It all started here, so the story goes. In the midst of his undergraduate years at Harvard, a young John F. Kennedy ’40 felt a spark of inspiration to pursue a career in public service. Kennedy immersed himself in the issues of the day and began his meteoric rise into the upper echelons of politics.

After President Kennedy’s tragic assassination, his family dreamed of establishing a living memorial to his memory at Harvard. It would be a place where the worlds of politics and academia would meet, a place for undergraduates to pursue public service and thereby recapitulate President Kennedy’s transformative experience many times over.

So forty years ago, the Institute of Politics (IOP) was born. We are proud to say that it has lived up to its original promise. The IOP has produced—and continues to produce—public servants and active citizens whom President Kennedy would have been proud to consider as part of his legacy.

The IOP has tried to ignite this spark of interest in politics by offering more than a dozen programs that appeal to many different types of students. From political junkies to novices who want to learn more, from immigration policy wonks to international development aficionados, from future teachers to journalists to politicians, the IOP has a program that will interest any type of student curious about public service.

Some programs are designed simply to bring the leaders of the political world to Harvard. The IOP’s fellows program brings six accomplished public servants to campus for a semester to interact with students. Fellows lead study groups relating to topics of their expertise, and they often bring other experts—from Senators, to presidential candidates to journalists—to campus to engage in a dialogue with them. Beyond these small study groups, the IOP is also home to the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, one of the world’s premiere venues for public servants to speak. Hundreds of heads of state, legislators, social entrepreneurs, and thinkers have addressed the forum, from Senator Hillary R. Clinton to Archbishop Desmund Tutu to Justice Antonin Scalia. These study groups and speakers encourage students to become active participants in the political process by giving students the option to question the powers that be.

The IOP also gives students the chance to practice public service. Students write about, debate, and find solutions to the most pressing political issues of the day at the Harvard Political Review, the Harvard Political Union, and the IOP’s Policy Program, respectively. Students can also impart their passion for public service on others, be it by training Harvard employees to become citizens as a citizenship tutor or teaching Boston students about being an informed citizens in the CIVICS program. Beyond Boston, students raise awareness about politics among young people through the National Campaign for Civic Engagement, and they take the political pulse of youth in America through the IOP Survey.

Nearly every IOP program inspires its members. Many are inspired to go into politics and public service. Andrei H. Cherny ’97, among the youngest speechwriters in White House history, Sarah A. Bianchi ’95, the National Policy Director for the Kerry Campaign, Trey Grayson ’94, the youngest Secretary of State in the country and Republican rising star, and Mark Halperin ’87, the Political Director of ABC News—just to name a few—all found that spark at the IOP.

Other students may not go directly into politics after participating at the IOP. Even so, we believe that they left the Institute more active citizens, more willing to question authority and more informed about the most contentious issues of their day.

But the IOP cannot just rest upon its laurels. It can do more. Students often ask what steps they’ll need to take to pursue public service once they leave Harvard. This year, one of our focuses as student leaders at the IOP is expanding our career advising capacity. To complement our thriving internships program, we have launched a pilot mentoring program that pairs juniors and seniors with leading political professionals. In honor of our anniversary, we are going to be hosting our first, “political career day,” during which nearly a dozen public servants will be talking about their experiences and giving advice to undergraduates.

There is no better time to get involved at the IOP than during its 40th anniversary year. Whether you are a freshman looking for a niche or a senior who hasn’t made it to the IOP yet, we hope you take the time to see what the IOP is all about firsthand.

And who knows? You too might find that same spark that our 35th President did over sixty years ago.

Christopher L. Corcoran ’07 is a government concentrator in Winthrop House. Ari S. Ruben ’08 is a history concentrator in Currier House. They are the President and Vice President of the Student Advisory Committee of the IOP respectively.