News
Retirement of Professor John Constantelos
April 22, 2025
The Department of Political Science announces the retirement of Professor John Constantelos, who taught European and EU politics, international political economy and a variety of world politics and research methods courses for thirty years at GVSU. Students in many of his courses engaged in diplomatic role playing in simulations of regional trade negotiations and of the European Union. Professor Constantelos also supervised many Capstone, Honors, and independent student research projects.
Dr. Constantelos, who earned his Ph.D. at Duke University, was awarded research scholarships from the Agnelli Foundation, the Fulbright Commission, and the Canadian Embassy to the United States. His research on the domestic politics of international relations has been published in Publius, the Journal of European Public Policy, Foreign Policy Analysis, and other professional journals. Several articles analyze the political responses of European business associations to the creation of the single market and the single currency. Other projects examine the multilevel lobbying patterns of US and Canadian interest groups. His co-authored studies analyze public opinion on foreign aid, the United Nations, and the European Union.
Serving as the unit head and international relations program coordinator during years of rapid university growth, Dr. Constantelos developed many new courses on world politics for the department, and he chaired search committees for eleven professors and an associate dean. Together with Italian counterparts, he developed faculty and student exchange programs with the University of Perugia. He also offered lectures and short courses at partner institutions in Rome, Germany, and Poland. Before coming to GVSU, Dr. Constantelos worked for an international business consultancy and for two international development agencies.