To the Editor: Harvard’s Institute of Politics Will Remain Nonpartisan

Earlier today an op-ed was published in The Crimson suggesting that the Institute of Politics should move away from its founding principle of nonpartisanship.

Nearly 60 years ago, President John F. Kennedy ’40 envisioned the IOP as a space in which undergraduate students could engage with — and learn from — academics, politicians, activists and policymakers. The goal was to inspire students to consider careers in politics and public service, and to do so through opportunities for civic participation and robust discourse, inspiring dialogue and debate across diverse perspectives and preparing students to provide effective political leadership in the United States and around the world.

As the director and leader of the IOP, I believe that for it to be successful, experiential learning must happen on a nonpartisan basis. True political leadership requires listening to — and being curious about — a variety of perspectives, some of which may be different than our own. It demands that we work to understand what others care about and what motivates them. Nonpartisan dialogues are critical to moving our country forward.

At its heart, the IOP works to encourage students to examine critically and think creatively about politics and public issues — all politics and all public issues. It cannot effectively do that when only one side is represented. We would be doing a disservice to our students — and to our country — with anything less.

Setti D. Warren is the director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics.