Presidential Fellows Program

The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress is a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying the issues that affect the modern American presidency. The center seeks fellows who are committed to public service.

Fellows work in Washington, DC and are required to research, write, and present an original paper pertaining to the presidency that will be published by the Center. Fellows enjoy a year-long opportunity to study all aspects of the American presidency and public-policy making process. They attend fall and spring leadership conferences sponsored by the Center, and also undertake individual research projects, resulting in a 15 page original paper on an aspect of the American presidency. Please email fellowships@georgetown.edu for more information.

Eligibility

  • strong academic credentials
  • a demonstrated interest in the institution of the presidency (demonstrated by course work; study and scholarship, or internships or other activities focused on the Presidency)
  • a demonstrated interest in public policy and public service.

Typically, Fellows are seniors in an undergraduate program, but advanced underclassmen or graduate students can also participate.

Students studying abroad in either the fall or the spring should not apply since participation in both conferences is non-negotiable. You should also note that writing the 15 page original paper in your spring semester will require a significant commitment of time, and should leave room in your schedule to allow for this.

Application Process

Interested students should contact fellowships@georgetown.edu for further information on university nomination and internal deadlines. A completed application will contain the following:

  • contact information: phone numbers, email address, summer mailing address
  • an up-to-date resume
  • an up-to-date transcript
  • a 500 word essay describing in specific terms the candidate’s interest in the presidency
  • a 500 word essay detailing significant aspects of the candidate’s public service and interest in issues of public policy.

Deadlines

The university will nominate up to 1 Fellow in Summer 2024. The deadline to apply for university nomination is July 1, 2024.

PRESIDENTIAL FELLOWS ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Each year CSCP publishes the best of the Fellows’ work in the Fellows Review. From the 2018-2019 class, 15 research papers were chosen for publication. Of those, 5 were selected for special recognition for extraordinary research, including one from Georgetown University student Micah Musser. He won the James R. Moffett Award for the Most Original Paper on the Modern Presidency or Congress for his review of presidential bioethics commissions (“Bioethics in Public Policy: Examining the Factors Contributing to the Success of U.S. Presidential Bioethics Commissions?”). Read Micah’s and the other Fellow’s articles in The Fellows Review.