Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, Steve Sisolak Among New Pritzker Fellows At University Of Chicago
The University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics has announced its newest Pritzker Fellows.
getty
The University of Chicago Institute of Politics has announced its latest class of Pritzker Fellows, a group that includes Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Steve Sisolak (D-Nevada).
The Institute of Politics’ Pritzker Fellowship is a nonpartisan, extracurricular program that annually brings groups of prominent politicians, journalists, and diplomats to the University of Chicago to conduct campus seminars on what it describes as “the most pressing issues of the day.” A full list of fellows can be found here.
O’Rourke, former US Representative from Texas’ 16th Congressional District, is scheduled to hold workshops using Texas as a case study to explore the present and future of American democracy.
Ryan, the former Ohio congressman who recently lost a Senate bid to JD Vance, will examine the political and cultural divides affecting the American electorate.
Sisolak, the former governor of Nevada, will lead workshops on the challenges and opportunities of Nevada governance, including addressing climate change, improving state public education and governing through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with O’Rourke, Ryan and Sisolak will be:
former Rep. Peter Meijer (R) of Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, leading a workshop on the impact of federal policies on both cost-of-living realities and defense capabilities. former Shreveport, Louisiana Mayor Adrian Perkins (D), who will discuss the challenges and rewards of leading a mid-sized city as a millennial mayor, with a focus on smart grid technology and bridging the digital divide. former 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons of Evanston, Illinois, who will discuss her role as leader of the nation’s first government-funded reparations bill, focusing on the complexities of passing historic, tax-funded legislation in a largely segregated city. Heather Cherone, political reporter for WTTW in Chicago, examines the upcoming mayoral and alderman elections in Chicago. journalist and Vox.com co-founder Matthew Yglesias, whose seminar will focus on “the growing disconnect between the nationalized media and typical Americans and its impact on politics and policymaking.”
The Institute of Policy (IOP) was founded at the University of Chicago in 2013 by David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. Established as a nonpartisan organization and affiliated with the Harris School of Public Policy, IOP “encourages and assists University of Chicago students to explore careers in public and social service and provides extracurricular opportunities in politics and policymaking.”
Included in the IOP’s programming are the Pritzker Fellows program, funding various political, policy and public interest internships; and a variety of public speakers discussing current events and political life.
Axelrod has served as Director of the IOP since its founding, but in January, he stepped down from that role to become chairman of the IOP’s Board of Advisors and take on a new position as a Senior Fellow. Heidi Heitkamp, the former North Dakota Democratic senator and a former Pritzker Fellow, has been named the new director.
