In a recent WSOC-TV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the role the state delegates will play at the Democratic National Convention. Watch the video below...

In a recent WSOC-TV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the fundraising group that is taking corporate money for the DNC. Watch the video below...

By Karissa Minn, salisburypost.com - A local political analyst says that while he wasn't surprised that Amendment One passed, figuring out who voted for it and why is more complicated than it seems. Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, said no exit polls from Tuesday's election show how voters made their choice. But the political and religious makeup of North Carolina and Rowan County could help explain it.

Two long-serving faculty members at Catawba College were recognized during the college's commencement exercises on Saturday, May 12. Dr. Michael Baranski, a professor of biology with 38 years of service, and Dr. Laurel Eason, a professor of English with 21 years of service, will retire at the end of this academic year.

After a busy week in North Carolina politics with several hot topics, Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was interviewed and featured by a number of local media outlets. Read Bitzer's comments and the full stories below...

North Carolina's most crowded congressional primary has been marked by personal attacks, calls to dismantle government, a detour into the "birther" controversy and one of the biggest self-funded campaigns in the country. And that's just the opening round. With 10 Republicans on the ballot, Tuesday's 9th District primary is almost certainly headed to a July 17 runoff. "I would be shocked if we don't," says Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College...

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer welcomes visitors to his "ivory tower," the third-floor office in the stone tower of Catawba College’s Hedrick Administration Building. Layers of neatly spaced term papers are on his desk, waiting to be read and graded. The whole wall behind him is filled with books on politics, history, sports and law — virtually all of which he has read.

Dr. Michael Bitzer, associate professor of politics and history at Catawba College, was an invited speaker at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce's "Redistricting 101" public forum. Speaking to 40 business leaders, Bitzer described the process of redistricting in North Carolina, as well as his analysis of how the new district lines may impact the composition of the North Carolina General Assembly and the congressional delegation from the state.

Dr. Stephen Hiatt, a Catawba College professor of management in the Ketner School of Business, has been invited to join other top management educators at Cengage Learning Headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, in early June as a member of an exclusive advisory board on digital learning. The advisory board, which includes other faculty from across the country, will discuss technology and teaching strategies in management.

"People love passion," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, a Catawba College communication professor. "I always tell my students that everyone will forgive you almost any sin if you are enthusiastic and excited about what you're doing." Wittum will be blogging this summer for Sears on a "Grilling Is Happiness" project which includes some of the top grilling and barbecue writers across the country. Sears is hosting a corporate blog to help consumers learn about and enjoy cooking outdoors.