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Honors College 2016

CISAC and CDDRL honors students go to Washington

By FSI Stanford

November 1^st, 2016

Not many of the students who swarm Washington, DC get to spend half an hour chatting with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, or field suggestions on their coursework from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. Or, for that matter, get to take a ride on the Capitol Hill tram. But for two dozen hard-working Stanford seniors, those were just a few of the highlights from their 2016 Honors College trip to the nation’s capital.

Just before the start of fall quarter classes, a small group of students visited Washington under the guidance of Stanford faculty to learn first-hand how U.S. policy is built. Two of the research centers at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies offer yearlong honors programs. Each selects 12 undergraduates every school year to work directly with senior faculty on a research topic of their choosing; each kicks off that year with an immersive experience in the DC policy world.

For nearly two weeks each fall, students in the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) Honors College undertake a rigorous schedule of visits to government departments, NGOs, think tanks, landmarks and Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, the Fisher Family Undergraduate Honors Program at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) focuses on the civil society work of organizations like the World Bank, the National Endowment for Democracy, and units within the Supreme Court and the National Security Council that focus on promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

CDDRL students prepare for a meeting with officials at the National Security Council

CISAC students meet with Senator Lindsey Graham

who

Honors students are selected through an application process in which they must demonstrate significant familiarity with their desired topics and a commitment to engage in serious research. Both honors programs are interdisciplinary; neither requires any particular major to be considered. In addition to aspiring political scientists and international relations majors, the 2016 Honors College included students majoring in computer science, symbolic systems (a beloved and uniquely Stanford major), materials science and English.

As part of FSI’s commitment to teaching, senior fellows at both research centers lead the trips personally, introducing students to policy experts and encouraging dialogue. In 2016, the CDDRL students traveled with Frank Fukuyama, the Mosbacher Director of CDDRL, and Didi Kuo, who manages CDDRL’s program on American Democracy in Comparative Perspective. They were joined at several of their visits by Stephen Stedman, CDDRL’s deputy director, and Larry Diamond, former CDDRL director.

CISAC’s 2016 Honors College was led by two distinguished fellows at the Shorenstein Center for Asia-Pacific Studies: Dr. Thomas Fingar, former director of the National Intelligence Council, and Gen. Karl Eikenberry, FSI’s first Professor of the Practice and a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.

Thanks to FSI faculty’s deep experience in shaping and executing policy, honors students enjoy candid, off-the-record discussions with an incredible array of key policymakers and influential scholars. “Dr. Fingar’s contact with [Ambassador Anne Patterson, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs] blew me away,” says Wyatt Horan, ‘17, an energy systems engineering major whose CISAC honors thesis focuses on Russian energy policy toward eastern Europe.

“To get that much time with such an important principal is incredible.”

This year’s students sat down with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Senator Lindsey Graham, New York Times reporters Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti, World Bank lead economist Steve Knack, NSC policy experts Mary Beth Goodman and Celeste Wallander, and many other experienced DC leaders. In a surprise visit arranged by Stanford trustee Sakurako Fisher, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts strolled into a behind-the-scenes tour and started answering students’ questions.

CDDRL's Mosbacher Director Francis Fukuyama provides historical and political context at a visit to the Lincoln Memorial

CISAC students at the National Security Council with faculty leaders Gen. Karl Eikenberry and Dr. Thomas Fingar

what

The Honors College visits are no simple landmark tours - though some of those are included, with considerable historical and political context - nor even meet-and-greets with famous faces. Students come prepared to hone the “elevator pitches” for their theses and answer probing questions from the experts who work on their areas of study. At the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, president and former Congresswoman Jane Harman had a substantive comment for each CISAC student’s thesis topic; at the Supreme Court, Justice Roberts took questions from CDDRL students for more than 30 minutes.

“The opportunity to speak with so many different leaders in Washington really gave me a sense of the array of opportunities in the policy and development fields. I started out as someone interested in the clinical side of infectious diseases and have only more recently begun to appreciate the context surrounding their control,” says Kate Nelson, ‘17, a CDDRL student and human biology major. Her thesis addresses demand-side factors affecting vaccine uptake in Africa. “Hearing from people who work on governance, development, democracy, and security, and thinking about how their efforts intersect with health was fascinating and will certainly enrich my approach to my thesis.”

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The CISAC Alumni Dinner brought students together with alumni of the honors program

when

CISAC honors students have been visiting DC every fall for 16 years, and each Honors College includes an alumni dinner in which current and past students can network. “I was impressed by the interests and commitment of the current honors class and enjoyed hearing what other alums were up to,” said Savannah (Lengsfelder) Wilson, ‘04.

In the two weeks leading up to their senior year, honors students have a thesis topic firmly in mind but minimal research and writing done. The trip serves as a way to jump-start their projects, sometimes with new information that changes their hypothesis. “[The NSC experts] are the smartest in the business,” says Horan. “Brownie points for Celeste Wallander, who challenged my thesis topic on Russia, and put me through my paces!”

The Fisher Family Honors Program at CDDRL has been sending students to DC for six years. Over the course of one week, the students meet with senior staff and scholars at major civil society organizations, NGOs and government departments.

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where

“We began our trip to Arlington National Cemetery with two Army soldiers to discuss the ‘last ten feet of American foreign policy,’” recalls Marina Elmore, ‘17.

Despite California’s distance from the nation’s capital - both geographically and ideologically - strong Stanford ties reverberate throughout the DC policy world. Many of the honors students have already spent a quarter at Stanford in Washington or a summer interning at a major DC organization.

“I really loved D.C.” says Sofia Filippa, ‘17, an international relations major studying indigenous women’s reproductive rights in Guatemala. “I’m thinking of trying to move there after graduation. It’s a very vibrant city, with many things to do and see (such as free museums!) and it seems to be the intellectual center for think tanks and the policy community in general.”

Honors students span the professional spectrum, from those who seek purely academic careers to those who are already planning a run for office or a career in government service. Some FSI scholars suggest that Stanford’s distance from DC is a blessing in disguise for policy researchers; given some space from the day-to-day concerns of politics, faculty and students have the opportunity to take the long view of complex issues that will take years or decades to fully address.

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FSI advisory board member Sakurako Fisher with students in the Fisher Family Undergraduate Honors Program at CDDRL

CDDRL students at the National Security Council

Gen. Eikenberry catches up with CISAC alumnus Sam Rebo, of The Eurasia Group, at their alumni dinner

CISAC students after their visit to the National Security Council

why

“The Honors College provides students a superb exposure to many of the organizations and actors who shape and influence America‘s national security policies,” Gen. Eikenberry told STANFORD magazine in a 2015 piece on the program. “The experience also helps them begin to develop their thesis as they test their propositions with those with whom they meet and through interactions with the Honors College faculty.”

“Honors College is a tremendous opportunity for students to learn more about the role democracy and development play in decisions about foreign and domestic policy,” says CDDRL’s Dr. Kuo.

The Honors College programs are part of FSI‘s teaching mission and Stanford’s commitment to excellence in education. CDDRL and CISAC honors students may be future policy leaders, elected officials, scholars, analysts, activists or public servants. The opportunity to learn from, and build relationships with, current U.S. policymakers is an invaluable part of their preparation for the next generation of international leadership.

Footnotes

All photos: Denis Largeron

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FootNotes

All photos: Denis Largeron

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