Amanda Rutherford has won both the Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Research and the George Kunze prize as the outstanding graduate student at Texas A&M.
Rutherford joined the Department of Political Science in 2011. Since then, she has written ten refereed articles, presented research at 18 national conferences, and aided in the writing of four national grant applications. She is also the recipient of numerous university and national awards.
“I am extremely honored to be selected for this award,” Rutherford said. “I am grateful to the many individuals who have mentored me and encouraged me to pursue my interests throughout my academic career. Individuals like my advisor, Ken Meier, challenged me to grow in ways that I would not have thought possible, and I owe much of my success to them.”
Her current research seeks to understand how theories of managerial fit and top management team dynamics from private sector research apply to public agencies that are exposed to high levels of uncertainty and an array of ambiguous goals.
“I study these questions in the context of U.S. higher education, a policy arena where demands for greater accountability have become increasingly salient and political in nature,” she said.
Amanda received her Ph.D. at the May 2015 graduation and has joined the faculty of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
On Sept. 1, 2022, the Department of Political Science became part of the Bush School of Government & Public Service.
