Ken Kersch, an award-winning political science professor, made a lasting impact through his teaching and scholarship, according to Gerald Easter.
“The Political Science Department was most fortunate to have a teacher and scholar of such high caliber,” Easter, chair of the Boston College political science department, wrote in a statement to The Heights. “Ken was dedicated to the liberal arts mission and truly enjoyed teaching BC students.”
Kersch died in November, six months after being diagnosed with cancer, according to an email Easter sent to the BC community last week. He was 60.
Kersch taught at BC for 17 years, specializing in American politics and constitutional law. He received the American Political Science Association’s Edward S. Corwin Award, the J. David Greenstone Prize, the C. Herman Pritchett Award from APSA’s law and courts section, and the Hughes-Gossett Award from the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Kersch was also the author of five books.
Easter highlighted the department’s enthusiasm when recruiting Kersch, emphasizing that his expertise in constitutional law made him an ideal addition to the faculty.
“Prof Melnick recognized that Ken’s research specialties and teaching interests were an excellent fit for our department, and we successfully recruited him to come to Boston College,” Easter wrote.
R. Shep Melnick, the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. professor of American politics, recalled the first time he came across Kersch’s work.
“I first learned about Ken’s work when I was on a Prize Committee for the American Political Science Association, and we awarded Ken the prize for the best work on law enforcement,” Melnick said. “I was so impressed by that work, and I knew we were looking for someone to teach on courts and constitutional law that I sought him out.”
Kersch’s candid approach to intellectual discourse stood out to his colleagues, according to Michael Hartney, an associate professor of political science.
“He would give you his analysis and interpretation full throttle,” Hartney wrote in a statement to The Heights. “I remember a few years ago I gave a research talk to the department that Ken didn’t find especially persuasive. He said as much. But I took it all in stride. In fact, we went out and had a beer together the next week and laughed about it.”
Hartney also emphasized Kersch’s profound impact on his students, particularly those aspiring to become lawyers.
“Over 100 students will be in law firms and courtrooms across the country of the next few decades that learned constitutional law from him as undergraduates,” Hartney wrote. “He was also very generous with his time as an advisor, mentoring hundreds of students, especially those writing theses on law and courts.”
Kercsh’s influence extended beyond the classroom, as he formed connections with students who were not enrolled in his courses.
Dennis Wieboldt, BC ’22 and GMCAS ’23, said he first met Kersch his freshman year after reading one of his articles on contemporary political affairs in the Atlantic. He reached out to discuss the piece and Kersch happily obliged, Wieboldt said.
“I remember being struck at that meeting by how willing he was to just meet with a student who he had no connection to,” Wieboldt said.
After their first meeting, Kersch continued to offer his guidance and mentorship to Wieboldt over the years.
“He was a busy guy, constantly writing new things, and he always made time to sit down and give really thoughtful comments on anything I’d written,” Wieboldt said.
Kersch’s influence continues to shape the questions Wieboldt grapples with today.
“[Kersch] knew the right questions to ask,” Weiboldt said. “Even when he wasn’t quite comfortable yet finding or settling on an answer, he was comfortable posing the questions to other people. And so now, in many ways, as I think about my own work, I’m trying to answer some of the questions that he and I had started talking about four or five years ago.”
To honor Kersch’s contributions and impact on the broader political science community, Melnick said he is working to organize a panel with the New England Political Science Association (NESPA), an organization with which Kersch had been deeply involved.
Melnick said he was deeply moved by the outpouring of support from the NEPSA.
“I was really struck by how many people in that association reached out to me to say how shocked and sad they were learning of his death and how they would like to say something—either at the panel or in some other forum,” Melnick said.
Reflecting on Kersch’s passing, Hartney voiced a sentiment shared by colleagues and students alike.
“Ken Kersch can’t be replaced,” Hartney wrote. “Simple as that.”
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