The department is home to the Jack Brooks Chair in Government and Public Service. The chair was established in 1997 in recognition of Congressman Jack Brook's accomplishments in the sphere of government service, and his contributions to Lamar University. The goal of the chair is to contribute to the community and region in education, research and community service in many fields--including the development of highly qualified graduates in key professions, such as government service, social work and the criminal justice system.

The Jack Brooks Chair funds a scholar-researcher as a member of the Lamar faculty to enhance the educational experience of students. The chair engages in public policy research and publication, teaches undergraduate courses and graduate seminars in Public Administration and Public Policy, and organizes conferences of local and state policymakers. The chair is to assist further development of the Master of Public Administration program at the Department of Political Science.

The founding holder of the Jack Brooks Chair is Dr. James True. Current research focuses on, but is not limited to, the issues of decisionmaking policy in federal budget planning and gun ownership.

Annual Jack Brooks Conference