PEP is a leadership initiative for Duke undergraduates interested in political engagement and includes coursework, support for summer internships, and mentoring.
There are many approaches to fostering political engagement in college students, including community-based research projects, service-infused learning, classroom-based discussion groups, and critical reflection. However, campus officials in the trenches “have found that connecting students with individuals who are especially knowledgeable about, experienced in, or passionate about some aspect of politics can be helpful to student learning – especially their political understanding and motivation – in ways not accomplished by readings and class discussions” (Colby et al., 2007, 198). Therefore, an important aspect of our work is the Connect2Politics event series.
The premise is simple: invite to campus political leaders, broadly defined, to share why their stories and engage on questions of major importance. In the short-term, students have the opportunity to ask questions and learn from leaders who are shaping their communities. But we also structure our events in ways that allow the visiting leaders to work with and learn from our amazing students. In the long term, C2P hopes to contribute to building a more robust political culture at Duke, and in the process, inspire students to choose careers in politics and public service.
Begun in 2008, C2P programming included New Jersey Senator (then-Newark Mayor) Cory Booker, former HUD Secretary (then-San Antonio Mayor) Julián Castro, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
The Hart Leadership Program and the Center for Political Leadership Innovation and Service (POLIS) are excited to launch a new undergraduate fellowship program focused on political engagement.
Connect2Politics promotes student engagement with critical political issues and actors by hosting intimate gatherings with political practitioners of all types and stripes.
Before they were national names, they were Hart Leadership Program speakers. In the last 10 years, the HLP has brought four contenders in the already-crowded 2020 Democratic primary field to Duke’s campus
As Duke prepared to play at Notre Dame in a January 2015 basketball match-up, Notre Dame’s hometown mayor Peter Buttigieg seemed to be on the wrong campus. But Buttigieg’s Duke visit was no mistake. He was here for Connect2Politics (C2P), an initiative of the Hart Leadership Program (HLP).