Only two weeks ago, Jon Cowan was helping to shepherd the Clinton administration's urban policies, and Sam Fulwood was covering the nation's capitol for the Los Angeles Times.

Now, as they begin their semester-long tenure as Institute of Politics (IOP) Fellows, they can impart their knowledge to their future successors.

The spring fellows include Cowan, the chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Tom Fetzer, a former mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, Sam Fulwood III, a Washington-based correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, Pamela Gordon, the former Premier of Bermuda and Roxanne Qualls, a former mayor of Cincinnati.

The fellows will offer study groups each tailored to their professional and personal interests.

Cowan said he will lead a study group entitled "We Got Game: Youth Political Leadership in America."

"My aim with the study group is to inspire and empower students to get in the game of politics and social change," he said. "I'm going to bring in some of the hottest, most dynamic young people who are currently leaders in politics, so if you're involved in community service because you like the satisfaction of direct results or you're already involved in politics, I want to show you how much impact one person and a generation can really have."

Fulwood specializes in writing about race and politics for the L.A. Times and will lead a study group about the influence of race, media, and popular culture on public policy.

She served from 1993 to 1994 as a Nieman Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government.