President Obama and the State of the Union Address

President Obama made his State of the Union address Tuesday night and for the first time since he took office the Democrats no longer have complete control of Congress. He addressed employment, the deficit and healthcare. SMU's experts can help with taking the measure of his effectiveness and the political road that lies ahead.

Contact SMU News and Communications at 214-768-7650 or news@smu.edu for assistance in setting up interviews.

Politics
		Cal Jillson, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science One of the nation’s foremost political experts, he regularly provides journalists thoughtful insight on Texas and U.S. politics. He is the author of Texas Politics: Governing the Lone Star State and Pursuing the American Dream.
		Matthew Wilson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science He specializes in religion and politics, as well as public opinion, elections and political psychology.
Energy Issues
		Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute “The measures which might begin to address President Obama's energy challenges, such as incentives for increased domestic natural gas usage, additional offshore drilling and lowering the corporate tax rate, are likely to be vigorously opposed by his own political base.”
The Art of Communication
		Rita Kirk, Ph.D., Professor of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs How well did President Obama communicate? Professor Kirk's expertise in politics, persuasion and communication makes her a valuable resource in analyzing the effectiveness of leaders and politicians in relating to the public's concerns.
Education Innovation
		Geoffrey Orsak, Ph.D., Professor of Engineering and Dean “Education’s job is to make the classroom relevant to real-world issues. President Obama needs to know that innovation doesn’t have to be expensive, but that educators must reach kids at their passion points. “
Polls and Surveys
		Lynne Stokes, Ph.D., Professor of Statistical Science She is an expert in surveys, polls and sampling, as well as in non-sampling survey errors, such as errors by interviewers and respondents. She recently conducted research on evaluating the accuracy of contest judges and on improving estimates of marine fishery yields by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Immigration
		Pia Orrenius, Ph.D., Fellow at SMU's Tower Center for Political Studies A senior economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, her research focuses on the border region and the causes and consequences of Mexico–U.S. migration, illegal immigration, and U.S. immigration policy. She is the author of Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization. See video of her CNN interview .

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