Renée Bukovchik Van Vechten, Ph.D., specializes in California and legislative politics and teaches courses in U.S. national institutions and public policy. She infuses her courses—such as Cal Politics, U.S. Congress, and the U.S. Presidency—with active learning elements. She the author of California Politics: A Primer, now in its 5th edition (Sage/CQ Press). Current projects involve developing a Food Politics textbook and an edited volume on internships in the discipline. Dr. Van Vechten is the recipient of multiple grants and awards for teaching, and is deeply engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning. She organizes teaching and learning events for WPSA and co-convened the first “Teaching & Learning Conference within a Conference” at APSA in 2018. She also serves on the Rogers Smith Presidential Task Force (2018-2020), and is a Council member of APSA, the American Political Science Association (for which she chairs the Teaching & Learning Policy Committee and sits on the Executive Board, 2017-19). She is an executive board member of Pi Sigma Alpha honor society, and frequently contributes to local and national political reports. Click the tabs below for more information.
Dr. Renee Van Vechten is a nationally recognized expert on California politics, term limits, policy reform, and legislative practices.
15-Dec-2020 05:05:38 PM EST
When University of Redlands Professor Renée Van Vechten offered to coordinate the second annual Western regional Pi Sigma Alpha conference, she had no inkling she would have to do so in the midst of a pandemic. But, with this year’s conference scheduled for March 20, the possibility of an in-person event began to wane as university campuses began to close and students began to attend class online. Instead of canceling or rescheduling the event, Van Vechten and U of R’s Pi Sigma Alpha students decided to host the conference virtually.
09-Apr-2020 10:05:02 AM EDT