Correction appended
In an effort to give students a firsthand perspective on the fall national campaign cycle, the School of Media and Public Affairs announced last week that three big-name media players will act as fellows for the upcoming academic year.
Joe Lockhart, a former press secretary under former President Bill Clinton, Ed Henry, CNN’s senior White House correspondent, and New York Times columnist Bob Herbert will contribute to events, hold guest lectures in classrooms, meet with faculty and students and publish work as SMPA fellows throughout the year.
“I initiated these fellowships with the idea that our students, faculty and the wider SMPA community would benefit from having access to three people coming from very different but influential points on the journalism and public affairs compass,” said SMPA Director Frank Sesno, a former Washington bureau chief at CNN.
Lockhart, Henry and Herbert have all spoken at the University or worked with Sesno in the past, and the director said he felt the three men would bring a professional and contemporary voice to the classroom.
Sesno said the fellows will provide a different outlook to journalism and public relations for students and faculty members.
“[We] are all about journalism, media and political communication – so are the fellows. The premise here is that they will bring their unique perspectives and experiences that, taken together, offer [students and faculty] any number of unique opportunities,” Sesno said.
SMPA students will also have opportunities to interact directly with the fellows during various networking events held in the school.
“We will be scheduling lunches, dinners and other events throughout the year,” Sesno said.
The three fellows are not the only high-profile media personalities that will be seen frequently on Foggy Bottom throughout the next few months.
The University announced in August that Dana Perino, a former White House press secretary under former President George W. Bush, will be joining the Graduate School of Political Management as an adjunct faculty member for the fall semester.
On Sept. 1, Lockhart will address students at the American Political Science Association. Henry is slated to speak to freshmen at SMPA’s first gathering Sept. 7. Herbert will speak in early October about the role of commentary and opinion in traditional and online media.
This story was updated on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, to reflect the following:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that the new fellowship program was the first in the School of Media and Public Affairs’ history. In fact, the school already has established fellowship programs.
