John Edwards Tops IOP Fellows

Former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards will be one of three visiting fellows at the Institute of Politics (IOP) this spring.

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., and Michael Deaver, who was deputy chief of staff for Ronald Reagan, will join Edwards as visiting fellows.

Edwards, D-N.C., a former U.S. Senator, will speak at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on April 13.

He will also have an informal luncheon with students, a session with faculty members, and possibly a meeting with members of the Harvard College Democrats, said Catherine McLaughlin, who is the Executive Director of the IOP.

“This is an opportunity for students to spend some one-on-one time with these folks,” McLaughlin said. “Other places on campus don’t offer these sort of opportunities.”

The IOP also asks fellows to participate in public policy and government classes at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Along with his political admirers, Edwards has developed another type of following on campus.

Maya E. Frommer ’07, who designed and sold “John Edwards is Hot” t-shirts last summer, said she was thrilled about the prospect of hearing Edwards speak on campus.

“Oh my god! This is the best day of my life!” she said. “I’m excited, not just because he is hot, but also because of current situations in politics.”

Frommer, who worked on the Kerry-Edwards campaign for three months, has yet to meet Edwards, though she said that one of her t-shirts found its way to Edwards during the campaign.

Along with Edwards, the IOP will also host forums for their two other spring fellows.

Kolbe, who is currently serving as the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs, will sit on a panel on immigration reform on March 7 and 8.

Deaver, who is now the vice-chairman of a major public relations firm, will speak in a forum on the legacy of Ronald Reagan in April.

The the IOP attempted to bring in Deaver as a fellow immediately following President Reagan’s death last fall, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from coming to Cambridge until now.

The fellows were chosen from student suggestions and the IOP Fellows Committee, McLaughlin said.

Though the IOP has not assigned topics of discussion to the fellows, they aim to present relevant political issues for discussion.

“We like the topic to be interesting to students and of personal interest to the speaker,” said Esten Perez, director of communications for the IOP.

The IOP also attempts to keep its speakers politically balanced, McLaughlin said. Deaver and Kolbe are Republicans, while Edwards is a Democrat.

“We try to get gender and ideological diversity,” McLaughlin said.