CHICAGO — Just days into his second term, President Donald Trump is working quickly to implement his agenda. DePaul University experts are available to discuss key topics surrounding Trump’s first 100 days, including foreign policy, immigration, climate policy and health care. Media can contact experts directly or email newsroom@depaul.edu for assistance.
Foreign Policy
Alberto Coll
Professor of Law and U.S. Foreign Relations, Director of Global Engagement
acoll@depaul.edu
A former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Alberto Coll’s scholarship focuses on what happens when the principles of international law and morality run into the realities of international politics and military conflict. He can discuss American foreign policy and grand strategy, the use of military force, American diplomacy, and international human rights.
Dick Farkas
Professor of Political Science
dfarkas@depaul.edu
A faculty member at DePaul for over 50 years, Dick Farkas has spent his career researching and lecturing on Eastern and Central Europe. He’s available to discuss how Trump might navigate the Russia-Ukraine war during his second term, his potential policies on Eastern Europe in general, and U.S-Russia relations under the new administration.
Tom Mockaitis
Professor of History
tmockait@depaul.edu
Tom Mockaitis is an expert in international security, terrorism, unconventional conflict and military history. He is available to speak about terrorism, border security, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Ukraine, Gaza and the Middle East, domestic extremist groups, and how Trump’s second administration might address each.
Immigration and Migration
Kathleen Arnold
Director, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies; Faculty member in Political Science
katy@mcom.com
Kathleen Arnold has appeared in the media several times over the past few years, including MSNBC in 2024, analyzing migration policy; explaining sanctuary ordinances and their constitutional foundation; and explaining specific country conditions in countries from which refugees flee (e.g. Venezuela, Ukraine). Arnold works closely with the immigrant and refugee community and has both academic expertise and practical knowledge about the new administration’s policies and their implications for resident and arriving foreigners. She is the author of six books and multiple articles and chapters on the subject.
Shailja Sharma
Professor of International Studies
ssharma@depaul.edu
Shailja Sharma can speak about Trump’s records and platforms on the issue of immigration and asylum. Sharma co-founded the DePaul Migration Collaborative and directed DePaul’s Refugee and Forced Migration Studies program from 2015-21. Sharma can discuss why asylum seekers are coming to the U.S.; sanctuary cities; resources required to settle forcibly displaced migrants; and what major cities, including Chicago, are currently doing to help migrants. Her 2024 op-ed in the Chicago Tribune details potential solutions to U.S.-Mexico border issues.
Climate Policy and Communication
Jill Hopke
Associate Professor of Communication and Technology
jhopke@depaul.edu
Jill Hopke researches climate change communication, climate activism and social media. She has published research about the role fossil fuel companies play in spreading misinformation about climate change. She can discuss climate change policy, climate misinformation/disinformation, and how the climate movement is talking about a Trump administration.
Mark Potosnak
Professor of Environmental Science and Studies
mark.potosnak@depaul.edu
Mark Potosnak studies air quality and global climate change. He considers how plants interact with air quality and how these interactions are impacted and will impact climate change. He has been involved in climate change research for over 25 years and can address how Trump’s second administration might affect climate policy.
Healthcare Policy
Craig Klugman
Vincent de Paul Professor of Bioethics & Health Humanities
cklugman@depaul.edu
Craig Klugman is an expert in public health ethics and digital health. He is available to discuss health policy such as anti-vaccine sentiment, changes in the Department of Health, the United States’ departure from the World Health Organization and the ongoing implications of COVID-19.
Anthony Lo Sasso
Professor of Economics
alosasso@depaul.edu
Anthony LoSasso is interested in how government policies affect private sector decisions. He can discuss how the design of health insurance benefits influences patient health outcomes and how they access health care. He can also discuss the healthcare sector, including health insurance (public and private), hospitals and physicians, the pharmaceutical supply chain, and public health issues generally.
Government and Politics
Wayne Steger
Professor of Political Science
wsteger@depaul.edu
The author of forthcoming books on presidential nominations and on the resurgence of populism, Wayne Steger can speak on Trump’s second term, House and Senate politics and media coverage of the new administration.
Voting Rights
Christina Rivers
Associate Professor of Political Science; Director, DePaul Institute for Restorative Educational Engagement
crivers@depaul.edu
Christina Rivers is a voting rights, redistricting, and African American politics and political thought expert. Her current work explores the intersections of voting/representation with incarceration/conviction. She has written, testified and presented numerous times on ballot access for pretrial detainees, felony disenfranchisement laws, and prison-based gerrymanders. She can also discuss the Trump administration’s reversal of a policy barring Department of Justice contracts with private prisons.
Civics
Molly Andolina
Professor of Political Science
mandolin@depaul.edu
Co-founder and co-director of DePaul’s Civics Initiative, Molly Andolina is available to discuss the importance of civics, lived civics, youth political engagement, political socialization and culture, and public opinion.
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