Inside Washington

Imagine rising at 6 a.m., touring the U.S. Capitol by 8 a.m., meeting a former CIA director then talking one-on-one with Tim Russert of Meet the Press all in one day.

This is a typical, busy day for a student starting Miami’s Inside Washington Summer Program.

The eight-week program focuses on politics, communications and the news media. It’s broken down into two components.

• For the first three weeks, students engage in a series of lectures, discussion panels, trips to historic monuments and meetings with high-profile government officials, journalists and politicians.
• The second component consists of a five-week internship, where students are placed according to their fields of interest.

How it all began

Chad Pergram, a Washington, D.C., journalist and the self-proclaimed “genesis of the program,” directs operations from the capital. “The program was an accident,” he said. “I didn’t set out to do this.”

Pergram earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Miami in 1991, and his master’s in communications from Miami in ’93. He is the chief correspondent for Capitol News Connection with PRI Public Radio International, an independent news service that provides customized reports from Congress to subscribing stations.

Before 1999, Pergram, along with friend Julie Almacy who at the time was head of Miami’s Washington, D.C., alumni chapter, discussed having students come to D.C.

Meanwhile, Howard Kleiman, communications professor and current campus coordinator for the program, had always wanted his students to make that trip.
In March 1999, a three-day field trip for Kleiman’s broadcasting capstone course kicked off what is now the established program.

The involvement of Miami alumni in that first informal program set the tone for success.

“I took them to Congressman Mike Oxley’s office,” said Pergram, “and to the Pentagon to meet with Gen. Joseph Ralston, who at the time was vice chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

“When Ken Bacon, Pentagon spokesman entered the room, the first thing he did was recognize the students,” said Pergram. “It was really interesting what was unfolding.”

It happened to be the first day of air operations in Kosovo, and the students were able to see Ralston, the press office and the Pentagon on a day of intense action.
After two years, the program expanded to three weeks, and eventually grew to its current eight. The program is also an academic course in which students earn eight credits.

“The reason why the program has taken off is because the past groups have done so well,” said Kleiman. “They have opened doors.”

Pergram agreed, and pointed out that while such programs usually begin on campus and set up shop elsewhere, this program started from Washington and became a Miami institution.

Up until April each year, Pergram and Kleiman are constantly working on program details: booking speakers and venues, placing each new crop of students within specific internships.

And every year, changes are made to keep up with the news. For the Washington summer class of 2005, for example, Pergram worked to use his connections with a law professor at Catholic University to book Terri Schiavo’s attorney as a guest speaker.

An intense introduction

Each year, as many as 60 students apply for the program, while roughly 25 are selected.

For the first three weeks, they get the opportunity to see places not open to the public, such as the West Wing of the White House and the —unknown
to many— basketball court in the Supreme Court. They have also met with high-profile figures such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson.

The agenda for each day is full of activities back to back, keeping the students on the go and adding to the challenge of the academic course.

“It’s extremely intense, and we’re up very early each day,” said 2004 participant Abbey Lichten. “Despite the early mornings, the rewards I got out of it were well worth it. I fell in love with D.C.”

During an initial presentation to participants, Pergram discusses how Washington functions. He informs the students that they’ve all been misled to think they have signed up for a law and politics course, when in fact they have signed up for a “foreign language.”

“These students get to see how the sausage is made,” said Pergram.
“You begin to see D.C. in a different light,” agreed 2004 participant Michael Westrich. “You get an insight to the ins and outs of the whole system.”

Living the life of a Washingtonian

By the fourth week of the program students transition to their internships.
Students have been placed in the past with internships at Fox News, under members of Congress, at the Federal Reserve and with Meet the Press, to name just a few.

“I met great people who I still keep in touch with,” said Lichten, who interned at Levick Strategic Communications.

Westrich, who interned for Ohio U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, most enjoyed giving tours of the Capitol and taking advantage of the lectures offered for interns.
Pergram said the program helps students figure out what they want to do after college. Many students take advantage of the connections they make and come back to D.C. for work after graduation.

Emily Swanson, a 2003 participant, interned at United Service Organization working for the marketing director.

“I stayed in contact with my boss,” Swanson said. “I was intending to move out there [D.C.] as a result of the program, so I called my boss, who created a position for me.” She’s now is the corporate communications assistant for USO.

Morgan Jones, a 2002 participant, interned at Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. “It [the internship], was perfect,” Jones said. “I worked under the editor, Ed Henry and reported on Congressional hearings. It wasn’t your typical internship where you’re answering phone calls all day.”

Jones also returned to D.C., where she now works for U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania. “I owe Chad a great deal,” said Jones. “The program he created gave me a lot of direction.”

Each summer, the students live and breathe the life of a Washingtonian. Because they are housed at a university downtown, use the Metro rail system, dress in business attire each day, and hold down a responsible jobs, they get a better understanding of how D.C. functions.

“I went into this program wanting to intern in D.C. and learn what the city is all about,” said Westrich. “In the end, I was enlightened with much more than what I expected and eventually in the future, I could potentially see myself working in the D.C. area.”

Swanson and Jones both acknowledged the opportunities the program has given to them, including the Miami network they have joined. Among those contacts:
Alumnus Chad Boettcher, who now coordinates MTV’s political programming. He helped Pergram write the successful proposal to start the program and he visits with students any time he is in Washington.

Randi Thomas, university director of institutional relations, who is a frequent visitor to Washington and who lobbies for Miami.

Read more of Natalie Weygandt's articles:

Clubs Article