Students join Saybrook’s Social Transformation Concentration because they want to make a difference in the world: now Saybrook can offer them an opportunity to help reform government while they study.
This month Saybrook, the global leader in humanistic education and thought, has announced an agreement with Public Citizen, one of America’s leading consumer advocacy organizations.
Dr. Craig Holman, Public Citizen’s Legislative Representative and an ethics consultant for the Obama Administration, has agreed to take on interns from Saybrook for his office.
“I research and manage issues in lobbying, campaign finance, and government ethics, so an intern for me would do work in these areas,” Holman said. “That sort of research invariably is used to make policy recommendations. Hopefully, we’ll have Saybrook students helping improve our understanding of these issues in a way that will impact the way government operates.”
At present Holman is performing a survey on European attitudes towards lobbying reform. “Many European countries are debating lobbying reform, so they asked me for my insight on that,” he said. Interns, who will apply through the Public Citizen internship program, could start as early as the spring semester, and could assist with this or a number of domestically focused projects.
Holman said he has confidence that Saybrook students can make a real contribution, and that he is willing to work with their schedules. “The exact terms of the internship will depend on the needs of the intern.”
Joel Federman, who directs Saybrook’s Social Transformation Concentration and its Human Science—Transformative Social Change MA Specialization, said he is thrilled at the opportunity this represents for Saybrook students.
“Public Citizen is one of the nation’s premiere public advocacy organizations, and Dr. Holman is respected around the world as a scholar and activist in the areas of governmental ethics, campaign finance reform, and the initiative/referendum process,” Federman said. “We’re thrilled that he has agreed to work with Saybrook students who want hands-on experience in reforming government and expanding democracy.”