The faculty leader is responsible for the teaching, guidance, and evaluation of about 10-16 students during the seminar.

A faculty leader attends all program sessions, meets with students at least once during each weekday for 1-2 hours of group discussion and instruction, accompanies the students on site visits to embassies, think tanks, and other organizations in D.C., advises students on a variety of academic and professional matters related to the program, reads the students’ written work and provides a written evaluation of their academic and professional performance. This is a constant, “on-the-go” type of experience involving some very full days.

For faculty whose expertise involves active learning, this is an ideal environment in which to teach students how to take advantage of an experiential learning situation for the advancement of their academic and career goals. From a faculty member’s perspective, it is an exceptional professional development opportunity that offers frequent contact with major political leaders from the grass roots to the national and international level.

Qualifications:

Faculty leaders must have a graduate degree (Ph.D. strongly preferred) and experience teaching at the college level. Since programming and other arrangements are of a very flexible nature, often subject to last minute changes and even some cancellations, they must not only be energetic and enthusiastic, but also have a mature, positive approach in dealing with students.

The honorarium for the program is $1,300 per week.

Housing is provided (usually a single in a shared apartment), as is a 7-day Fast Pass for unlimited Metrorail.  Participation in all program events is required. Housing includes a fully furnished apartment with basic cable television, high-speed internet, basic linens, local telephone service and easy access to the Washington Metro.  Meals, transportation and other personal expenses are not included.

Faculty leaders are chosen on the basis of a variety of criteria.

If a faculty leader comes with a  pre-formed group of at least 10 students, such as a class from his/her home institution, the faculty member is automatically hired to be in charge of his/her own students. Priority is then given to faculty who recruit less than ten students from their own institution. In that case, they may be assigned additional students coming without a faculty member from their school. In addition, we are seeking faculty to add to the diversity of backgrounds and interests of the staff as well as the majors of the students who enroll in the program.

Incentives are available to help recruit students. For every 10 students participating, their institution receives one full scholarship that might either be used for an 11th student or can be distributed among the other ten students to lower their overall costs.

Some faculty who are compensated by their institution for teaching the students as part of a course sometimes donate their stipend as a scholarship to their students. On occasion, faculty who bring between five and nine students from their own institution can be hired and paid 1/2 of the usual stipend or be paid the full stipend if other students are added to their group. Please contact us for details.

Many private schools encourage student participation by collecting the tuition for three credits and pay The Washington Center for the seminar from the tuition collected, retaining the difference.

In that way, students are not “double-billed” and the program becomes quite affordable. Some public institutions have waived tuition or forwarded the tuition to The Washington Center with the students paying the difference. Others have budgeted for limited scholarship support for the students.

Most students are granted between 1-3 credits for one week and 2-4 credits for additional work as part of an independent study course. If the student is receiving credit, tuition is arranged with the student’s home institution and is not included in the program fee.

New Refund Policy for 2010:

If you are forming your own group of ten or more students, please note that we will charge any of your students who are accepted and drop out by after April 15, 2010 a fee of $300.  Any student in your group who drops out after April 30, 2010 will be charged the full program fee.  We advise you to please make your students aware of this new policy.

If you are interested, please return the Faculty Leader Response Form as soon as possible. If you need any extra brochures or other recruitment materials or advice on how to publicize the program on your campus, please let us know.

We will begin making firm offers starting in early April or as enrollment figures warrant. If you are not available for this program, please pass this letter on to someone you think might be. We very much appreciate your consideration of this invitation. We look forward to hearing from you.

For more information or additional materials, please email us at seminars@twc.edu

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Upcoming Seminars 2011

Camp David III

Inside Washington 2011

Top Secret: Challenges to National Security in a Global Environment

Bringing students to Washington for spring break?  Ask us about our new customized Washington Connection Program. Contact us at seminars@twc.edu

Inside Washington Group