Washington College Joins Distinguished Ranks As Part of Presidential Fellowship Program

Chestertown, MD, January 26, 2007 — Washington College joins a distinguished roster of American colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, thanks to its first-time-ever inclusion in a prestigious national program.

The Presidential Fellows Program is an annual institute presented by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for the Study of the Presidency (CSP), and open to one student from each of 85 leading American colleges and universities. And now, Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience is pleased to announce a special opportunity for WC students to participate in the Fellowship.

"We are honored and delighted to welcome Washington College to our Presidential Fellows Program, especially in light of the institution's historic ties with our greatest President," said Dr. David M. Abshire, President and CEO of the CSP. "The C.V. Starr Center performs an important public service by bringing to life the history of our early Republic. The CSP looks forward to engaging a new Fellow in the study of the American presidency."

Thanks to a generous gift from Robert W. and Louisa C. Duemling, one Washington College student will be able to participate in this program free of charge for each of the next three academic years.

The Duemlings are longtime friends and benefactors of the College. Robert Duemling is former U.S. Ambassador to Suriname and former Director of the National Building Museum. In addition to having taught in Washington College's Department of Art, he is a Board of Visitors and Governors member emeritus and is Chairman of the Starr Center's Advisory Board.

"Our motivation in sponsoring the Fellowship was to create a connection with another institution that shares the interests of the College," said Ambassador Duemling. "With its historical ties to George Washington, and with the Starr Center's focus on the Founding Era's continued relevance today, the College has a natural harmony with the Center for the Study of the Presidency. This new connection also serves to give students from Washington College the opportunity to meet interesting and like-minded students from all over the country."

"Participation in the Presidential Fellows Program will be an extraordinary opportunity for talented Washington College Students," said Washington College President Baird Tipson. "We are delighted to begin a formal association with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and hope that our C. V. Starr Center may engage in other collaborative activities with the CSP in the future. I would like to extend special thanks to Bob and Louisa Duemling and to David Abshire, our Fall 2006 Convocation Speaker, for enabling our students to take part in this exciting venture."

Applications for WC's inaugural 2007-8 Fellowship are due by February 19, 2007 (details below).

For more than 35 years, CSP Fellows have been coming to Washington, D.C., to learn about leadership and governance, to share their outstanding research and scholarship, to develop as future leaders of character, and to be inspired to careers in public service. The Presidential Fellows Program is a non-resident, part-time, year-long opportunity to study the U.S. presidency, the public policymaking process, and the Chief Executive's relations with Congress, allies, the media, and the American public.

"The Presidential Fellows Program will offer Washington College students an experience that—perhaps second only to a job in the White House—provides a close-up, insider's view of the U.S. presidency," said Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center. "Our undergraduates will be taking their place among the best and brightest from America's leading colleges and universities. It is an extraordinary opportunity, and we are grateful to the Duemlings, to Dr. Abshire, and to the Center for the Study of the Presidency for making it possible."

Since its inception, the program has developed leadership and scholarship skills in more than 1,000 students, providing three of the 32 Rhodes Scholars in 2006 as well as numerous Fulbright, Gates, Marshall, and other Scholarship and Fellowship winners. Alumni of the Fellows Program are Capitol Hill and White House staffers, award-winning journalists, CEOs of corporations and non-profit organizations, senior military leaders, and university deans and vice-presidents.

Fellows come to Washington, D.C., on several occasions during the year for personal briefings by policymakers, journalists, and leading scholars, for networking opportunities, and for a chance to learn firsthand about the policymaking process.

The Fellowship requires that each student research, write, and present an original paper on an issue of the modern presidency. Students have online access to the CSP's award-winningPresidential Studies Quarterly and are eligible to participate in two essay contests and compete for publication in an annual anthology.

The 2007-8 fellowship is open to all members of the current sophomore and junior classes (i.e., you will need to be a WC junior or senior when you take part next year). Students from any academic major are welcome to apply.

Applicants should submit a two- to three-page statement describing their interest in the program and relevant past activities (academic and non-academic). The cover sheet should include the applicant's full name, class year, and both campus and home addresses. You should also submit two examples of your Washington College course work, preferably research papers. The winner will be selected by a committee of WC faculty from several departments.

Applications are due to the Starr Center's mailbox in William Smith Hall by 5 p.m. on February 19. For further information, please contact Jenifer Endicott at the Starr Center: jendicott2@washcoll.edu, 410-810-7161.