During the second SMLS of the semester, fall interns were given the opportunity to witness the spirit of true bipartisanship. TWC hosted Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former Majority and Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate. The event was moderated by Larry Korb, former advisor on the Reagan-Bush election committee and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Rob Richie, Executive Director of FairVote, and several other guests came together to discuss the "Evolution of Presidential Debates." The guest speakers discussed the candidates' performances in the first two presidential debates between President Obama and Mitt Romney in addition to analyzing prior presidential debates.

[View program on C-SPAN]

About the Road to the White House Course

Thom Mozloom is the founder and president of The M Network, a branding and advertising agency based in Miami, Florida. Mozloom talked about campaign ads during the "Evolution of Political Advertising" class.

[View program on C-SPAN]

About the Road to the White House Course

The Washington Center hosted a workshop as part of the Tomorrow's Leadership Series for federal internship supervisors at TWC's Residential Academic Facility.

Past workshops hosted for federal agency internship supervisors have included:

TWC’s Professional Development Lunch Series went to press at The Washington Post when 15 Media and Communications interns enjoyed a “beyond the headlines” tour of one of the country’s leading newspapers.

The Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Francisco J. Sanchez, spoke to fall 2012 interns as the featured speaker for TWC's October 15th Simpson-Mineta Leadership Series (SMLS). During the event, he discussed what first sparked his interest in public service and the duties of his current position at the International Trade Administration (ITA).

“Doors opening, step back to allow customers to enter. When boarding, please move to the center of the car”. It seems such a natural tone now — that familiar voice of the robot lady indicating it was time to get off the metro.

One thing is for sure, students in the Local Green civic engagement project are not afraid to get their hands dirty!

On September 22nd, students went to Brier's Mill Run in Riverdale, Maryland to remove trash and debris that pollute the nearby streams. This project was arranged through the Anacostia Watershed Society, one of Local Green’s community partners.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC) in partnership with the New York Life Foundation recognized its 2012 Higher Education Civic Engagement Awardees during a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Newt Minow is the Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate telecommunications. Minow talked about the evolution and role of debates in the political process, and how they are affected by the quickly changing landscape of the media.