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CAREER AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS / STATEMENT OF VIEWS

Andrew Aoki is associate professor and chair of the political science department, and also a member of the urban studies program at Augsburg College (Minneapolis). He received his B.A. from the University of Oregon, and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has published works on Asian American politics, immigration, and multiculturalism, and is currently working on a study of the effects of immigration on communities of color in the United States.

He has served as co-program chair for the Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP) section, and just finished a term as co-president of that section. He also helped to found the Asian Pacific American Caucus (APAC), and was one of its inaugural co-presidents.

Having worked with APSA in a variety of ways, I know and understand how the organization works. I am familiar with the Constitution and by-laws, committee structure, programs, and professional staff. This experience has not led me to endorse the status quo, but will help me be effective immediately in efforts to improve the association.

I am grateful for the support my candidacy has received from the Women's Caucus, the Latino Caucus, APAC, and REP, and the others with whom I have worked to make our profession more inclusive. As a member of the council, I would be committed to continuing these efforts. I believe that the Perestroika movement has also been a valuable partner in this cause, although I fear that the proposals of some in the movement could result in less diversity in the APSA leadership.

As a council member, I would push for APSA to continue its efforts to respond to the full spectrum of its membership. When I first entered the profession two decades ago, many of us felt we had only a marginal place in APSA. There has been considerable progress since then, but more remains to be done. Among my priorities would be supporting efforts to reach out to political scientists at non-Ph.D. institutions. I am not sure that someone from a small liberal arts school such as Augsburg has much of a chance when all other candidates hail from prominent institutions, but I hope that competitive elections do not eliminate the voices of those of us who work in places very different from research universities.