The D.C. program differs from the L.A. program in that it is open to students in all disciplines from all schools. It differs from the London program in that its core is a six-credit internship based on students’ academic and professional interests. The internship is supervised by Ivo Spalatin, who also teaches in the program. Spalatin has worked for more than 25 years as a senior staff aide in Congress and a political appointee to the Department of State. Internships are available in Congress, the White House, the Department of Commerce, and other governmental offices, as well as in international business and economic development firms, special interest and advocacy groups, financial and international organizations, think tanks, public relations firms, news and broadcast organizations, and professional and fine arts associations.

Besides the internship, the D.C. semester includes two three-credit, semester-long courses — United States Foreign Policy and Art and Architecture in Washington. Rounding out the academic part of the program are three one-credit seminars that provide a critical look at our nation and its capital from a variety of disciplines. For instance, the upcoming semester offerings include a seminar on inaugural addresses and how they reflect the American society of their time. Taught by associate professor of speech communication Jodi Cohen, the course will bring a historical perspective to current events. "Many professors have expressed interest in offering seminars," says Schlesinger. "I’m looking forward to participation from students and faculty from all five schools."

The program is structured for internship work Monday through Thursday, with classes in the evenings. Fridays are open for the seminars as well as meetings, briefings, and tours of Washington power centers such as the CIA and the Federal Reserve Board. Students live in a safe complex, owned by Boston University, that also houses students from other institutions who are spending semesters in the capital city.

Schlesinger will spend time in D.C. for the academic seminars as well as for receptions, panel discussions, and other interaction with Washington-area alumni. He’s hoping to build a network of alumni who would like to be involved in the program. "Alumni are a valuable resource," says Schlesinger. "They can do so much for the students — showing them their own workplaces, offering seminars and lectures, hosting internships, networking at receptions, and acting as mentors."

The first Ithaca College student to attend, Karen Roll ’01 (in photo, right, with friend Jenn Souder '00), is a community health education major from Rhode Island who interned in the family-health planning department of Development Associates, an international consulting firm. "The internship was such a great experience," Roll says. "I worked on a tobacco proposal for California. I did a lot of research on tobacco education, including finding surveys California uses to evaluate tobacco use and researching the Tobacco Use Prevention Education program that was a result of proposition 99. And I worked on other projects, both domestic and international. I did research at the National Library of Medicine and attended a presentation sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development about HIV/AIDS education." Roll also visited the Saudi embassy and the CIA, among other places, on trips arranged by Spalatin.

Pretty heady stuff for an undergraduate. Roll is very glad she was still at IC when the program was introduced. "Everyone," she says, "should take advantage of any opportunity to travel and intern before graduating from IC."