Rate My Professor Thomas Beech

Thomas Beech is Professor of Political Science at Bemidji State University, where he joined the faculty in August 1999. He achieved tenure in July 2006 and was promoted from associate professor to full professor for the 2012-13 academic year. Beech's long-term commitment to the university is reflected in multiple service recognitions, including a 15-year service milestone award presented at the April 2015 Employee Recognition Ceremony and the Outstanding Contribution Award received at the annual Employee Recognition Celebration on April 26, 2018. He has served as the Political Science department representative on the Faculty Senate for Fall 2024. His office was located in Hagg-Sauer Hall from 1999 to 2019, marking two decades of physical presence contributing to the department's activities during that period.

Beech has contributed to political science scholarship through conference presentations and international seminars. At the Southern Political Science Association's 2017 annual meeting, held January 12-14, he delivered the paper 'Should I Stay or Should I Go? The United Kingdom’s 2016 Referendum on EU Membership' in the Elections and Voting section on Comparative Electoral Systems. In 2013, he presented the seminar 'Germany and Poland: Modern Memory and Identity' over July 2-12 in those countries, funded by an institutional award of approximately $5,000. Beech has also supported Bemidji State University's international initiatives, including the EuroSpring Program; for instance, he was involved in hosting Oxford University lecturer Professor Allan Chapman's annual Eurospring lecture in September 2019. Demonstrating his dedication to student success amid financial hardships, Beech endowed a scholarship fund at the university, as featured in a February 2018 donor spotlight. As a senior faculty member, he has assisted in departmental hiring processes, serving as the contact for the Assistant or Associate Professor of Political Science search.