Madison students celebrated in annual paper contest

August 2, 2024 - Jane Deacon

From left: photos of Rachael Lee, wearing a white shirt standing in front of a fountain; Lauren Dauber, in a graduation gown in front of MSU's Spartan Statue; and Ashley Mathews, in a tie-dye shirt posing with the MSU Party mascot. — From left: Rachel Lee, Lauren Dauber and Ashley Mathews. *Photos provided.*

Three James Madison College students received awards celebrating their writing in public and international affairs in the annual JMC Dean’s Choice Award for Best Public Policy Paper competition.

The awards recognize students whose writings showcase JMC’s mission to produce graduates who are exceptionally well prepared to:

engage in cultural, political, and social analysis;
evaluate public and foreign policies and practices;
and suggest creative strategies for addressing pressing issues in public life.

Lauren Dauber (SRP & CCP ’24) received the first-place $1,200 prize for her paper “Eighties Exodus: a Permanent Decline in Unionization.” Written as part of the Social Relations & Policy senior seminar course, the paper examines the decline in U.S. unionization rates, focusing on the 1980s as a crucial turning point that influenced trends up to 2022.

Rachael Lee’s second-place paper, “Impact of Transboundary Water Disputes on Hydropolitics in Central Asia: The Case of the Rogun Dam,” investigates water scarcity in the Central Asia region, focusing on its effects on politics and relations between countries. “The Rogun Dam was of particular interest to us because it is one of the biggest hydropower projects in the world and has massive implications for the involved countries,” wrote Lee (IR ’26), who received an $800 award for her submission. Lee wrote the paper as part of an assistantship with International Relations Professor Norman Graham.

Ashley Mathews’ research paper “The Haudenosaunee Confederacy and American Constitutionalism: The Forgotten Founders” received third prize and a $500 award. Mathews (SRP ’26) examines arguments surrounding the formation of the founding documents of the U.S., specifically looking at Benjamin Franklin and the Haudenosaunee tribes’ influence on his role.

The annual paper competition is open to James Madison students with sophomore, junior or senior standing. Papers must be a minimum of 12 pages in length with bibliography and endnotes.