Bill Lunch is Professor and Chair of the
Political Science Department at Oregon State University, and is the
Political Analyst for Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).
In his academic work and teaching, Lunch
emphasizes American national political institutions, Northwest regional
politics, and environmental, natural resource, and science policy. In
1986-87, students at OSU voted him the "outstanding faculty member" for
his teaching; in 1993-94, a student honor society named him one of
their "Top Profs" for his teaching and advising. He created new courses
on the Politics of Science (PS 476/576) and on the Civil Rights
Movement and Policies (PS 375).
Lunch has
published a number of articles concerning American politics, elections,
public opinion, and environmental, health, and science policy. His work
has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The
Oregonian as well as academic journals. His book, The Nationalization
of American Politics, was published by the University of California
Press. He has recently written on national politics and political
institutions, and on political culture and controversies in Oregon and
the Northwest, particularly concerning health care policy and the
influence of extremist groups in the region.
In
1998-99 Lunch served as President of the Pacific Northwest Political
Science Association, a regional professional association with members
from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia, and
other states and provinces.
He has been OPB's
Political Analyst since 1988. His political analysis can be heard
regularly on OPB Radio and he appears periodically on OPB Television?s
"Seven Days." His political analysis has also been heard regionally on
radio networks including the Northwest Public Affairs Network (NPAN),
nationally on National Public Radio (NPR), and internationally on
Canadian National Radio (CNR) and the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC). He has won awards for his broadcasting for ?Excellence in
Commentary and Analysis? from the Society of Professional Journalists
(SPJ) and the National Press Club.
Lunch has
spoken to many groups in Oregon and Washington including the Portland
City Club, the Salem City Club, the Oregon Historical Society, the
Oregon State Bar, the Oregon Public Health Association, and the Oregon
and Washington Library Associations, among others.
Areas of Interest:
American Politics and Public Policy
Environmental and Natural Resource Policy
Northwest Regional Politics and Policy
Brief Vita:
Current Positions
Professor and Chair, Political Science Department, Oregon State University
Political Analyst, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Education and Fields
A.B., Political Science, Univ. of California, Riverside, l969, (highest honors)
M.A. & PhD, Political Science, Univ. of California, Berkeley, l970 & 1976
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa, 1969; Ford Foundation Fellow in the Social Sciences, 1969-74.
Areas
of Concentration: American government, public policy (science &
environmental policy), public opinion and elections, Northwest regional
government and politics.
Teaching
Courses created: The Politics of Science (PS 476/576), and the Civil Rights Movement and Policies (PS 375).
Courses
taught: American Government, Interest Groups, Environmental Politics
& Policy, the Politics of Science, Bureaucratic Politics, the Civil
Rights Movement, plus others.
Honors: OSU "Outstanding Professor of the Year" for teaching, 1986-87; "Top Prof," 1993-94.
Selected Publications
The Nationalization of American Politics (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1987)
Animal Rights Activism & Natural Resource Policy (Wash: Natl Park Service, 1994) [w/ Wesley Jamison ]
Oregon in An Era of Uncertainty (Corvallis: Extension Publications, 1995) [with Don Balmer]
"The Shadows of 1972," New York Times, September 9, 1980.
"Ecological Policy: The Inevitability of Politics," Human Ecology Review, Spring-Summer, 1997
"Budgeting by Initiative: An Oxymoron," Willamette Law Review, Fall, 1998
"The Christian Right in the Northwest: Two Decades of Frustration," in Marching to The Millenium, John Green, Mark Rozell, & Clyde Wilcox, eds. (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2003)
Broadcasting
Since 1988, WML has been Political Analyst for Oregon
Public Broadcasting (OPB); heard weekly on OPB radio and seen periodically
on OPB TV, "7 Days." Regionally heard on Northwest Public Affairs Network
(NPAN); occasional national broadcasting with National Public Radio
(NPR). International broadcasts include analysis on Swiss and Japanese
national television, and on radio with the BBC World Service and Canadian
National Broadcasting.
Honors: Awards for analysis and commentary from the
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the National Press
Club.
Invited Presentations
WML has given invited presentations at meetings of
the American Political Science Assn., the Western Political Science
Assn., the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, the American
Veterinary Medical Assn., the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest
Service, the Environmental Protection Agency Labs, plus other professional
organizations and public agencies. Popular invited presentations to the
Portland City Club, the Salem City Club, the Oregon Historical Society,
the Oregon Public Health Association and the Oregon State Bar, among
others.
