ePortfolio

Joel F. Clark, Ph.D.

Educator, Author, Consultant

Welcome to my ePortfolio! I am a higher-education professional with 30 years of experience in university teaching and research, program design and administration, and student professional development. I am passionate about helping students from all academic majors and young professionals apply their academic learning to specific strategies for career exploration and success. Such strategies include values and careers assessments, creating compelling marketing materials, gaining and excelling in one or more challenging internships, engaging in creative professional networking, and developing distinctive individualized brands. As my CV and related information in this ePortfolio demonstrate, I am a hard-working and committed professional who enjoys designing and delivering innovative programs in collaboration with others.

Published Writing

Books:

Intern to Success (Houghton Mifflin, 2002)
Careers in Political Science (Longman, 2003)
Political Science Career Pathways and Student Professional Development (Cognella, 2025)

Published Articles/Chapters Include:

“Getting the Most Out of Your Internship.” Lead chapter in Peterson’s Internships (Pearson Education), yearly editions (2003-2013).
“A Call to Public Service for Students,” The Daily Californian, (2009)
"Taking on the World: The International Activities of American State Legislatures." Timothy Conlan, Robert Dudley, and Joel Clark. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Volume 34, Issue 3, Summer 2004, Pages 183–200. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.pubjof.a005036
“The International Activities of American State Legislatures,” Timothy Conlan and Joel Clark. Spectrum: The Journal of State Government, (May 2004).
Democracy in America. Teacher’s guide for a 15-episode video course on American politics. Project funded by Annenberg/CPB, (2003). https://www.learner.org/courses/democracyinamerica/index.html

Teaching

Political Sciences Courses: Career Courses:

State Government and Policy Careers in Political Science

Introduction to Public Policy Student Professional Development

Democratic Theory Global Experiential Learning

American Political Theory Preparation for Washington, DC

Washington Ethics

Washington Policy Process

Grant Projects

Funded Projects Include:

Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. Project Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Badger Reach: Impactful Summer Internships in Milwaukee, Chicago and the Twin Cities.” (2016-2017) https://polisci.wisc.edu/badger-reach-2/
Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Principle Co-Investigator, George Mason University. “Democracy in America” video telecourse. (2003)
Council of State Governments and US/Asia Environmental Partnership. Principle Co-Investigator, George Mason University. Survey of US states’ activities in international affairs. (2003)
National Endowment for the Humanities. Principle Co-Investigator, George Mason University and Arlington, Co. Schools. Schools for a New Millennium. (2000).
George Mason University. Project Director, George Mason University. Decision 2000 Campus Series. (2000).
George Mason University. Project Director, Technology Across the Curriculum Developmental Resource for Intro. to American Government course (1999-2001).

Special Programs

Coordinate the Design and Delivery of Various Custom Programs

Examples Include:

2017 -2022. Internship Director. UW/Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. Coordinated internships and UW-Madison programming for SHECP interns working in a variety of programs/ placements in various cities and rural locales in the Eastern and Southern U.S. https://www.shepherdconsortium.org/
2016-2017. Program Director. UW-Madison Badger Reach. Facilitated students' selection and work in 'impactful' summer internships in Milwaukee, Chicago and the Twin Cities. Themes included education, law and social justice, voting and civic participation, and environment/ urban design. https://polisci.wisc.edu/badger-reach-2/
2015-2018. Program Coordinator and Instructor. UW-Madison 'Wisconsin in Washington, DC' program. Year-round program in DC that combines DC internships with UW coursework and professional development. In coordination with a small team from Political Science, designed the program and gained UW Chancellor's approval and seed funding. Assisted students on campus with internship searches and placements, and regularly taught the DC Preparatory Course.
2014-2018. Co-coordinator. National Immersion Programs in Washington, DC. University of Southern California, Graduate School of Social Work. Annual programs in Military and Veterans Policy , Child and Family Social Welfare, and Social Innovation. https://dworakpeck.usc.edu/academics/global-programs/national-immersion-programs
2011-2014. Program Creator/Coordinator. CAREER LAUNCH! Washington, DC Consortium of Universities. Professional development series through Washington Intern Student Housing for students and faculty in Washington, DC programs, including Ohio State, Johns Hopkins, Michigan State , University of California and Congressional Black Caucus.
2012 . Coordinator/Instructor. Trent Lott Leadership Institute, University of Mississippi. Elections 2012. Winter Intersession course in Washington, DC.
2006-2007. Coordinator/ Instructor The Business of Washington. East Carolina University. Weeklong DC program for MBA students and faculty .
2005. Coordinator/Instructor. Career Opportunities for Political Science and Public Administration Students. North Carolina State University. Week-long DC program for undergraduates, graduates and faculty.
2004. Co- Coordinator/Instructor. US Civil Society and Presidential Elections. University of Southern California. A two-week program for visiting Korean NGO leaders with site visits in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.
2004. Co-Coordinator/Instructor. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Quest for Peace. Washington University in St. Louis. Week-long DC program for undergraduate, conflict-resolution capstone course.
1998-2003 Founder/Director. Summer High School Government Program, George Mason University. Sponsored by GMU and Fairfax County Public Schools, this program allowed rising seniors to fulfill their high school government requirements and earn transferable college credits.

