James Vreeland, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, has received the Department's annual teaching prize. First awarded in 1988, the Stanley Kelley Award for Excellence is given every year to a member of the Politics faculty to recognize outstanding teaching. The prize's namesake, Stanley Kelley, joined the Politics faculty in 1957 and taught at the University for nearly 40 years.

Vreeland came to Princeton in 2018 from Georgetown University. He conducts research in the field of international political economy, specializing in international institutions. Since arriving at Princeton, Vreeland has regularly taught two courses in international organization for the Department—POL 396 at the undergraduate level and POL 550 at the graduate level. A student in POL 396, which regularly draws more than 200 students each time it is offered, commented in their teaching evaluation, "Wow. I took this class not knowing what to expect and it ended up being the best class I've ever taken at Princeton! … Words don't do it justice, but I don't think I've ever encountered someone in my entire life who is as good at engaging an audience and delivering material in an interesting way as Professor Vreeland.”

The Department of Politics warmly congratulates Professor Vreeland on this achievement.