A round table discussion on President George W. Bush’s foreign policies will be among the topics discussed Friday during EIU Political Science Student Conference .

Opening remarks from Richard Wandling, political science chair and professor, begin at 9:45 a.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Ryan Hendrickson, assistant professor of political science, said that the conference is an annual event in which the department has a chance to highlight student’s research in the political science department. He said it is also a chance to focus on the outstanding things that the department has done.

Hendrickson said the panels will discuss the Political Simulation Programs, events and learning activities outside of the political science classrooms, the department’s mock trial program and the model United Nations program, among others.

The first discussion, “The Politics of the Presidency,” is from 10 to 10:50 a.m. with “Issues in Today’s Public Administration” following at 11 a.m.

Students will then be given a break for lunch from noon to 12:50 p.m., and the conference resumes at 1 p.m. with “Politics Beyond the Classroom.” The conference closes with “President George W. Bush and American Foreign Policy” from 2 to 2:50 p.m.

Admission to the conference is free and no registration is required, Hendrickson said.

He also encouraged all those interested to come to the conference and attend the discussions. “This is a very interesting time in U.S. foreign policy considering events in the Balkans and U.S. Chinese relations,” Hendrickson said.