under receivership, the political-science department at Vanderbilt University appears to be making a comeback.

Members of the department hope that three new hires and a high-profile journal editorship will jump-start a recruiting effort and help to revive the graduate program, which was suspended in 2002. When a department goes into receivership, the university appoints someone from outside the department to run it, and