IOP Celebrates 30th Birthday

The Institute of Politics (IOP) marked its 30th anniversary Friday night with a dinner and a tribute to the late U.S. secretary of commerce, Ronald H. Brown.

The dinner drew more than 300 alums, associates and friends of the IOP, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.), former Iowa senator John C. Culver and Dillon Professor of Government Emeritus Richard E. Neustadt.

In remarks at the dinner, Kennedy praised Brown as a principled public servant who never forgot his roots.

"He was the perfect blend of Harlem and Harvard," the senator said. "He felt that once they inoculated the young with politics...they would be immunized against cynicism."

Two individuals who worked closely with Brown while they were students--Steven W. Hawkins '84 and Iris Choi '97--also gave speeches.

"I think my peers at the IOP will agree that his relationship with the students at the Institute was one of mutual respect," said Choi, who worked as an intern for the Department of Commerce in the summer of 1995.

During the dinner, the IOP unveiled a 20-page booklet about the founding and mission of the IOP, written by Andrei H. Cherny '97, a member of the IOP's Student Advisory Committee and a Crimson editor.

The IOP also unveiled plans for a Ronald H. Brown Political and Public Service Internship Program, which will fund four undergraduate summer internships in government-related matters. Diversity of backgrounds will be one consideration in the selection of the Brown interns.