Every year a dozen or so State Department Foreign Service officers are accepted to spend a year gaining legislative experience by working as congressional staff. One of the two primary programs for this purpose is the American Political Science Association’s Congressional Fellowship Program.

Founded in 1953, the APSA Congressional Fellowship over the years has brought talented political scientists, journalists, domestic and foreign policy government specialists, health policy specialists and international scholars to Capitol Hill to experience the U.S. Congress at work.

A 1964 Department of State News Letter pictured 16 federal Congressional Fellows at the White House at the invitation of President Lyndon B. Johnson. They were all white men. The president told the Fellows that "no high government official can be completely effective if he does not understand the role of Congress in our democracy." After looking over the group, he reportedly asked, "Where are the women?" The class following the meeting with President Johnson included three women.

The APSA fellowship includes a two-month foreign affairs seminar in September and October run in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. The seminar is run by Professor Charles Stevenson, who brings the experience of several decades as a Senate staffer on national security and foreign policy and nearly a decade on the faculty of the National War College.

In November, the Foreign Affairs Fellows join the other 20 to 25 APSA Fellows in an intensive three-week orientation on Congress, the political atmosphere for that session and the mechanics of the legislative process. Panels of Senate and House staffers talk about their work, expert speakers lead in-depth discussions of areas such as the political landscape and the budget and appropriations process, and there are visits to key legislative support organizations such as C-SPAN.

Concluding the orientation is a program on utilizing the resources of the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service and an introduction to advanced Senate and House legislative procedure.

EXPANDED EXPERIENCE

APSA Fellows begin their assignments in December or January. Michelle Stefanick joined the staff of Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), who at the age of 31 in 1978 became the youngest Republican woman and first Greek-American woman elected to Congress.

To broaden their legislative experience beyond what a single assignment can provide, the Fellows also attend the bimonthly Wilson Seminar Series, which includes speakers from the House Parliamentarian, Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office, Office of Legislative Counsel and the press corps.

The APSA Fellows also spend a day at the Annapolis State House observing the workings of the Maryland State Legislature. A high point this year, Ms. Stefanick said, was attending the State of the Union address. APSA Fellows participate in a Canada-U.S. Parliamentary Exchange. The Fellows organize and host a week's orientation for the Canadian parliamentary interns in Washington and the Canadians return the favor in Ottawa. The Canadian interns met with Philip Drouin, then deputy director of the Sudan Programs Group on the Darfur crisis and the role of the U.S. and international community.

The Canadians arranged for Ms. Stefanick's attendance at an internal parliamentary discussion led by Senator Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, the U.N. commander in charge during the Rwandan genocide. She also had a personal discussion with Sen. Dallaire and since then has been exchanging information on Darfur with his staff.

REAL ISSUES

Having previously been assigned to Khartoum, Ms. Stefanick was the senator's point person on Darfur. She followed the issue closely and met with concerned Maine constituents, members of the nongovernmental organization community and Senate staffers.

Ms. Stefanick also prepared Senator Snowe for her trip to Iraq, helped obtain the support of 65 senators to join Senator Snowe's request for an additional $150 million to support breast cancer research and helped win unanimous support for legislation cosponsored by Senator Snowe and Senator Barbara Boxer that expands the eligibility for the Purple Heart to prisoners of war who die in captivity.

The conclusion of the fellowship is marked by a reception in the historic Mansfield Room of the Capitol. Members and key staff are joined by alumni and the 180-plus individuals who have participated in the fellowship that year. "This has been truly an amazing year," Ms. Stefanick said. "The relationship between the Congress and the Executive Branch is such a crucial one. I strongly recommend the APSA Congressional Fellowship Program to anyone who has an interest in learning more about Congress."

Additional information on the program can be found at  www.apsanet.org.