* Jim Edgar, who served an eight-year tenure as governor of Illinois before leaving office in January. After his term, Edgar was appointed a distinguished fellow at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs, a position he'll return to after his semester at the IOP.

"There at least I was a distinguished fellow," he joked. "Here I'm just a fellow."

Together with his wife, Edgar is auditing a Harvard course on the English Revolution.

"It's nice to be able to just listen to the lectures without having to worry about tests or papers," he said.

* Raymond Strother, president of Strother/Duffy/Strother, a Democratic consulting firm. He claims "we have never lost a race for an incumbent Senator or Congressman."

He also serves as president of the American Association of Political Consultants. His study group, entitled "True Confessions of a Political Consultant," will focus on the role that hired consultants play in modern-day politics.

* Former chief White House speechwriter Michael Waldman, who sees his fellowship as a unique opportunity.

"It gives me a chance to see my children," said Waldman, whose three children were all born while he worked in the White House.