Three College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) faculty members have earned distinction as University Professors: Drs. Allison Harris (Physics), James M. Scott (Politics and Government), and Laura Vogel (Biological Sciences, CAS Dean’s Office).

The title of University Professor honors faculty members or administrators who demonstrate the University’s commitment to excellence and assist in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty members. Nominations can be submitted by any member of the University community. Nominations are evaluated by college deans, a review committee, and the provost before a final determination is made by the University president. 

Harris, Scott, and Vogel are the latest members of the CAS community to be recognized as University Professors. Nine of the past 10 Illinois State faculty members to earn the distinction have come from the college.

The CAS trio was recognized on April 21 during a luncheon in the Bone Student Center’s Founders Suite.

Dr. Allison Harris

Harris joined the Department of Physics in 2013 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 2017, and was named professor in 2021. Prior to coming to Illinois State, Harris was an assistant professor of physics at Henderson State University from 2010-13. She also spent time as a guest scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany, from 2022-23, further enhancing her global academic network and expertise in atomic physics and related fields.

With a passion for research and teaching, Harris has dedicated her career to advancing knowledge in the field of physics. Her research encompasses computational methods in three distinct areas of physics: charged particle collisions, ultrafast physics, and biophysics, a notable accomplishment in today’s era of specialized research. Since 2015, her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, and she has 41 peer-reviewed publications and counting. 

Harris has received several teaching and research awards and was named a “Researcher to Know” by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition in 2019. Harris has served on several international conference organizing committees, most recently as chair of the 2021 International Symposium on Correlation, Polarization and Ionization in Atomic and Molecular Collisions and as the liaison between the Gaseous Electronics Conference and the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Conference. 

In addition to her research contributions, Harris has been deeply involved in mentoring students and contributing to the development of computational physics curricula. She has utilized resources like the ACCESS network of advanced computing systems for educational grants and has been awarded numerous faculty fellowships and research grants that further her mission to push the boundaries of knowledge in physics. Her collaborations with researchers and institutions around the world showcase her international influence and commitment to global scientific progress.

Dr. James M. Scott

Scott joined Illinois State University in 2024 as University Professor and chair of the Department of Politics and Government. His areas of specialization include foreign policy analysis and international relations, with particular emphasis on U.S. foreign policymaking and the domestic sources of foreign policy, the role of Congress, and U.S. democracy promotion and democracy assistance.

Scott is author or editor of 11 books; more than 70 refereed articles, chapters, and essays in highly reputable outlets; and more than 100 review essays, chapters, conference papers, and other works. He has been president of both the Foreign Policy Analysis section of the International Studies Association and the International Studies Association (ISA)-Midwest, and he has served on several governing committees in each association. He was also elected to and served a three-year term as a councilor for the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Since 1996, he has received more than three dozen awards from students and peers for his outstanding teaching and research. These include the Frank J. Klingberg Award for Best Paper Presented by a Faculty Member at the ISA—Midwest annual meeting, which he was awarded twice; the 2012 Quincy Wright Distinguished Scholar Award and the 2018 Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award from the ISA-Midwest; the 2018 and 2019 AddRan College of Liberal Arts Division of Social Sciences Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar at Texas Christian University; and the 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Foreign Policy Analysis Section of the International Studies Association.

From 2005-14, he was director of the Democracy, Interdependence and World Politics Summer Research Program, a National Science Foundation research experience for undergraduates. He was associate editor of Foreign Policy Analysis from 2009-15, co-editor of Political Research Quarterly from 2015-18, and lead editor of International Studies Perspectives from 2020-25.

Dr. Laura Vogel

Vogel received a B.A. in microbiology from Miami University and a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Medical College of Ohio. Following her Ph.D., Vogel pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School and joined the faculty in the School of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University in 1999 as an assistant professor of immunology. In 2002, she was selected as one of 21 young faculty nationwide for a Pfizer Medical Futures Award as a future leader in biomedical research. Vogel received both the University Research Initiative and Teaching Initiative Awards in 2003, Outstanding College Teaching Award (2010), Outstanding College Service Award (2011), Million Dollar Club induction (2011), Outstanding College Researcher Award (2013), University Leadership Initiative Award (2013), Outstanding University Research Award (2014), and Outstanding University Service Award (2016), and was selected as the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecturer (2018).

As part of her research program in the field of immunology, Vogel has authored 43 scientific manuscripts and generated over $2 million in grant funding from agencies including the American Federation for Aging Research, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health. Her research group has given more than 65 domestic and international presentations in addition to numerous presentations locally.

In addition, Vogel actively engages students on a one-to-one basis through research projects where she’s trained 20 graduate students and 65 undergraduate students in the process of scientific research. Many of these students are co-authors on publications and presentations, and more than half have gone on to professional or graduate schools. Because of her accomplishments and expertise, Vogel has been invited to serve on federal grant review panels, to review numerous journal articles, and, in 2010, served as a steering committee member for an NSF Research Collaborative Network (Refining and Diversifying Ecological Immunology). Additionally, Vogel has been involved in a number of collaborative research projects, studying immune function in a variety of living organisms including turtles, house wrens, deer mice, and sagebrush crickets, among others. Since 2022, she has served as the associate dean for research, facilities, and technology in the College of Arts and Sciences.