Since the Kennedy School's Institute of Politics (IOP) was established in 1966 as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy '40, dozens of lobbyists, journalists, and former elected officials have been selected to spend a term studying, teaching, and schmoozing at Harvard as part of the IOP's visiting fellows program.

The IOP hopes that contact with fellows from those positions will "encourage students to go into politics and public life," says Theresa A. Donovan, director of the fellows program.

The fellows are required to teach a non-credit study group and are encouraged to participate in other aspects of University life, says Donovan.

The IOP selects six or seven fellows each term in a competetive process which Donovan describes as "flexible and ongoing." The candidates are interviewed by the IOP staff, members of the IOP's Student Advisory Committe, and an advisory panel on fellowships, Donovan says.

The IOP seeks a balance of party affiliation, geography, and interests among the fellows, says Donovan. Four of this spring's six fellows group are women, one is a farmer, and one is a Republican.

The fellows come to Harvard at a "period of transition in their careers," says Donovan. Past fellows include Washington Post columnist David S. Broder, feminist Betty Freidan, and Vermont Governor Madeline Kunin.