Presidential Classroom Scholars

Presidential Classroom Scholars 2007

Program Dates
Sun. June 22 - Sat. June 28, 2008
Sun. June 29 - Sat. July 5, 2008
Sun. Jan. 25 - Sat. Jan. 31, 2009
Sun. Feb. 15 - Sat. Feb. 21, 2009
Sun. June 28 - Sun. July 5, 2009

Not since the Nixon - Kennedy race of 1960 has the government of the United States been faced with such a pivotal choice for president. 2008 is election year. Washington, D. C. is election city. One question dominates all conversation: Which party will claim the White House and Congress?

Nor have the issues underlying the elections - reviving the sputtering economy, securing peace and prosperity in Iraq and Afghanistan, achieving energy independence while protecting the environment, ensuring healthcare for all -- been more crucial to the future of America and proposed solutions more polarizing for political parties and the electorate.

There is only one issue on which parties agree. The strength of America relies on an informed citizenry. As a Presidential Classroom Scholar, you'll enter the back rooms where both sides debate policy. You'll be briefed by senior officials from the White House and the Executive branch. You'll hear from members of Congress or their aides. You'll gain perspective from military leaders, public affairs officers, lobbyists, journalists, economists, and historians.

You'll assess what they tell you, argue your positions with peers from around the nation and across the seas, and in the process, make up your own mind about the best future for the United States.

Probe issues of Election 2008 through two intense week-long Presidential Scholars programs.

A new president and vice president will be elected on Nov. 4. The country will elect, as well, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 out of 100 Senators, and 11 the governors of 11 states. Democrats will nominate their presidential candidates in Denver in late August. A week later Republicans will do the same in Minneapolis, St. Paul.

Predictions from pollsters drive media coverage. Pundits dissect the candidates' positions. Behind it all, legions from special interest groups vie for their competing agendas, deals will be made in back rooms, and local officials will scurry to arrange local voting. The results, whether written in pencil on paper or collected by touch screen, will provoke cries of fraud and voter intimidation.

Your role is vital. Some of you will vote for the first time this fall. Others of you will mark your first ballots next year. You are the newest members of the nation's electorate, participating in the most important process of America's constitutional democracy.

Campaigns & Elections takes you behind the scenes. You'll talk with members of Congress and their staffers, with seasoned campaigners and election officials, with journalists, and with historians whose perspectives span many campaigns and administrations. Through Campaigns & Elections you'll develop an insider's view. And you'll compare what you learn with what you hear in your hometowns and from peers attending the program from elsewhere in the country.

You'll make up your own mind, voice your own arguments, find out how you can work to elect candidates of your choice, and develop skills that you can use should you choose to run for office.

Fourth of July - June 28 - July 5

What are, in today's complex society, the limits on personal freedom? What does independence really mean?for American citizens as a nation and for you as an individual?

This is no mere philosophical discussion. Election 2008 is just over the horizon. Four months after this rigorous exploration of the core principles of American freedom, those very concepts will be tested in the election of a president, vice president, every member of the House of Representatives, one third of our senators, and governors of nearly a dozen states.

Some of you will vote in these elections for the first time. Others of you, and we hope most of you, will work to elect the candidates whom you feel will best serve the country, your state, and, yes, your personal beliefs.

Fourth of July is a special time in Washington, D. C. You will feel it as you walk the halls of Congress; as you are briefed noted authorities on the Constitution, members of the House of Representatives or their aides, journalists, and historians; when you debate your views with other Presidential Scholars.

At the end of the week, you'll come away with your own ideas of what it means to be an American. You'll strengthen your understanding of your personal rights, your obligation to others, and your responsibilities as a citizen.

The PC Scholars Program offers students a backstage pass to the inner workings of the federal government and an opportunity to examine how current issues affect public policy. This focused view of the federal government gives PC Scholars direct access to national leaders and often inspires students to seek careers in public service.

Program Highlights

• Seminar on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Seminar at the U.S. Department of State
• "Exciting Jobs in Public Service," an interactive panel of young federal employees
• Capitol Hill Visits
• Embassy Visits

On-Site Visits to advocacy groups including:

• Democratic National Commitee (DNC)
• Republican National Commitee (RNC)
• National Rifle Association (NRA)
• The Brady Center