Policy Fellows: Study trip to Washington, D.C.

Center director Larry Jacobs and program staff Kate Cimino and Lea Chittenden traveled to Washington in late January 2008 with the 2007-2008 Policy Fellows. The study trip to Washington has been an important part of the program for many years, with former program co-director Vin Weber helping to arrange meetings with prominent speakers on a variety of topics. Highlights included talking about budget and social policy with Brookings Institution fellows, hearing from prominent White House staffers and speechwriters, meeting with both of Minnesota’s U.S. Senators, discussing climate change and national security with members of a Council on Foreign Relations task force, and talking with attorney Ken Gross about lobbying and Congressional ethics reform.

In a mid-year survey after the trip, Fellows shared comments such as, "[This] was a great opportunity to get to know the other Fellows in a more meaningful way. It also encouraged me to think about issues from many perspectives," "It helped to solidify the group and gave me an amazingly privileged insight into the workings of government and policy," and "It broadened my understanding of the political arena and how complex the issues really are."