June 7, 2022
Shawnee State University has announced the 2022 Faculty Awards. As part of this year’s presentation, the recipient of the Faculty Research Award is Dr. Thomas Bunting. An Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Bunting has been with the university’s Department of Social Science since 2017.
In the past five years, Dr. Bunting has served as the Coordinator of the Political Science major in the Department of Social Sciences. At SSU, he is a Fellow for the GEP Assessment Committee, a University Faculty Senate Representative for the Social Sciences Department and serves on several committees including those for General Education Advisory, Research & Scholarly Affairs, Social Science Library, and the Digital Appalachian Conference. His published work includes several articles and his recent book Democracy at the Ballpark: Sport, Spectatorship, and Politics published by SUNY Press in October 2021.
“I am very proud of my research record and honored to receive the Faculty Research Award,” he said. “I am especially proud of involving SSU students in my work and showing the value of liberal education and study through research.”
Dr. Bunting received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Theory & Constitutional Democracy from Michigan State University before receiving his Master of Arts in Political Science and Ph.D. in Political Science, focused on Political Theory and American Politics, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research explores ancient political thought, continental philosophy, democratic theory, and sport and politics.
The Faculty Research Award recognizes outstanding research from full-time tenured eligible faculty members at Shawnee State University, dedicated to research promoting involvement with students, contribution to research within the institution, community, and profession, and support from the campus community.