GW-sponsored election poll shows Kerry leading Bush
Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry has a slight lead over President Bush, according to a poll released by GW. The University’s Graduate School of Political Management has sponsored several polls to gauge voters’ attitudes toward the upcoming November election.
The poll, titled GW Battleground 2004 Poll, shows Kerry with the support of 49 percent of voters surveyed, edging out Bush, who had 47 percent.
The poll also found 84 percent of “likely” voters to have already made a “definite” decision about how they will vote. Forty-three percent said they were definitely voting for Kerry, while 41 percent said they were definitely voting for Bush.
A likely voter is decribed as a person who is registered to do so and has voted in a recent election.
Democratic polling firm Lake Snell Perry and Associates and The Terrance Group, a Republican firm, conducted the bipartisan poll. GSPM directed the poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters nationwide and has a 3.1 percent margin of error.
The poll also asked voters about their attitudes on how the candidates would handle specific issues. Of the voters polled, more thought Bush would do a better job dealing with Iraq, maintaining taxes and safeguarding America from a terrorist attack. More voters thought the Massachusetts senator would do a better job making prescription drugs available, improving education, strengthening Social Security and creating jobs.
Stephen Hess to teach media course
Author Stephen Hess will join the School of Media and Public Affairs as a distinguished research professor this fall.
Hess will be teaching, “Washington Reporters,” a course that will examine the domestic press corps in Washington and their impact on the news.
Hess is a senior fellow emeritus at the Brookings Institution, one of Washington’s oldest think tanks. He is also well-known in Washington as a former White House staffer and author of seven books about the media.
Two of his books, “Media and the War on Terrorism,” co-edited with Marvin Kalb, and “The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette,” received the Arthur Rowse Award for Press Criticism.
Hess was also a U.S. Representative to the United Nations General Assembly in 1976 and the UNESCO General Conference in 1974.
While at GW, Hess will also conduct research for an upcoming book.
Six staff members to swap jobs
GW selected six staff members to participate in a new Visiting Professional Fellowship, which allows University staff members to exchange professional duties.
The Visiting Professional Fellows will do four two-month rotations of job shadowing and working in various University divisions. The office of Student and Academic Support Services is coordinating the program.
The members of the first fellowship class are Rafael Blumenthal of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions; Brian Hamluk of the Dean of Student’s Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education; Grace Henry of the Student Activities Center; Nicole Macchione of the Student Activities Center Spirit Program; Katelyn Rosa of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions; and Andrew Sonn of the Community Living and Learning Center.
Univ. names new medical school dean
After serving as interim dean of the medical school since last summer, James Scott will be formally taking over the post.
University Provost John Williams, who held the position from 1999 to 2003, made the announcement Aug. 16.
Scott was selected after a faculty committee recommended him and GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Lehman approved the recommendation.
Scott has held several positions in the medical school, including associate dean, since coming to the University in 1986.
As a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Scott received the Golden Apple award for outstanding teaching 10 times. Scott also received a National Teaching Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians in 1998.
-Caitlin Carroll
