Rate My Professor JoyAnna Hopper

JoyAnna Hopper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Scranton, joining the faculty in Fall 2020 and receiving promotion with tenure in 2023. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Missouri. Her areas of specialization encompass public administration and policy, American politics, with a scholarly focus on state-level environmental policy enforcement and the implications of bureaucratic structure for environmental agencies.

Dr. Hopper authored the book Environmental Agencies in the United States: The Enduring Power of Organizational Design and State Politics, published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2020, which examines the impact of agency design on state environmental enforcement. Her peer-reviewed publications appear in State Politics and Policy Quarterly, Environmental Policy and Governance, and SAGE Research Methods Cases, including works on subnational climate policy support and regulatory structures. As Director of the University of Scranton's Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, she oversees initiatives promoting ethics in public service, including annual conferences and programs like Ready to Run Northeast Pennsylvania. She teaches courses in U.S. political institutions, social welfare and environmental policy, federalism, and research methods within the Political Science major and Public Administration and Public Policy track. Dr. Hopper previously taught at Sewanee: The University of the South. She has secured faculty development grants and summer research funding, including a 2025 grant for studying COVID-19 effects on combined state environmental agencies. In 2023, she received a Faculty Provost Award for Excellence. Her service includes membership on the Salary and Benefits Committee and faculty representation on university committees. Dr. Hopper participated in the 2025 NetVUE Teaching Vocational Exploration Seminar.