The Colgate Political Review (CPR) is back — and its founders say it is less of a revival than an entirely new organization. After brief, unsuccessful runs in the early 2000s and again before COVID-19, the review relaunched in December 2025 with roughly 100 members, a dozen section editors, a print edition on the way and an interview with a sitting congressman already under its belt.
Senior Bobby Patch, current co-editor-in-chief, launched and organized the reestablishment of the review alongside senior Ciara Anselm, its other co-editor-in-chief. (Anselm also serves as head commentary editor for the Maroon-News.)
When Patch looked around Colgate’s campus, he noticed a gap: nearly every elite peer institution had a dedicated undergraduate political publication.
“It was interesting that Colgate didn’t already have a political review,” Patch said. “There was definitely a space to be filled.”
The Colgate Political Review is trying to fill that space. It has already drawn members from well outside the political science department. First-year Arya Shah, the CPR’s technology director, is a physics student on an engineering track.
“It is definitely a passionate interest of mine and has been for a long time,” Shah said. “I wanted to hone in on both my writing abilities and my command of current events, and I figured CPR would be the perfect place to do so.”
Patch described the review’s mission as twofold: fostering political discourse on campus and preparing students for careers in law, politics and journalism — not just political science majors, he noted, but anyone with an interest in the public sphere.
The review found institutional backing early. The Department of Political Science advertised the organization and helped recruit writers, while the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism and Education (COVE) promoted it through its subsidiaries, Colgate Vote Project and Democracy Matters.
“There’s just so much interest for an organization like this on campus,” Patch said. “That was definitely easier than expected.”
The biggest headache, Patch said, was bureaucratic — parsing the Budget Allocation Committee handbook to figure out what the organization could and could not do with its budget.
The review’s first print edition was slated to arrive in early May. All section editors and both co-editors-in-chief weighed in to decide which articles made the cut, collectively.
For Shah, the physical edition represented something beyond logistics.
“It’s absolutely exciting to see all of our work culminate into a physical magazine,” Shah said. “Seeing our logo in print, seeing all the incredible art and design work that our editors have put in is truly going to be a rewarding end to our first year back in publication.”
Patch pointed to Yale’s The Politic, the Columbia Political Review and the Drake Political Review as inspirations — publications he admired for their analytical depth, diversity of topics and commitment to presenting new information instead of just summarizing current events.
Design was part of the vision too. Patch said he hoped future iterations of the CPR would partner with student organizations like Portfolio — Colgate’s student-run art and literary magazine — or dedicated graphic design teams to elevate the publication’s visual presence, both in print and online.
Patch and Anselm are both graduating in May, which was a transition that previous iterations could not survive. Patch said the current leadership had been deliberate about training younger editors and leaving structural guides behind. Still, he was realistic.
“Student organizations come and go,” he acknowledged. “Anything is possible.”
Patch remained optimistic because he thought the conditions were different now. The major hurdles have been cleared, and, as Colgate’s applicant pool grows more selective, he argued that the university is drawing more students with serious interests in public policy and journalism — exactly who the Colgate Political Review is built for.
“That is why I’m hopeful for the CPR’s continued momentum, more than in past years,” Patch said.
The review recently elected two new co-editors-in-chief to take over in the fall. One of them, junior London Pettibone, came to the role by way of the Portfolio before joining the CPR as its international news editor. She said the publication’s cross-disciplinary appeal was part of what drew her in.
“I want students to know that you don’t have to be a political science, peace and conflict or international relations major to be interested in politics or write for the Colgate Political Review,” Pettibone said. “Politics is not something confined to the governmental sphere but something that affects every facet of society.”
Pettibone planned to build on what Patch and Anselm established while adding a new section specifically dedicated to a range of student voices on current political issues — an effort, she said, to better reflect the breadth of opinion within the Colgate community.
Looking further ahead, she and incoming co-editor-in-chief Isabel Begollari, a sophomore, also hoped to launch a speaker series to complement the publication’s editorial output and to encourage students in all fields to attend events put on by the political science department. (Begollari also serves as assistant editor for the Baker’s Dozen section for the Maroon-News.)
“I want the paper to resemble its current form — an online blog with a once-a-semester print publication — while also incorporating a vibrant speaker series,” Pettibone said. “I’m excited to work with [Begollari] to help grow the paper and ensure that it continues beyond May 2027.”
The Review’s editors recently interviewed a sitting congressman, the identity of whom the review is keeping under wraps until the next publication. Patch did not seem too bothered by the wait.
“These types of publications are thriving at schools like Colgate, so there’s no reason why one shouldn’t exist here too,” Patch said.
Editorial note: The author of this article is also published in the Colgate Political Review.
