Khazei Calls For Service Requirement

Volunteering should be a requirement for college admittance, the keynote speaker for the annual Public Policy and Leadership Conference argued Friday at the Kennedy School of Government.

Alan A. Khazei ’83 delivered the principal address to the 49 students at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Institute of Politics (IOP) in a speech entitled “Rugged Idealism,” which discussed the value of volunteer work and Khazei’s experiences as co-founder and CEO of City Year, a national service organization specializing in full-time, year-long volunteer involvement for youth.

Khazei proposed that students participate in a year of volunteer work following high school in exchange for a year’s worth of college tuition payments—an idea he compared to the educational benefits earmarked for military veterans since the end of World War

“A new GI bill for the 21st century would say to all of you: You can get the American dream, but you have to earn it,” Khazei said.

His proposal drew doubts from some students.

A question posed during the question-and-answer session asked about the dangers of volunteering without a full understanding of the community in which the work is taking place.

“It’s not as productive if people just volunteer,” Khazei said. “You’ve got to take the time to understand the context [of the community].”

Khazei described himself as a “rugged idealist,” citing that quality as a primary reason behind the creation of City Year. Along with college roommate Michael H. Brown ’83, Khazei founded the organization in 1988 in Boston. Now in its 20th year, City Year is a member of AmeriCorps and has programs in 17 cities around the country.

The organization was built, according to its Web site, on the belief that “one person can make a difference, and with the vision that one day service will be a common expectation.”

“I hope all of you will decide to be active in politics and public service,” Khazei said. “I believe your generation will help to put America back on track, with a new agenda, a new role for government.”

A resident fellow at the IOP last fall, Khazei was named one of America’s 50 outstanding leaders under 40 by Time Magazine in 1994, and last year, U.S. News and World Report called Khazei one of “America’s Best Leaders.”

According to Joseph J. McCarthy, the senior associate dean and director of degree programs at the Kennedy School, Khazei was invited to speak at the conference because of his success in service.

“There are still great public service visionaries in this country,” McCarthy said.

The Kennedy School hosts the conference each year, giving students a three-day crash course in public policy careers from speakers and workshops. The students traditionally hail from under-represented minority backgrounds, and Harvard foots the bill for their travel and accommodations.

The speech drew loud applause when Khazei spoke about the role students could have in the shaping of current events.

“I have no doubt that it will be students that will say ‘we must end the Iraq War now, prevent war with Iran, and restore America’s moral leadership in the world,’” he said.

—Staff writer Malcom A. Glenn can be reached at mglenn@fas.harvard.edu.