The Marjorie C. Hjelmervik Chair in Government, first established in 2026, was made possible by funds from the Marjorie C. Hjelmervik Endowment Fund. This fund was established by Marjorie C. Gamble ’30 and John M. Gamble.
Inaugural Chair: Chris Chapp
Professor Chapp teaches courses on research methodology and American political behavior. He received a B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, where he studied American politics with an emphasis in political psychology. He previously taught at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater (2011-2014), and as a Visiting Professor at St. Olaf (2008-2011). His research interests include political communication, campaigns and elections, religion and U.S. politics, and the politics of class and inequality. Professor Chapp is author of Religious Rhetoric and American Politics: The Endurance of Civil Religion in Electoral Campaigns, recently published by Cornell University Press.