Arrington Professorship
About
Brian J. Gaines has been named the W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics.
The Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professorship in State Politics was established in 2010 with a gift donated to the University of Illinois System Institute of Government and Public Affairs by Michael Arrington to honor his father, W. Russell Arrington, a towering figure in the Illinois House (1945-55) and Senate (1955-73). In 1964, Sen. Arrington was elected Senate leader and President Pro Tempore. He is perhaps best known for his support of Illinois’ first income tax.
“I speak for all of the University of Illinois System when I tell you how grateful I am for this gift and its ongoing benefit to all through the professorship it created,” University of Illinois President Tim Killeen said. “The Arrington Professorship is the only system-level professorship and, alongside IGPA itself, serves one of the most important U of I System partnerships, our collaborative efforts with state government and our lawmakers.”
This System Level Professorship will provide annual funding to the holder that can be used for purposes consistent with the Professorship, including travel, the purchase of data, books, journals, supporting a workshop/conference, or supporting a research assistant.
“As the newly appointed W. Russel Arrington Professor in State Politics, I’m confident that Professor Brian Gaines will teach the principles and ideals that Senator Arrington forged during his 28 years of public service to the State of Illinois,” said Michael Arrington.
“Being named the Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics is a gigantic honor. My name is thereby linked to that of one of the University of Illinois’s most distinguished alumni, and a titan in the history of the state,” said Gaines. “I am privileged to succeed Chris Mooney as the Arrington Professor. I will strive to follow his example, and that of Senator Arrington, by aiming to improve my home state with my teaching, research, and public engagement.”
It is the expectation that the Arrington Professor will teach a course annually on state politics, drawing on “POWER HOUSE: Arrington from Illinois, the biography of W. Russell Arrington,” written by Taylor Pensoneau, and will undertake research and public engagement activities under IGPA’s umbrella and participate in the academic life of IGPA as a Partnering Scholar.
At the event, the Professorship was passed on to Gaines from the previous holder, Chris Mooney, Professor Emeritus in the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Mooney was the first to receive the Arrington Professorship and has held the position since its establishment in 2010.
The University of Illinois System is a world leader in research and discovery, and the largest educational institution in the state with more than 94,700 students, about 26,000 faculty and staff, and universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The U of I System awards more than 24,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees annually. Learn more at https://www.uillinois.edu/.
Illinois Secretary of State. (1957-06-03). Senator W. Russell Arrington presiding
[Senator W. Russell Arrington presiding]. Retrieved 2023-10-31, from Illinois Digital Archives
Left to right: Christopher Z. Mooney, inaugural W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics; Brian J. Gaines, current W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics; Micheal Arrington, son of Russell Arrington.
Honorable W. Russell Arrington
W. Russell Arrington was a graduate of the University of Illinois College of law and went on to spend nearly three decades actively contributing to the politics and legislation in the State of Illinois in both the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate. In 1964, Sen. Arrington was elected Senate leader and President Pro Tempore. During his time in government, Sen. Arrington became known for his involvement in legislation dealing with drug traffic, workers compensation, election fraud, medical care for the elderly, consumer protection, fair employment practices, state revenue policies, and the criminal code. He is perhaps best known for his support of Illinois’ first come tax.
The Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professorship in State Politics is made possible through the generosity of Mr. Michael B. Arrington, a distinguished alumnus of the University of Illinois Chicago and Evanston Township High School. Mr. Arrington is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Arrington Foundation. His generous gift was given to
ensure that the legacy of his father, W. Russell Arrington, is carried on by the expert faculty at the University of Illinois and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.
Mr. Arrington has led a distinguished career in entrepreneurship and business, helping to found and manage multiple successful companies. He was named to the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 1994 and was named on “Who’s Who in Chicago Business” by Crain’s Chicago Business from 1989-2011. Mr. Arrington also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, First Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division from 1962-1964
Brian J. Gaines Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics
Brian J. Gaines is a Partnering Scholar with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs and a Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He holds an AM and PhD from Stanford (1995) and a BA (with honours) from the University of British Columbia (1988).
Professor Gaines joined the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in 1995, where he is a scholar and teacher in the areas of political science, American government, and state politics. Much of his research deals with elections and voting, electoral rules, and public opinion. He has been an author, consultant, or expert witness on such topics as campaign-finance, election fraud, the pros and cons of convenience voting, inference from survey experiments, and assessing bias in electoral maps.
Brian has published articles in many of the most prestigious journals in his field, including American Statistician, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Political Analysis, and State Politics and Policy Quarterly. Brian has also published op-eds in many newspapers in Illinois,the San Jose Mercury News, and The Wall Street Journal. As an expert in the field of state politics, Brian is routinely relied on for political analysis in Illinois public forums.
Professor Gaines has been an editor of American Politics Research, The Political Methodologist, and IGPA’s Policy Forum. He served on a Royal Commission for Electoral Boundaries in British Columbia, and also worked briefly for the BC Ministry of Crown Lands. In addition to his past accolades, Brian has been a Partnering Scholar with IGPA since 2020 and has been affiliated with IGPA since 2003. He is a member of IGPA’s Equity,Justice, and Human Flourishing Working Group and its COVID-19 Task Force where he has worked with others to provide critical research on race and eviction during the pandemic