During last month’s mayoral race, it wasn’t uncommon for New Orleanians to turn on their television sets and be greeted with Ed Renwick’s smile.As political analyst for WWL Channel 4, director of Loyola’s Institute of Politics and associate professor of political science, Renwick seems to eat, sleep and breathe politics. But it wasn’t alwaysthat way. “I decided during grad school that I didn’t want to be a political scientist,” Renwick said. “I wanted to be an urban planner.”Renwick’s major professor and grad school mentor at the University of Arizona wasn’t too enthusiastic about the decision, Renwick said. “He thought it was a marvelously stupid idea… He was correct, in retrospect.”The professor made a deal with Renwick – “kind of like a Mafia deal that you can’t refuse,” Renwick said. “He said, ‘I’ll find you a job in political science for a year, and then you tell me if you like it.'”That deal is what brought Renwick, a Chicago native, to Louisiana.In 1963, Renwick began teaching at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). In one year, he taught 15 hours and did numerous other works in the field of political science. “I never worked so hard in my life,” he said.But the hard word did its job, and Renwick’s time at USL reversed his attitude toward politics. He returned to the University of Arizona to finish his political science degree.After going back to teach at USL for another year-and-a-half, he won a fellowship giving him a position in the office of then-Louisiana governor John McKeithen. After spending some time in Baton Rouge, Renwick returned to USL for another year. Then in 1967, he took a position at the University of New Orleans.While at UNO, he taught political science classes and directed “Goals for Louisiana,” a state program designed to set up ways for Louisiana to advance. In 1970, Renwick left UNO and came to Loyola to direct the Institute of Politics program for New Orleans. According to Renwick, it was Jim Chubbock, director of the IOP before Renwick, who convinced him to become a pollster.”We were having lunch one day and got into a discussion about how there were very few, if any, pollsters in Louisiana. We would often get calls from candidates to recommend pollsters, and there weren’t any,” Renwick said. “In 1969, Chubbock had gotten involved in polling, and he asked me if I wanted to join with him. I agreed, and we jointly did a number of polls for a few years.”In 1984, WWL-TV created the position of political analyst and asked Renwick if he wanted the job. He has worked there part-time ever since.Renwick said it’s not difficult for him to balance his teaching position at Loyola with his work at WWL.”Sometimes I’ll go weeks without hearing from them. Then, other times, like a couple of weeks ago, I did three interviews in one day. Those are the two extremes.”Although he doesn’t seem to be camera shy now, things didn’t run so smoothly for Renwick in the beginning. “We disagreed about how [the job] should be done. They wanted me to have a script I would write, and read it. They wanted me to memorize it. I wanted them to ask me questions and I’d give them answers,” Renwick said. “Since they’re the TV station, they won. It didn’t go well. Shortly after I started, I got in the middle of my script and forgot the rest. There was dead silence on live TV because I couldn’t think of anything to say. [Anchorman] Bill Elder had to step in and talk.”After Renwick’s embarrassing stint with memorization, the station told him to use a teleprompter. Renwick said that didn’t work too well, either. Finally, “they said we’ll do it your way and see how it goes. That worked out fairly well. Otherwise I’d be gone.”Now, Renwick isn’t told the questions the anchors will ask, just the general topics.Renwick, who graduated with a bachelor’s in political science from Georgetown in 1960 and received his master’s and doctorate from the University of Arizona, teaches three political science classes each semester at Loyola: American Government, Politics and Corruption, The Legislative Process and Politics and the Media.After 32 years at Loyola, Renwick said the university’s small classes and small departments have always made it comfortable for him. “Some university departments are so large, you don’t even know all the people in your department. I wouldn’t like that. I’ve been here 32 years, so it’s kind of like a home. I guess it kind of is a home,” he said.Even when he’s not teaching or chatting with WWL honchos, Renwick is never too far from the news. “If I don’t read The New York Times and The Times-Picayune from cover to cover every day, I don’t consider it a full day,” he said.But even Renwick has to have a diversion from politics every now and then. He said he and his wife, Polly, are avid art collectors. “I’ve been collecting art since I was a freshman in college. Most people are surprised to know that. They simply see me as dealing with politics.”According to Gayle Mumfrey, the assistant to the director of the IOP, Renwick is also a big fan of his students. She has worked with him for a number of years, beginning as his assistant at UNO.”With the work-study students, he always makes sure he knows their names and what is going on in their lives, if they’ve been sick and things like that,” Mumfrey said. “I’m proud to be associated with him, not just as a professional in his field, but as a caring and kind man.”So far, Renwick said he hasn’t seriously considered retirement.”I’ve been at Loyola for 32 years. I’ve been in this same office for about 20 years, since the early 80s. I’m 63, so obviously I have to retire sometime. I wouldn’t want to teach till I’m ancient,” he said. “But as long as I enjoy teaching and am in good health, I think I have a few years left.”