By: Matt Kunkleman
When Dr. Randall Newnham, Associate Professor of Political Science at Penn State Berks, received the call asking if he wanted to be part of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, he didn’t have to think very long about his answer—he responded with a “yes” almost automatically.
What Newnham agreed to was being part of The Washington Center’s Campaign 2008 Presidential Academic Seminar, a program designed to host internships for college students with an interest in politics and political campaigns. The Washington Center has run the Presidential Academic Seminar during every presidential election year since 1984.
The Presidential Academic Seminar was a two-week event that culminated on August 28 with Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. The first week consisted of breaking down the record turnout of approximately 400 interns and fifty faculty members into small classes, where they studied the convention and listened to guest speakers daily. For the second week, the interns were placed in fieldwork positions that allowed them to work in their area of interest relating to the Convention.
As a “faculty fellow” in the program, during the first week, Newnham sat in on a class of twenty-four students, all from Pennsylvania schools, lead by a professor from Juniata College. Each morning the class attended three to four hours of presentations where they were able to hear from a variety of people involved with the Convention, from politicians, journalists, and bloggers to the set-up crew and security personnel. The afternoons were filled with lecture and group discussion.
The second week of the program could only be described as “unbelievably intense” by Newnham. The interns put their studies into action and were placed in fieldwork positions aligned with their professional interests. The fieldwork allowed many of the interns to get inside the Pepsi Center, the main arena for the Convention.
When The Washington Center staff asked Newnham where he wanted to be assigned, he responded that he would go anywhere help was needed. Providing such an altruistic answer resulted in Newnham working security at the much smaller Denver Convention Center, guarding the doors for some of the meetings and caucuses that are part of the Convention.
Not being assigned to a position where he’d have the all-access pass to the Pepsi Center where he’d be bumping elbows with prominent politicians and decision makers, and having to watch much of the Convention on a TV screen didn’t deter Newnham from having a positive experience.
“A lot of what was going on was actually happening outside the Pepsi Center,” explained Newnham. “Outside of the Center was packed with events—from prominent speakers like Hillary Clinton and Dennis Kucinich, to the protestors, interest groups, and media—what was happening inside the Pepsi Center was only one part of the Convention.”
Newnham also learned a lesson from his security job that he offers anyone interested in becoming involved in political campaigns: “Just go. If you come to a convention and try your best at whatever you’re doing, it will pay off.”
For Newnham the payoff was when he was handed a ticket to see Barack Obama at INVESCO Field on the final night of the Convention.
“I was fifty yards from Obama, Al Gore, Martin Luther King III, the entertainers, the crew—it was an amazing experience.”
Newnham was especially excited to be part of the Convention on the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. “Being part of such an important piece of history was amazing for me; seeing firsthand Martin Luther King’s legacy being fulfilled was inspiring.”
The firsthand insight Newnham gained from participating in the Convention is something he is already using in the classroom where it has become a teaching resource that could only be obtained by being there, he explained.
Newnham wants to encourage Berks students interested in politics to participate in future offerings of The Washington Center’s Presidential Academic Seminar Series.
“It’s a really great program. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to see it for myself, I’m encouraging students from Berks who are interested in politics to get involved. Getting inside the ‘smoke-filled room’ is a great opportunity for anyone thinking about politics as a future.”
Newnham notes that his experience is even more meaningful after Obama’s victory in November and inauguration in January. “Now that Obama is the first African-American President, I can see how important the Denver convention was in understanding the kind of leader he will be.”