Consulting

University Program Creation, Development, and Delivery

Examples Include:

University of Salamanca, Spain. Assisted in creation of a new Master of Arts program in Global and International Studies, to include development of discrete MA tracks, , think tank/ student research program and global internship options, and outreach to potential affiliated global faculty. (2016-2018) https://globalandinternationalstudies.com/
University of North Carolina System/ General Administration: Assisted in creation of the 14 campus, 'UNC in Washington' program to include curriculum development, establishment of DC campus-sponsored housing and internship resources, participation in system-wide planning committee deliberations, hiring of DC staff and visiting faculty, and creation of campus student recruiting and selection plans. Subsequently hired as the first director of UNC in Washington. (2003-2004)

Education Startups:

STEMACCEL Washington, DC. Participated on a management team exploring new product and patent options for a global education startup providing STEM-focused remedial and advanced training opportunities for students, instructors, and professionals. Consulted on development and implementation of a pilot utilizing digital and tablet technologies that resulted in accelerated algebra scores for DC-area high school students. (2010-2014).

Presentations

Academic Conference Papers and Presentations Include:

"Student Career Development Within Core Political Science Courses." Paper and Presentation at the Teaching and Learning Conference, American Political Science Association, Annual Meeting, Alexandria, VA (February 2025).
"Political Science Career Pathways and Student Professional Development. What Has Changed in the Last 20 Years." Paper and Presentation at the Midwest Political Science Association, Annual Meeting. Chicago, ILL (April 2024).
"Engaging Students in Summer Immersive Work in Communities of Poverty/ The UW/SHECP Partnership." UW-Madison Teaching and Learning Symposium. Poster Presentation, (2019). With Marcy Carlson.
“E-Portfolios and Global Internship Programs: Redefining Purpose and Possibilities for Enhancing Student Experiences and Promoting Program Goals.” Presentation at the Global Internship Conference. Dublin, Ireland (June 2015). With Maj Fischer.
“Professional Development in a Global Context: The Case of UC Berkeley’s ISF 187.” Presentation at the Global Internship Conference. Berkeley, CA (2012).
“Developing Web-Based Writing Guides: Lessons Learned.” Paper and presentation at the Writing Across the Curriculum Conference. Bloomington, IN (2001).
“Civic Education at the High School Level.” Presentation before a delegation of Russian educators. U.S. State Department Visitor Exchange Program. Washington, DC (2000).
“Global Education and Its Challenges.” Presented at the Congress on International Policy and Globalization. Buenos Aires, Argentina (2000).
“Constituting and Challenging ‘The Canon’ of Political Science.” Panel chair and discussant, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. Washington, D.C. (2000).
“Political Reform as Good Government? Competing Theories of Representation in the Political Reforms of the 1990s.” Paper and presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. Atlanta, GA (1999).
“Staff Cuts in a Laboratory: Personnel Reductions at USAID During the Government Reinvention” (with Mark West). Paper and presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. Atlanta, GA (1999).
“Critical Skills for Workplace Learning: A Faculty/Employer Dialogue.” Panel discussant. Sponsored by Career Services and Office of Provost, George Mason University (1999).

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