About

Program Guidelines

The program honors the record and memory of Richard Lugar (1932-2019), Denison University class of 1954, who represented Indiana in the United States Senate from 1977-2013.  His lifetime of engagement in public life, which included two terms as Mayor of Indianapolis, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and long-serving Denison Trustee, provides a model for all who aspire to public service.

Inspired by Senator Lugar’s legacy of academic excellence, distinguished service, and prominent role in American politics and foreign policy, the Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Affairs has provided Denison students with opportunities to develop their interest in public service through coursework, internships, and co-curricular programming since 1996.  The Department of Politics and Public Affairs incorporates many of the curricular features of the Lugar Program formerly housed in the Department of Political Science, and continues to sponsor internships and programming geared toward students interested in a career in public service, regardless of partisan preference or academic major. 

How to Apply:

Visiting Former Members of Congress

In cooperation with the Congress to Campus program, co-sponsored by the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service and the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, the Lugar Program welcomes former members of Congress to Denison every other year. Typically, we host two former members per visit, a Democrat and a Republican. While here, former members appear in classes and meet with students, faculty, and others in the Denison and Granville communities.

A theme common to every such visit is the importance of public service. We honor our guests at a dinner attended by Lugar Program students and faculty, as well as representatives of the teaching faculty and administration. Beginning with former Congressman Romano Mazzoli in 1996, twenty former members of the U.S. House have visited campus:

Students Completing the Lugar Program

As of May 2018, the number of graduates who completed all Lugar Program requirements was 164.

What do our Students do after Denison?

• Several Lugar students have found employment as congressional staffers upon graduating from Denison.
• Many of our students have gone on to law school, or graduate school in international affairs,  and some have completed graduate studies in political science and other disciplines.
• The program is designed to facilitate graduate study for students who are interested in careers in homeland security, international business, global environment, and other international sectors but who presently do not want to earn a Ph.D., law degree, MBA, or MPA.