While election season was in full swing, Alison Staudinger, class of 2005, was busy settling into her first year at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. The Honors Program graduate had just joined the faculty in Democracy and Justice Studies, an interdisciplinary program encompassing history, political science, sociology, law, and economics.

As an undergraduate Staudinger was immediately challenged by the rigorous environment of the Honors Program. Faculty encouraged her to intern with the U.S. Department of State at the embassy in Prague. Students in her cohort created a safe space for vigorous debate, critical analysis, and lasting friendship. When History Professor David Madsen recommended a course in political theory, she found her niche. Staudinger majored in both political science and English literature with minors in medieval history and philosophy.   

After a brief stint in Boston working for a nonprofit grant-making agency focusing on health disparities in women and girls, she headed to the University of Maryland to pursue her doctorate in government and politics.  

“I always felt like teaching was what I was supposed to do,” she said.

She joined the ranks of academia as an instructor in the Honors Program class at Loyola Chicago while finishing her dissertation on women, work, and democracy.

Now an assistant professor in Green Bay working with many first-generation college students, she more fully appreciates her experiences at Seattle University.

“My liberal arts education gave me skills to read and think analytically, to walk through an argument and break it down and analyze it,” she said. “I hope to encourage and motivate my students to be fully engaged in society, just as I was encouraged at Seattle University.”

The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest college in Seattle University, offeres 42 undergraduate majors, 37 minors, and 7 master's degrees.