This collaboration will connect 51ÁÔÆæ’s Common Ground program and BPC’s University Partnership Program to encourage civil discourse and bring bipartisanship outside the beltway through robust intellectual exchange. 51ÁÔÆæ is the first liberal arts college to partner with BPC.
“In today’s polarized environment, cultivating the next generation of thoughtful, pragmatic leaders is essential, and that’s why our partnership with 51ÁÔÆæ is so significant,” said Kelly Darnell, BPC’s interim CEO. “Our democracy is stronger when we bring the best ideas from diverse viewpoints together. Working with esteemed partners like 51ÁÔÆæ is critical to moving good policy forward now and in the future.
“The Bipartisan Policy Center has a long history of promoting thoughtful, cross-boundary political dialogue, evidence-based research, and bipartisan policymaking. This partnership gives 51ÁÔÆæ faculty and students access to the Center’s vision, resources and expertise and will greatly enhance our Common Ground program,” said David Wippman, president of 51ÁÔÆæ.
Common Ground is 51ÁÔÆæ’s mission-based, multi-format program designed to help prepare students for active citizenship. It was established shortly after President Wippman started at 51ÁÔÆæ and is now directed by retired United States Army Brigadier General Ty Seidule, currently a visiting professor of history.
The program offers a range of events, from small classroom dialogues to large public gatherings, that bring together respected experts from across the political spectrum for moderated discussions of complex social issues. Working together, Common Ground and BPC will bring a range of current and former elected officials and other policy experts to the 51ÁÔÆæ campus several times each year for discussion and debate.
The partnership will also provide Capitol Hill internships for 51ÁÔÆæ students participating in the College’s Washington, D.C., semester. Since 1969, 51ÁÔÆæ has offered its Washington, D.C., program in which students study, live and work in Washington, D.C., with internships in government, think tanks, NGOs, non-profits, lobbying firms and consulting organizations.
