| The Washington Campus | |
| Established: | 1978 |
| Type: | Public |
| Students: | 1500 per year |
| City: | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Colors: | Blue and Gray |
The Washington Campus (TWC) is a non-profit, non-partisan, higher education consortium based in Washington, D.C. Consortium members and other partnering institutions include some of the world's leading universities and business schools. The Washington Campus was founded in December 1978 and held its first executive and academic programs in 1979. The lead founder of the consortium, L. William Seidman, was the former economic advisor to President Gerald Ford and the 14th Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.[1]
The Campus' mission is to ensure that executives and students alike are given the opportunity to better understand the interactions of business, government, and public policy, in order to enhance their effectiveness as organizational leaders. With a variety of experiential programs and credit-granting courses, The Washington Campus is a unique organization that plays an essential role in management education.
Approximately 1,500 participants take part in programs with The Washington Campus each year. Programs are created for and attended by Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive MBA students, as well as graduate accounting and select honors undergraduate students. Students from other graduate and professional schools also frequently participate in Campus programs for academic credit. This includes both joint degree students (e.g., JD-MBA, MD-MBA), as well as students from medical and law school, and from schools and programs such as Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Health and Master of Health Administration, Master of Finance, and many other specialty masters programs.[2]
The Washington Campus comprises 17 leading graduate business schools:[3]
After serving in the White House as President Gerald Ford's Assistant for Economic Affairs from 1974 to 1977,[4] Bill Seidman, along with other notable public policy officials and academic leaders, saw the need for current and future business executives to have a much better understanding of the dynamics of government and public policy, especially the impact on their businesses, industries, and on the economy overall. Business leaders needed to better understand the organization and function of government, as well as, the policy making process, in order to more effectively contribute their experience and expertise to the decision-making process.[5] With the policy challenges confronting government officials, and the potential impact of policy decisions on the U.S. and global business climate and economy, the founders determined that it is critical for corporate leaders to engage in the process, inform the policy debate and understand the potential impact of policy changes on their own business sector.
Shortly after leaving his post at the White House, Seidman, along with colleagues from the Ford administration and other leaders in Washington set about organizing the foundation for the Campus. By the fall of 1978, the Campus consortium included nine member schools: University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Berkeley; University of Michigan; Cornell University; Dartmouth College; Ohio State University; Grand Valley State University; the University of New Mexico; and Indiana University. The first Board of Directors meeting was held in 1979 at The Wye Plantation in Queenstown, Maryland. Since that time, the Campus has grown in size, membership and scope, and continues to add new universities to its consortium membership.
The original signers of the Articles of Incorporation are: L. William Seidman, Hugh Scott, William F. Gorog, Sidney L. Jones, James T. Lynn, Harlan Cleveland, Roger B. Porter, and John J. Bell.
In 2012, The Washington Campus moved into their current location, at the L. William and Sally Seidman Center in downtown Washington, D.C.Although many sessions throughout each residency program are conducted in offices on Capitol Hill, and in departments and agencies such as the Federal Reserve or the Treasury Department, the center serves as the primary location for students when they are in Washington.
The mission of the Washington Campus is to ensure that executive and business students alike are given the opportunity to better understand the interactions of business, government, and public policy, in order to enhance their effectiveness as organizational leaders. With a variety of experiential programs and credit-granting courses, The Washington Campus is a unique organization that plays as essential role in management education.
