NSU Fall 2012 Horizons Magazine

14 HORIZONS 15 HORIZONS faculty profile As Americans vote for city and state officials and, of course, the next President of the United States, NSU profes- sor Charles (Chuck) Zelden, Ph.D., will watch the election returns with even more interest than the average voter. Zelden will view the elec- tion as a historian, gauging it from a nonpartisan view- point, concentrating on how each outcome affects the country, and evaluating how it might be considered by future generations. “I am interested in study- ing the process of running elections and what they mean. I describe myself as a voting rights and election law histo- rian,” said Zelden, a professor in the Division of Humanities at Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. Zelden’s expertise often results in the local and nation- al media quoting him during their election coverage. “Chuck Zelden is a valu- able resource for all South Florida political reporters, in- cluding me,” said Michael Putney, senior reporter on politics and government for WPLG, Channel 10, in South Florida. Putney also writes a semi- monthly column on politics for The Miami Herald . “[Zelden] knows his stuff and can boil down complex political issues in ways that make them understandable.” Anthony Man, political writer at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, agreed. “It’s not just that he’s up on the news. He’s able to put the news into context that really helps illu- minate what’s going on, even when it’s not obvious or the truth is hidden below the surface. I assume Zelden has plenty of personal opinions. But whatever they are, they don’t shape his take on the political world. He tells it like it is, whether it’s positive or negative for the Democrats, the Republicans, or anyone else.” For Zelden, making the intricacies of constitutional history, the judicial process, and election law comprehensible is, in part, an extension of what he does in his under- graduate classes at NSU. “My job is to explain the technicalities of politics or law so the undergraduate students understand it. That translates very well to the general public,” said Zelden, who was named the 2012 Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Pro- fessor of the Year. The award is presented to a full-time professor with at least 10 years of teaching experience at NSU, a sustained record of scholarship, and a portfo- lio demonstrating excellence in teaching. “My expertise is in the structure of politics rather than the horse race elements of politics. I try to get at the essence of how politics and voting work in a real- world context,” he said. Zelden can discuss the Electoral College, Supreme Court rulings, and the history of voting and voting rights for hours. “My wife calls it my hobby, and she’s right,” said Zelden. And his passion for his subject translates to the classroom. “I am selling history to 18-year-olds. I tell them it is the world’s greatest soap opera. Everything is involved with history and politics. It’s why I am so enthusiastic about it,” he said. “Charles Zelden is well regarded on campus and within the community as an insightful resource for thoughtful Farquhar Professor Evaluates U.S. Voting History By Oline H. Cogdill analysis on election issues and civil rights matters. A prolific scholar, Charles brings his knowledge and enthusiasm for his work into the classroom. Students really respond to his approach, as they value his accessibility and remain in contact with him long after graduation. He also serves as a mentor to newer faculty members. He remains an incredible asset to the university,” said Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. Zelden Studied Civil Rights Litigation Zelden’s expertise in voting and elections grew out of his interest in voting rights litigation and how the courts were shaping the civil rights process. Following the publication of his first book, Zelden was looking into civil rights, including voting rights in the South during the 1970s and 1980s. Then the 2000 election controversy occurred. Numerous recounts led to the lawsuit Bush v. Gore , which ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the election in favor of George W. Bush, defeating Democratic nominee Al Gore. These events drew Zelden into the topic of election law history. “I was looking at the events from a very different lens than most people. I was in Florida trying to explain what was happening to our votes, and that gave me a different perspec- tive from other commentators on those events,” Zelden said. As the recounts were under way, he knew that he would one day write about the 2000 election. But he decided to put his ideas for a book on the back burner. Instead, he published two books that focused on civil rights and voting rights in the mid-20th century. It wasn’t until 2005 that Zelden says he was finally ready to tackle the subject of this election. “From the moment the Bush v. Gore case was decided by the Supreme Court, I knew I would write its history. But I also knew I needed time to understand it and time for the events to mature. Historians need context,” he said. He spent 18 months writing the book Bush v. Gore: Exposing the Hidden Crisis in American Democracy , a nonparti- san look at the controversial election. It was published in 2008. In 2010, the University Press of Kansas published an updated and abridged second edition of Zelden’s book, which continues to be relevant today with purged voter lists and improper voter registration making headlines. “The controversy about the 2000 election was always about flaws in the voting process and not just about broken voting machines or a controversial Supreme Court ruling. These flaws have not gone away,” Zelden said. Zelden received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history during 1985 from Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1991 and had been working as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas—Arlington when he was tapped by NSU in 1993. He remembers the days when what was then known as the Farquhar Center for Undergraduate Studies had less than 50 faculty members and about 400 day students and his office was in a trailer. He is proud of NSU’s myriad changes during his 19 years at the university. “We have built something special at NSU. Our honors program, our facilities, our faculty, our undergraduate pro- grams—I am so proud of all of it,” he said. “Walk into just about any library and it is cold. NSU’s [Alvin Sherman] library feels warm and welcoming, despite its size. Besides which, I think we have the prettiest campus in South Florida.” Still, Zelden notes, a quality education has been a constant at the university. “NSU has always offered students a good classroom experience because we had dedicated faculty members. We still offer that good classroom experi- ence, but now, with all the changes and growth, we also offer a good college experience,” said Zelden. When he is not teaching or observing elections, Zelden is working on his seventh book, a biography of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. “I am going full circle back to civil rights history,” he said. As for free time, Zelden is an avid reader, preferring nonfiction history, mysteries, and science fiction novels. But his main hobby will always be the history of elections, voting rights, and politics. “I never tire of talking about those subjects,” he said. n NSU professor Charles Zelden views elections from a historical perspective. Zelden studies the process of running elections.