Brandon Waite

Associate Professor of Political Science

American Politics / Public Administration

Curriculum Vitae

Phone:765-285-8786

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Room:NQ 261

About Brandon Waite

Dr. Brandon Waite joined the Political Science Department in 2008 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. Since then, he has taught a wide range of courses in the American politics subfield (e.g., Intro to American National Politics, State and Local Politics, Public Policy, the Presidency, Media and Politics, and Interest Groups), as well as the public administration subfield (e.g., Intro to Public Administration in our MPA program). He also routinely teaches in the Honors College at Ball State.


The bulk of his scholarship, including two books and more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles, focuses on social media and other new media technologies. His current book project, however, is a departure from this line of inquiry and focuses instead on helping students understand the types of jobs that exist for political science majors and helping them understand how they can demonstrate their employability to employers.

Professional Experience

• Ball State University: Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, (2016-Present) 

• Ball State University: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, (2010-2016)

• Ball State University: Emerging Media Faculty Fellow, Center for Media Design Instructor, Department of Political Science, (2009-2010)

• Ball State University: Instructor, Department of Political Science, (2008-2009) 

Education

• Ph.D.   Political Science, University of Tennessee
• M.A.     Government and Justice Studies, Appalachian State University
• B.A.      Government and Justice Studies,   Appalachian State University
• B.A.      English,   Appalachian State University

Selected Research and Publications

Books

• Waite, Brandon and Darren Wheeler. Connecting Classrooms to Careers in Political Science. Rowman & Littlefield (forthcoming).
• Waite, Brandon and Darren Wheeler. Social Media and Student Affairs. Rowman & Littlefield (2019).
• Waite, Brandon and Darren Wheeler. Understanding and Using Social Media on College Campuses: A Practical Guide for Higher Education Professionals. Rowman and Littlefield (2016).

Peer Reviewed Articles

• Hildebrand, Sean and Brandon C. Waite. “Local Emergency Management Social Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Emergency Management, Vol. 19, No. 7, 2021.
• Kinsella, Chad and Brandon C. Waite. “Identifying and Developing Desirable Soft Skills for Public Service.” Teaching Public Administration, (June 2020)
• Waite, Brandon and Darren Wheeler. “The ‘Liked’ Department: Using Facebook Analytics for Strategic Communication.” PS: Political Science & Politics 47.3 (2014): 667-673.
• Cooper, Daniel, Suzy Smith and Brandon Waite. “Debate 2012: Second Screen Design and Interactive Political Content Delivery for Television Viewers.” International Digital Media & Arts Association Journal 9.1 (2013): 15-20.
• Waite, Brandon C. “Facebook and Social Capital: An Exploratory Study,” in International Digital Media & Arts Association Journal 8.1 (2011): 59-70.

Book Chapters Published in Edited Books

• Waite, Brandon. “President John Tyler: His Accidency.” Chronology of the U.S. Presidency. Ed. Matthew Manweller. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012. 299-324.
• Waite, Brandon. “Email and Electoral Fortunes: Obama’s Internet Insurgency.” Communicator-in-Chief: A Look at How Barack Obama used New Media Technology to Win the White House, Eds. Robert E. Denton and John A. Hendricks. New York: Lexington Books, 2010. 105-121.

Selected Service Activities

• Advisor, Master of Public Administration program, 2014-2021
• Designer/Presenter, Candidates of the Future Campaign School hosted by the Bowen Center for Public Affairs, the Shafer Leadership Academy, and the Muncie Action Plan (2017-2021)
• Faculty Mentor, Career Center’s Skills Infusion Program (2021)
• Member, Provost’s Honors College Task Force (2011)

Honors and Awards

• Summer Assessment Grant, Sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, $2,000 (2020)

• Emerging Media Initiatives Grant, Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., $7,000 (2012)

• Outstanding Teaching Recognition (2012)

• Provost's Honors College Task Force (2011)

• Emerging Media Initiatives Grant (2010)