A Bipartisan Moment on Capitol Hill

Last night, the Washington Academic Internship Program of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs made a modest contribution to the spirit of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill by hosting a reception in honor of the autumn 2009 class of Glenn Fellows:

• Liz Hagan, Cleveland Heights (Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)



• Joshua Kramer, Shaker Heights (OSU Office of Federal Relations)



• Jessica Meeker, Lyndhurst (Human Rights First)



• Amy Ovecka, Canton (Department of Justice, International Affairs Department, Criminal Division)



• Chelsea Rider, Marysville (Free the Slaves)



• Samuel Rose, Columbus (U.S. Business and Industry Council)



• Terry Traster, Amherst (Office of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown)



• David Young, Columbus (Global Resources Center, Gelman Library)

Laura Allen, WAIP Administrative Associate, and I were pleased to convey greetings from Dr. Charles Wise, Director of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. We also were delighted that other members of the Ohio State family were able to join us, including Dick Stoddard, Associate Vice President of Government Relations; Stacy Rastauskas, Assistant Vice President, Federal Relations; and Tammy Parker, Director of Development, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

As we had hoped, the reception proved to be a great opportunity for mixing with a number of former Glenn Fellows, as well as past and present internship supervisors and participants in the WAIP mentoring program.

Senator Glenn, who had just come from a reception honoring Vice President Joe Biden as this year’s recipient of the Annie Glenn Award, said that the Washington Academic Internship Program was central to the Glenn School’s mission and to the cultivation of public service as he and Mrs. Glenn conceive of it. Senator Glenn then introduced Representative Patrick J. Tiberi, a Republican who represents Ohio’s 12th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In his remarks, Congressman Tiberi emphasized the vital role that The Ohio State University—not only through formal coursework, but particularly through the marching band—played in his education and in the development of his nascent interest in public service. Rep. Tiberi is the son of Italian immigrants and the first person in his family to graduate from high school. He used his own biography (as well as that of President Barack Obama) as evidence that America continues to be a land of opportunity. He is Ohio’s only member of the powerful House Ways and Means committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member on the Select Revenue Subcommittee. In that capacity, Rep. Tiberi said that he makes a point of reaching across the aisle to work with Democratic colleagues in the House.

Hey, it's a start.