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Adjunct Assistant American Civilization Professor Frank Luntz will become the youngest American to be named a Harvard University Fellow, Luntz told his Am Civ 280 class yesterday. The Harvard program will fund Luntz's research for a semester, during which time he will live in Cambridge and teach a course on ethical dilemmas in politics entitled "Liars, Cheats, and Thieves. The 30-year-old Luntz said he is pleased that his work has been recognized. "It's a distinction I've wanted and that they sought me out for," he told his "Candidates, Consultants and Campaigns" class. Luntz, who said "the most fun" he has is teaching at the University, denounced the University for failing to support him and his teaching tactics. "I always seem to be in conflict with members of the faculty," Luntz said last night. "Everything I get in trouble for here, they want me to do [at Harvard]." "I'm getting paid less this year than any semester I've taught," he added. "Harvard will pay me double for each class." Luntz will continue teaching this semester and said he hopes to return to teach at the University after his stint at Harvard. He said he is currently teaching an independent study group that has funded $5,000 worth of research on its own because of a lack of funding from the University. Luntz said the research, a study of attitudes at Ivy League institutions, is "a ground-breaking study, and the University deems it not important enough to spend one red cent." He added that the 12 students involved in it may be on the cover of U.S. News and World Report. "These kids are going to be stars a month from now, and it will be in spite of the University, not because of the University," Luntz said. But Luntz, a 1984 College graduate, praised the Am Civ Department, where he has taught since 1989. "My department has been incredibly supportive of me," Luntz said. "The department insisted that student-faculty relations are critical. Other departments don't have that priority." Melvyn Hammarberg, undergraduate chair of the department, called Luntz "an innovative, challenging, and provocative teacher." Many of Luntz's current and former students agree. College senior Lisa Nass, who has taken two courses with Luntz and is a member of his independent study group, said Luntz has had a great influence on her education. "His classes are hands-on, not theoretical," Nass said, "He's opened my eyes to things I'd never be able to experience any other way." "Penn's loss is Harvard's gain," said College senior Jeffrey Lichtman, Undergraduate Assembly chairperson. Wharton freshman Evan Raine, one of Luntz's students this semester, described Luntz's teaching style as "somewhat unique." "There's no pretense of objectivity," Raine said, "He's going to tell you what he thinks." The program is run by Harvard's Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Fellows are selected for their involvement in the political world and to pursue their own academic agenda while in the program. Luntz said his research is "trying to marry academia and politics because they work well together." "You can't understand one without understanding the other," he said. A former pollster for Texas billionaire Ross Perot, Luntz was also recently named a pollster for the New York Daily News. Past Fellows have included National Organization of Women founder Betty Friedan, 1984 Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, and Vice President Al Gore

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