Rate My Professor Leonard Ray

Leonard Ray is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he joined as Assistant Professor in 2000 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2005. He currently serves as Director of LSU's International Studies Program, having previously acted as Associate Director for International Studies, Rector of the Global Studies Residential College, and Chair of the University Courses and Curriculum Committee. Earlier in his career, Ray was Assistant Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University from 1998 to 2000 and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 1997-1998. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998 (dissertation: "Politicizing Europe: Political Parties and the Changing Nature of Public Opinion about the EU"), M.A. in 1993 from the same university, and B.A. in Political Science and French from Tulane University in 1990.

Dr. Ray specializes in comparative politics (European Integration) within Political Science, focusing on the electoral and party systems of Europe, the institutions of the European Union, and public policy in Europe, as well as public opinion, political parties, voting behavior, and research methods. His key publications include "Measuring Party Orientations towards European Integration: Results from an Expert Survey" (European Journal of Political Research, 1999), "National Political Parties and European Integration" (American Journal of Political Science, 2002, with Gary Marks and Carole Wilson), "Descriptive Representation, Policy Outcomes, and Municipal Day-Care Coverage in Norway" (American Journal of Political Science, 2002, with Kathleen A. Bratton), "When Parties Matter: The Conditional Influence of Party Positions on Voter Opinions about European Integration" (Journal of Politics, 2003), and "Validity of Measured Party Positions on European Integration: Assumptions, Approaches, and a Comparison of Alternative Measures" (Electoral Studies, 2007). Ray has received the LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award (2009), LSU Council on Research Summer Stipends (2004, 2001), Bhatia Endowed Professorship in Mass Communications (2002-2003), and Norwegian Marshall Fund research grants (1999, 1996). His departmental service includes roles on research, graduate, and undergraduate committees.