Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics)

The Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service, better known as GU Politics, hosts politics-related events and programming for the Georgetown community. Founded in 2015, its slogan is "Public service is a good thing. Politics can be, too".

History and Goals

GU Politics was established in 20151. Mo Elleithee (SFS '94), former Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee, has led the institute since its inception2. GU Politics aims to enhance student understanding of the political process through access to top political practitioners; the institute also offers mentorship opportunities for students interested in political or public service careers3.

Offerings

GU Politics hosts a wide range of events and programming for the Georgetown community. GU Politics programming consistently aims to increase student engagement in politics and public service.

One of GU Politics's signature offerings is its Fellows program, which brings six practitioners of politics and public service to campus each semester. Fellows host weekly discussions open to the entire Georgetown community, typically centering the semester's discussions around a specific topic. Past Fellows include Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer (CAS '81, P '17), and ABC White House Correspondent Karen Travers (CAS '00, MA '03)4. Each Fellow has a Student Strategy Team that helps plan, promote, and facilitate their weekly discussions5. Fellows also host weekly office hours that are open to Georgetown students, faculty, and staff6.

GU Politics hosts various forums and speaker events. Past speakers include Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Dr. Anthony Fauci7. During the 2020 Democratic presidential primary campaign, GU Politics hosted a forum on climate change with the leading Democratic candidates. Andrew Yang, one of the candidates featured at the forum, played pickup basketball at Yates against several Georgetown students8

GU Votes, a student-run GU Politics initiative, aims to increase voter turnout among Georgetown students. GU Votes works to simplify the registration process for students. Its efforts led Georgetown to incorporate voter registration into MyAccess, where students register for classes9. GU Votes also runs annual voter registration drives on campus10. Since the launch of GU Votes, Georgetown student turnout has increased significantly in both midterm and presidential elections11.

Publications

GU Politics operates two publications: On the Record and Fly on the Wall. Established in 2018, On the Record is "a student-run publication of editorials, reviews, and interviews"12. The publication, like GU Politics, is nonpartisan13. GU Politics also operates a podcast called Fly on the Wall

  • 1Che, Alicia. "New Institute Targets Youth Engagement." The Hoya. 1 September 2015.
  • 2Che, Alicia. "New Institute Targets Youth Engagement." The Hoya. 1 September 2015.
  • 3Institute of Politics and Public Service, About GU Politics. https://politics.georgetown.edu/about/about-gu-politics/.
  • 4Institute of Politics and Public Service, Past Fellows. https://politics.georgetown.edu/fellows/past-fellows/.
  • 5Institute of Politics and Public Service, Student Strategy Teams. https://politics.georgetown.edu/fellows/student-strategy-teams/.
  • 6Institute of Politics and Public Service, Office Hours. https://politics.georgetown.edu/fellows/office-hours/.
  • 7Institute of Politics and Public Service, Forum Archive. https://politics.georgetown.edu/forum/forum-archive/.
  • 8Lim, Naomi. "Andrew Yang hoops with Georgetown students ahead of climate change forum." Washington Examiner. 19 September 2019.
  • 9Buono, Grace. "GU Votes Integrates Voter Registration Portal Into MyAccess." The Hoya. November 8, 2019.
  • 10Staley, Julia. "GU Votes Holds Fifth Yearly Voter Registration Drive." The Hoya. 7 October 2021.
  • 11Institute of Politics and Public Service, About GU Politics. https://politics.georgetown.edu/about/about-gu-politics/.
  • 12Institute of Politics and Public Service, On The Record. https://politics.georgetown.edu/digital-channel/on-the-record/.
  • 13Institute of Politics and Public Service, On The Record. https://politics.georgetown.edu/digital-channel/on-the-record/.

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