In speaking about the Washington Campus program in 2003 at the 25th anniversary dinner for the consortium, Vice President Dick Cheney underscored the importance and value of the Campus, stating that "it exposed future business leaders to the work of government. And that exposure, we think, is absolutely vital. I think oftentimes when business executives and government officials meet, they often end up talking past each other. Neither understands the other very well, sometimes. Many business executives don't begin to understand the constraints and pressures that policymakers face when they have to make a decision or evaluate a proposal. And for their part, many government officials have never met a payroll, have never run a business, have never had to deal with government regulations on the receiving end. They have no concept of what the world of business is really like, and not all of them understand the importance of free markets, low taxes, and creating an environment in which businesses and entrepreneurs can take risk and invest in new technologies, and hire more people. That's why the Washington Campus program has been so important. They're helping bridge that gap between the world of business and the world of politics. Business leaders learn to see the world as Washington policymakers see it, and policymakers often gain a better understanding of the realities of business life.”[6]
The Campus is governed by a Board of Directors composed of representatives from the consortium member schools as well as business and government leaders in Washington. The president and CEO is the day-to-day administrator of the Campus and is appointed by the Board of Directors. Board members representing consortium member schools are nominated by their respective schools and largely serve as Deans or in other leadership positions at their universities. All member schools are allowed representation on the Board. At-Large Members are nominated and approved by the Board.[7]
The Washington Campus' MBA courses are intensive, five-day programs held in Washington, D.C., that provides participants with first-hand exposure to the decision-making processes in federal government and an understanding of how they impact business.[8] Class discussion is generally led by a key faculty member, joined by guest lecturers from government, politics, business, and the media. All lecturers are guest speakers drawn from the highest ranks of government (such as members of Congress and current and former Executive Branch officials), the media, business and academia.[9] Students often have the opportunity to speak directly with a key editor of The Washington Post, a special advisor to the White House, or a representative of the World Bank; or they may sit in on a lecture of a professor from Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.[10] Students from member schools receive graduate credit for participating in the programs.[11]
The programs are guided by the academic standards set forth by the graduate business schools represented on their Board of Directors. Educational programs bring participants face-to-face with experienced policymakers, senior policy advisors, and experts in public relations and advocacy who explain how Washington works, how decisions get made, and who controls each step of the process.
Program sessions are taught in the Washington Campus conference center, as well as in off-site locations such as: Congressional Committee conference rooms on Capitol Hill, Representative and Senators' offices, the US Capitol, House and Senate galleries, the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Supreme Court of the United States, embassies and many other agencies and departments. Program sessions taught off-site relate to the speakers for each program and programs vary accordingly. The academic model for the Washington Campus is to use the city of Washington D.C. as the “campus” and leaders in Washington as the faculty.
The Campus maintains a network of experts across all areas of the government, who lecture on subjects including:
The Washington Campus holds sessions at many historical locations throughout each program. Typically, MBA students will have program sessions on Capitol Hill, attend congressional hearings, visit one of the agencies such as the U.S. Treasury or the Federal Reserve, and attend a luncheon/panel discussion at the National Press Club or the Capitol Hill Club. Corporate and EMBA programs are often customized for clients and sessions and locations vary accordingly.Program sessions on Capitol Hill often begin with a congressional staffer discussing the roll of staff in working for a senator, a member of congress or a congressional committee. These sessions are usually held in a Committee Hearing Room in either the House or the Senate.[44] Following discussion by congressional staff, a sitting Congressman or Senator will discuss the life of an elected official and will discuss pressing issues that they are currently facing. For many participants, these discussions help bridge the gap between the world of business and the world of politics.[6] Participants are also provided the opportunity to sit-in on Congressional Hearings.Witnessing a live hearing provides participants a first-hand perspective of the process by which legislation is created and shaped. While visiting the U.S. Treasury, program sessions include a tour of the Treasury Building as well as instruction by a senior official. Similarly, while visiting the Federal Reserve, participants receive a short tour of the Federal Reserve Eccles building before sitting down to listen to a program session taught by a senior Fed official.[44] Program sessions at social clubs such as the National Press Club or the Capitol Hill Club include a reception or a luncheon where participants eat dinner while listening to a panel discussion by Campus speakers.
Part of the learning experience in The Washington Campus program is spending time in Washington. To make the most of this experience, the Campus encourages participants to explore the city of Washington in their free time and facilitates tours and other visits on request. Many participants choose to extend their stay in Washington to take full advantage of all the city has to offer. A favorite pastime of people visiting Washington is touring the many monuments to America's founding fathers. Many of the more recognizable monuments, including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Monument are situated along the National Mall. The White House is also adjacent to the National Mall and tours of the White House can be arranged through Congressional offices or with the help of The Washington Campus staff.
See also: List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C., National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington, D.C. and List of museums in Washington, D.C..