Immerse yourself in the life and politics of the nation’s capital through The Johns Hopkins University Aitchison Public Service Undergraduate Fellowship. This residential program gives Hopkins juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn 15 credits while making connections and gaining real-world experience as they spend a full semester in Washington, D.C
Based in the Johns Hopkins Bernstein Offit Building, located at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, the Aitchison Fellowship Program allows JHU students to - Take three academic course taught by Johns Hopkins Faculty
- Attend lectures and symposiums by elected officials, political consultants, ambassadors, journalists, and visiting professors;
- Intern with the policy makers and elected officials, lobbyists, or civil servants who turn the wheels of government;
- Develop an individual research project based on your internship using the resources of Washington, DC—including the Library of congress and the National Archives;
- Explore the social and cultural resources of Washington: music and theater at the Kennedy Center, exhibits at the Smithsonian and DC’s many other museums, the cuisine and dance clubs of Adams Morgan, walking and shopping along the Georgetown waterfront.
Johns Hopkins alumna, Beatrice Aitchison, Ph.D., established the Aitchison Public Service Fellowship in 1994 to promote undergraduate involvement in the government and inner workings of our nation’s capital. Her generosity has made it possible for 16 students to receive a stipend of $800 per fellow to defray the cost of living in the Washington dormitories. - Washington Seminar - 3 credits
- Internship - 3 credits
- Core Courses – 3-6 credits
Each semester two or three courses are offered especially for Aitchison Fellows. In previous semesters these courses have included Politics and Media, The Morality of War, Film, Media and Politics; Theory and Politics of Terrorism; and American Political Thought. - Optional Graduate Course(s)
Students have the option to take Arts & Sciences graduate courses offered in DC. For course descriptions, please click here. http://advanced.jhu.edu/government/course_descriptions.cfm Benjamin Ginsberg directs the Aitchison Public Service Undergraduate Fellowship in Government. Dr. Ginsberg is the David Bernstein Professor of Political Science, Director of the Center for the Study of American Government, and Chair of the Government Program of Advanced Academic Programs at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of numerous books on American government and politics including: The Fatal Embrace; Embattled Democracy; Democrats Return to Power; Politics by Other Means, The Captive Public; Do Elections Matter?; American Government: Freedom and Power; The Consequences of Consent; and Poliscide. The textbook he co-authors with Theodore J. Lowi is the most widely used American government textbook in the country. His latest work co-authored with Matthew Crenson, Downsizing Democracy, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2002. Among other honors, he received the Oraculum Award for Excellence in Teaching and the George E. Owen Award for outstanding teaching and service from Johns Hopkins University.
Peter Black has been teaching management, criminal justice, public administration, and critical incident management for twenty-seven years He is a Supervisory Special Agent and has been involved in federal law enforcement for more than thirty-seven years. Over the past seventeen years he has served as the Inquiry Director or Special Agent-in-Charge for ten major investigative task forces. Previously, he worked undercover narcotics and weapons for about four years and was the Special Agent-in-Charge of the US Forces-Korea Hostage Negotiation and SWAT teams during the 1988 Summer Olympics. He worked as a Protective Services Officer for a protection detail for a time and served as the Acting Director of Field Operations for a federal law enforcement agency region that spanned 23 states and the District of Columbia. William Clinger (BA ’51) represented Pennsylvania's Fifth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1978 to 1996. He was Chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, Vice Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Chairman of the House Wednesday Group. Prior to his congressional service, Mr. Clinger was the Chief Counsel to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Robert Shogan was the national political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau for 30 years. His books include: Bad News: Where the Press Goes Wrong in the Making of the President; The Double-Edged Sword: How Character Makes and Ruins Presidents, from Washington to Clinton; Hard Bargain: How FDR Twisted Churchill's Arm, Evaded the Law and Changed the American Presidency; and Riddle of Power: Presidential Leadership from Truman to Bush. His most recent book, The Battle of Blair Mountain, was cited a one of the "notable books of the year" in 2004 by the Christian Science Monitor. Dorothea Israel Wolfson is a freelance writer and has been teaching courses in American Political Thought in the Hopkins program for six years. She earned her Ph.D. in political theory from Cornell University's Department of Government. A former policy analyst at Empower America, she later collaborated with William J. Bennett to write Our Sacred Honor and Our Country's Founders. Among her most recent publications is an essay on Thomas Jefferson in The Founders' Almanac (Heritage Foundation, 2001).
“The Aitchison Fellowship was a logical next step in my study of
political science. I was able to use my experiences and knowledge from Hopkins to gain real life experience in government at the highest level." Mike Scavelli, 2005-2006 Aitchison Fellow, White House Intern “The Aitchison Public Service Fellowship gives you a great opportunity to experience everything that Washington D.C. has to offer. Especially if you are thinking about studying, working, living in D.C. following graduation—this is an awesome way to get your feet wet and test the waters.” Anna Kim, 2005-2006 Aitchison Fellow, Council for Court Excellence Intern
Previous Aitchison fellows and their internship placements.
Fellows stay in dorm suites at the Boston University Washington Center, which is located at 2807 Connecticut Avenue, in the northwest section of Washington, D.C. It is one block south of the National Zoo and one block north of the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro station. The BU facility is one Metro stop away from the Johns Hopkins classroom building at Dupont Circle. The dormitory’s amenities include a network connection, residential telephone line, laundry room, computer lab, and student lounge. Aitchison Fellows are required to reside in the Boston University facility during their participation in the Aitchison Program. Detailed housing information will be sent to applicants in a separate package.
The cost of the program is in the same range as living on campus and attending classes at Homewood. Students are charged their normal tuition and for the costs of a double room in the Boston University dorm. (A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional fee.) Since the Aitchison Fellowship is a JHU program all financial aid is applicable to the program costs. Dr. Aitchison’s generosity has made it possible for students to receive a stipend of $800 per fellow to defray the cost of living in the Washington dormitories; fellows receive a check for this amount on completion of the program.
All JHU students are eligible to apply for the Aitchison Fellowship. Preference will be given to students who are rising juniors or seniors.
To apply to the program, students must submit the following items:
- Application Form
- Letter of Recommendation: This letter should be from someone in a position to evaluate your academic and/or leadership performance during college, for example from a JHU Faculty Member, Employer, Advisor, or Coach
- 1-2 page essay explaining the candidate’s interest in public service
- JHU Transcript
- Resumé or CV
Please submit all materials in one envelope. We regret that, due to the large number of applications we receive, we cannot respond to requests for notification of receipt of student materials. If you wish to receive notification that your materials have been received, please include in your application packet a self-addressed stamped postcard.
Please send all materials to Kathy Hill
Associate Program Chair
Government
Advanced Academic Program
Johns Hopkins University
1717 Massachusetts Ave, N.W Suite 104J
Washington, DC 20036-2001 We are not responsible for materials delayed because of incorrect addressing.
Students who wish to be considered for early (non-binding) decision should apply by January 15. The regular application deadline is March 4. All applications must be received by the deadline. Applications received after March 5 will be considered only if spaces in the Aitchison Program remain available.
Our next information session will be held on TBA
More questions? Please see our Frequently Asked Questions.
Kathy Hill
2007-2008 Teaching Fellow and Program Coordinator
Aitchison Public Service Fellowship
Johns Hopkins University
(202) 452-1953
aitchison@jhu.edu |
