The Kennedy School of Government (KSG) frequently hosts eminent government officials and political luminaries; it's even welcomed a prince or two.

Now the KSG has a star athlete in its midst.

Nick Lowery, a former player for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets, is pursuing his master's degree in public administration at the KSG.

Lowery retired from the NFL in 1997, after a 17-year, record-setting career as a place-kicker.

Lowery attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate, and during the NFL off-season worked with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton on community service initiatives.

He has a particular interest in issues affecting Native American youth, and Clinton recently named Lowery one of the nine directors of the Foundation for American Indian Education, run under the auspices of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Indian Affairs.

Lowery, who himself is not of Native American descent, founded Native Vision several years ago, a foundation aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of American Indian youth.

"We're trying to increase [young people's] capacity to ask their own questions," Lowery said. "That's what true empowerment is."