Hackney welcomes U. students to Washington

WASHINGTON -- From the University of Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania Avenue, National Endowment for the Humanities Chairperson and former University President Sheldon Hackney is fighting to keep his organization alive in the face of proposed Congressional cutbacks. Yet, as evidenced by the multitude of University posters and plaques decorating his spacious office, Hackney still has a soft spot for the red and blue, despite all the red tape. Last Wednesday, Hackney took time out of his schedule and heartily welcomed the University's Washington Semester students into his office for a visit. The four students, along with Political Science Professor Russell Riley, spent over an hour with Hackney discussing the NEH, politics, the Washington Semester program and, of course, the University. Hackney began the group discussion by questioning students about their internship placements, an integral part of the Washington Program. To accommodate a variety of interests, participants are responsible for finding their own internships while writing a major research paper on a related topic. Students this semester are working in the White House, on Capitol Hill and in the service sector. College junior Julia Keleher, who is doing work for the Corporation for National Service, said interning through this program is "an opportunity to have a real-life experience, while being protected by the fact that we're still students. I'm learning things earlier than I would have if I'd waited until after college to go into the work force." Hackney agreed, adding that the Washington Semester is "a wonderful idea. It's like a semester abroad in that Washington is a very different culture. An experience here is a good thing for a student." He then told the students about the National Endowment for the Humanities, explaining that it is an independent agency charged to authorize progress in the humanities, which includes many disciplines. Much of his effort is devoted to his pet project, a National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity, which includes many programs designed to help "Americans of all backgrounds study, learn, and speak face-to-face about our differences." Hackney was very candid with the students when questioned about the precarious position of the NEH, whose budget may be severely trimmed or cut altogether by Congress. "We are seen by Newt Gingrich as a cultural institution which has not been friendly to conservatives, but that's not true," he explained. Hackney admitted that he is worried, but he passionately defended his organization. "The humanities are about citizenship -- the Jeffersonian notion that citizens must understand society in order to play a democratic role," he said. "Without the NEH, the humanities would solely be an elite experience." Students said they thought Hackney's talk was enlightening. "I thought that Dr. Hackney did a good job of explaining how the NEH works to improve the quality of the lives of American citizens," said College sophomore Molly Duncan, who works for Sen. Hank Brown (R-Colo.). When asked if he missed the University, Hackney emphatically answered that "being in the Penn community, even when there's friction, is great because you still know you belong." "It's not the same intellectual community down here," he said. "But I've enjoyed the NEH a lot -- it's a good organization with good people. Washington is an entirely different community, though." Hackney is only one of many political figures with whom Washington Semester students have been able to meet. The students see senators daily, talk to diplomats and cabinet secretaries over the phone, and one has even run into the Clintons a few times in the corridors of the West Wing. "For people interested in Political Science, it's the be-all, end-all for a semester abroad," one student said.