Professor
has fun at Beach
By Gina Ponce
On-line Forty-Niner
As
Renee Cramer was growing up in South Dakota
she always knew she wanted to go to college
and she used to teach her stuffed animals,
but the farthest thing from her mind was
becoming a professor.
 A
veterinarian, CIA agent or minister were
just a few of the things this political
science professor at Cal State Long Beach
imagined she would be. Cramer said she really
just loved learning and figured she would
one day become an activist.
Cramer began teaching at CSULB in fall 2001
and, at 30 years old, is one of the youngest
professors at CSULB, which she said was
actually an accident. She went to college
in upstate New York, applied to law school
and then changed her mind at the last minute.
Cramer was 28 years old when she received
her doctorate from New York University.
Her dissertation about how the federal government
recognizes Indian tribes won best dissertation
from the American Political Science Association
in the field of Race, Ethnicity and Politics.
Charles Noble, department chair for political
science and director of the International
Studies Program, said Cramer is the perfect
colleague.
“She’s smart, friendly and ready to jump
in whenever anything needs to be done,”
Noble said. “She’s very attentive to students
and they flock to her. She’s revitalizing
our offers in public law and we’re thrilled
to have her.”
Cramer said her future goals are to continue
researching, teaching and writing for now.
When she is not teaching she enjoys cooking,
walking, reading and her newly found hobby,
surfing.
This semester Cramer teaches Constitutional
Law of Rights, Law and Social Change and
started the Moot Court program at CSULB.
This program teaches students how to make
oral arguments on appeals cases. Cramer
is also the pre-law adviser.
“[Cramer] is the best professor I’ve ever
had in my college years,” Nao Ohniwa, a
senior political science major at CSULB
said.
She is really enthusiastic about what she
teaches and is also very energetic and entertaining
in class, Ohniwa said. “As a
person outside of the class, she is very
easygoing and fun to talk to.”
“I would definitely have to say that Dr.
Cramer has affected my life more than any
other single professor on campus. Not only
is she a wealth of knowledge in the classroom,
but she is extremely passionate,” said Ja’Nene
Hall, a senior political science major with
an emphasis in public law at CSULB.
“It is because of a teacher like her through
genuine leadership that has helped me to
succeed.”
Cramer said that her source of energy is
her dog, husband and a sense that there
is a lot that needs to be done. She said
she believes her weaknesses include impatience
and that she is not very detailed oriented.
Even though Cramer is the only one out of
the seven kids in her family to finish college,
she said her biggest accomplishments were
receiving her doctorate and her five years
of marriage.
When asked what she thinks she has to offer
CSULB, Cramer said, “I enjoy it and I like
the students, and I think that helps me
be an effective teacher. I have fun.”
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