Joyce A. Baugh, M.A. ’83, Ph.D. ’89 and husband, Roger Hatch, Ph.D., were grateful to discover a way they could honor former Kent State professors while helping ensure students have access to a Kent State education, regardless of their financial situation.
Joyce’s path to Kent State was an interesting one, seemingly propelled by fate.
“As a Clemson University undergraduate, my intention was to attend law school,” she said. “My advisor, Dr. Harold Albert, encouraged me to instead pursue degrees to teach at the collegiate level. I initially resisted this. After graduating, I worked during fall 1981 as a substitute teacher and decided to pursue a master’s in political science in spring 1982. However, I had missed the GRE deadline.”
That fall, Dr. Albert advised her that his new colleague, Kent State’s Dr. Ernest Dover, said Kent State would consider her for admission based on her undergraduate achievements.
And so, fate set her on the path to becoming a Golden Flash.
As a student, Joyce understood the importance of philanthropy, having received support as both an undergraduate and graduate student.
“After I was admitted to Kent’s master’s program, I asked Dr. Gargan (the graduate studies coordinator at the time) for information about on-campus jobs. He said it would be best to wait to pursue this.”
However, fate was at work again: What Dr. Gargan did not tell Joyce was that a plan was already in place to offer her a graduate assistantship.
“Needless to say, I accepted,” Joyce said, “and I continued to receive funding in various ways throughout my time at Kent State: as a graduate assistant in the department during the semesters and in the College of Arts and Sciences during summers, as a teaching fellow and as assistant director of the Washington Program for National Issues (WPNI).”
Joyce remained interested in law. After graduating from Kent State, she went on to set the world alight as a professor of Political Science at Central Michigan University from 1988-2017, serving as department chair from 1995 to 2001. Her fields of specialization included public law and courts, civil rights and liberties and judicial politics. She has also had success as an author, including “The Detroit School Busing Case: Milliken v. Bradley and the Controversy Over Desegregation,” published in 2011 by the University Press of Kansas and “Supreme Court Justices in the Post- Bork Era: Confirmation Politics and Judicial Performance,” by Peter Lang Publishers. In addition, she co-authored “The Changing Supreme Court: Constitutional Rights and Liberties” (with Dr. Hensley and Dr. Christopher E. Smith) and “The Real Clarence Thomas: Confirmation Veracity Meets Performance Reality” (with Dr. Christopher E. Smith), published by West/Wadsworth and Peter Lang, respectively.
In 2009, Baugh received the Excellence in Teaching Award from CMU’s College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The award recognizes a faculty member who goes above and beyond what is expected in creating exceptional learning opportunities for students.
Giving back to Kent State was important to Joyce and Roger because of what the university community gave to her.
“My experiences at Kent State helped pave the way for a rewarding career,” Joyce said. “The mentoring I received from Dr. Gargan, Dr. Hensley and other faculty members prepared me to be the best I could be as a teacher, scholar, colleague and mentor to my own students. In addition, there were staff members, administrators, other students and especially folks in the Kent community who supported and encouraged me throughout my educational journey. I am forever grateful to and for all of them.”
Through planned gifts and outright gifts, Joyce and Roger will increase the overall impact of The Jack Gargan Columbus Program Endowed Scholarship and The Dr. Tom Hensley Endowed Political Science Scholarship. Through their generosity, they are helping to expand these enduring legacies of support for generations of students to come while honoring two men who had a profound impact on Joyce’s education and life.
“I hope this contributes meaningfully to the educational development of many students,” she said, “especially first-generation students who could benefit most from these scholarships.”
Contributing to a lasting legacy for students is something Joyce encourages others to consider.
“Think about the ways you benefitted from your education and any support you may have received while a student; contribute what you can to a scholarship or fund that is meaningful to you,” Joyce said. “Living by the principle, ‘to whom much is given, much is required’ is a rewarding feeling.”