Gordon Brown To Visit the IOP

Gordon Brown will be coming to the Institute of Politics as a Visiting Fellow next week, the IOP announced yesterday. Brown served as the Prime Minister of Britain and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010.

Although Brown’s exact schedule for his time on campus has not been finalized, he will have small, off-the-record discussions with students and various student groups, according to IOP Fellows and Study Groups Coordinator Eric R. Andersen.

The focus of Brown’s visit to Harvard’s campus will be on undergraduates, although he is also scheduled to work with graduate students and faculty members. Brown’s visit, which is scheduled for Sept. 21-23, will culminate in a lecture on the international economy at the Forum on Sept. 23.

The IOP had sent a letter to Brown in June inviting him to be a visiting fellow sometime this fall semester.

“He was interested from the get-go,” IOP President P. Kenzie Bok ’11 said. “For us, he is just a dream international fellow.”

Bok also said that because many students are interested in international affairs and the governments of other countries, and in particular Britain, Brown was an ideal visiting fellow. Brown was the center of media attention following the British elections last May that resulted in the Labour Party losing majority in the British Parliament. Consequently, he resigned as Prime Minister and as Leader of the Labour Party.

According to Andersen, Brown is similar to many other IOP visiting fellows in that he wants to give back to students and hopes that more students will be inspired to become public servants.

As a visiting fellow, Brown will lead discussions aimed primarily at undergraduates and speak at events open to the public.

According to IOP Interim Director John C. Culver ’54, the IOP typically hosts six resident fellows who remain on campus for the entire semester, and visiting fellows who come for much shorter periods of time, ranging from two days to a week.

Besides interacting directly with students in intimate discussion settings, Brown will also have three undergraduate student liaisons—selected through an application process—according to Bok.

A lottery to attend Brown’s lecture at the IOP Forum on September 23 is ongoing and closes on September 20.

—Staff writer Monika L.S. Robbins can be reached at mrobbins@college.harvard.edu.