An Investment in the Human Capital of Lafayette
FRANKLIN C. PHIFER JR. ’72
My visit with Sara Walter ’09 and Congressman Charlie Dent this summer
provided me an opportunity to reflect on my
own experiences as a student, intern, and, later,
as a government lawyer and lobbyist.
Having been a member of the Marquis Society for many years, and as a Washington friend of [President Emeritus]
Art Rothkopf ’55, I began to think about how to invest in the College and assist young people to gain experience in public service: some sort of endowment program that would be both academic and practical, but geared primarily toward public service, where students could get hands on, real world, experience.
After several meetings with Gary Carney and John Leone [of the development office] in Washington, we came up with the idea of an endowment with a stipend earmarked for a student that undertook a Washington-based summer internship—one that would be both substantive and practical. The idea was not only to offset some living expenses in the Nation’s Capital, but also to motivate students to seek
a possible career in government and politics. I had no idea at the time
it that would become so popular or rewarding.
At Lafayette, I majored in government and law, a great department
and one that provided me with access to the academic side of politics during a period of social and political unrest, both on campus and around the country. Two professors were influential: Dr. Benjamin May, a kind of senior statesman in the department, and Dr. Michael Glantz, a young Penn Ph.D. who had served in Africa with the U.S. State Department. Both were students of government and they encouraged me to get involved in campaigns.
I served an internship in the State of New Jersey’s Washington office under Governor Brendan Byrne while in law school and later was heavily involved in several presidential campaigns. I served in the Carter White House for several years before moving to Capitol Hill as staff counsel on the House Ways and Means Committee . . . all of which brings me back
to the internship endowment.
I am pleased to see students taking advantage of the endowment stipend. Watching a Lafayette student work closely with a member of Congress made me realize that establishing this endowment was a worthwhile investment in young people. Probably most important, I watch with great pleasure Lafayette students participating in the political process and using their internships as a learning experience. I only wish
it had been available when I was a student!
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“Watching a student work with a Member of Congress made me realize establishing this endowment was a worthwhile investment in young people.”
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