New certificate offers political career skills

IU announced earlier this week it would launch a program this fall that provides study and real-world experience to teach students valuable skills in politics and civic careers.

The Political and Civic Engagement program will be a 25-credit certificate program open to undergraduate students with an interest in public responsibility. The program calls for core and elective classes in addition to practical experiences outside classes such as exercises, an internship, a seminar and other activities such as lectures, retreats and discussions.

Current IU professor of history and law Michael Grossberg will direct the program.

Edward L. Hutton funded the program, according to a press release. Hutton  also supported numerous other IU programs such as the Hutton Honors College, the International Experiences Program and the Wells Scholars Program. Hutton died this past March.

The program pledges to deepen understanding of the American political system locally, statewide and nationally. Its goal is to “hone your communication, organization, decision-making and critical-thinking skills,” according to the Pace Program Web site.

The program aims to help in any career path in government, political group and law.
“There is a strong sense that colleges have a role to play in giving students opportunity to develop not only academically but politically,” Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Sonya Stephens said, “and giving them the tools they need to participate in political and civic life.”

The program will also merge with the Leadership, Ethics and Social Action minor program in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The program will be administered through the College of Arts and Sciences, and the certificate may be combined with any major in the college, along with other undergraduate degrees in other schools.

It is recommended students apply during the second semester of their freshman year or the first semester of their sophomore year, according to the program’s Web site.

One of the justifications for the program for its founders was the magnitude of college student participation on all sides during the 2008 presidential election.

“We had been looking at how students have become engaged since the last election and thinking of ways to capitalize on that to bring out those kinds of dimensions of political and civic responsibility,” Stephens said.

Stephens said the program is important because there are not many practical civic engagement programs at other institutions.

“It’s very rare to find a program like this at other universities,” Stephens said. “I think it’s going to be a great program.”