Florida State University’s Syde P. Deeb Eminent Scholar in Political Science and Marian D. Irish Professor of Political Science William D. Berry, Ph.D., will retire after 34 years at Florida State University.
Dr. Berry has mentored dozens of students over his tenure, shaping the next generation of political scientists. He has also served on over a dozen University and Department committees, including numerous graduate review and tenure committees.
Dr. Berry is a world-renowned researcher and has served as a Visiting Scholar in Taipei.
He’s well known for his contributions to groundbreaking theory that aims to predict whether a policy instituted in one state will diffuse across state lines and be implemented elsewhere has been cited thousands of times. The paper, “State Lottery Adoptions as Policy Innovations: An Event History Analysis.” – coauthored with Francis Berry, Ph.D. – was published in the American Political Science Review.
Dr. Berry served as the President of the American Political Science Association’s State Politics and Policy Organized Section from 1990-1991.
He has also been a frequent contributor to top Political Science Journals including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Politics. He served on the editor’s board for both the American Journal of Political Science and Journal of Politics.
Dr. Berry has also been recognized for his work by numerous organizations, including two lifetime achievement awards: the Policy Studies Organization’s Harold Laswell Award and the American Political Science Association (APSA) State Politics and Policy Organized Section Award.
Dr. Berry earned his B.A. in Mathematics at Washington University in 1974 and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota in 1980. He was on the faculty of the University of Kentucky until he joined FSU in 1990.
Although he will be leaving Florida State, his unwavering dedication to scholarship and service has left an indelible mark on his colleagues and students.