The Washington Center Partners with UW-Milwaukee and UNC Charlotte as Campus Hosts at National Political Conventions

December 16, 2019 The Washington Center

The Washington Center Partners with UW-Milwaukee and UNC Charlotte as Campus Hosts at National Political Conventions

Campuses in the DNC and RNC host cities to welcome students and faculty, provide learning facilities for two-week convention seminars

Washington, D.C. — The Washington Center (TWC) selected for the Campaign 2020: National Conventions seminar the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as its university partner for the Democratic National Convention in July and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as its university partner for the Republican National Convention in August. TWC sought as partners higher education institutions committed to experiential learning and possessing exceptional facilities to host the 150-250 students and faculty from across the United States who will participate in the unique two-week seminars. 

Students and faculty spend the first week on the respective host campus, followed by a second week experiencing the convention through fieldwork. Participants actively engage with the convention city, gaining hands-on knowledge while interacting with public officials, policy experts, party leaders, and renowned media outlets throughout the seminar period.

As part of the partnership, both UW-Milwaukee and UNC Charlotte will be granted 10 scholarships (valued at $4,300 each) for their students to participate. TWC will also hire one faculty member from each academic partner to serve as a faculty leader.

The National Conventions are extraordinary exercises in American democracy and we are fortunate to partner with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as our campus hosts for 2020.

Chris Norton, president, The Washington Center
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

“UW-Milwaukee is delighted to provide this momentous opportunity to our students,” said Mark Mone, chancellor. “The Washington Center makes possible this life-shaping experience where students are not simply observers – they are active participants in our nation’s history-making political process. Our campus community is committed to working together to reduce apathy, increase engagement, and graduate civic-minded students prepared to solve the pressing challenges that face our nation and the world.”

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte logo
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

“UNC Charlotte is proud to again partner with The Washington Center,” said Philip L. Dubois, chancellor. “In 2012, our students were able to benefit from once-in-a-lifetime experiences by participating in the Center's Democratic National Convention seminar. This partnership also provides a tremendous opportunity to highlight the University to visitors from across the country. Students will emerge with new skills and insights that will shape their development as citizens for the rest of their lives, and I’m excited for UNC Charlotte to play a key role in the process.”

TWC’s Conventions Seminars have been part of every national party convention since 1984. Combining traditional academic structure, experiential learning and dynamic expert speakers, this seminar remains the preeminent academic convention programming, offering incomparable size, scope and access.

“The National Conventions are extraordinary exercises in American democracy and we are fortunate to partner with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as our campus hosts for 2020,” said Chris Norton, president, The Washington Center. “Both institutions embrace the type of experiential learning and civic engagement TWC celebrates. We welcome the opportunity to partner once again with UNC Charlotte and look forward to our relationship with UW-Milwaukee. It is thanks to partners such as these that we are able to provide students with experiences to explore citizenship, engage in debate and make transformative professional discoveries that determine careers.”

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 25, 2020. To learn more, please contact info@twc.edu or visit National Conventions to apply


About the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Recognized as one of the nation’s 131 top research universities, UW-Milwaukee provides a world-class education to 26,000 students from 90 countries on a budget of $689 million. Its 15 schools and colleges include Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health, and it is a leading educator of nurses and teachers. UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, offer student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2020 “Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews.

About the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university. With an enrollment of nearly 30,000 students, the University leverages its location in the state’s largest city to offer internationally competitive programs of research and creative activity, exemplary undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and a focused set of community engagement initiatives.

About the Author

The Washington Center

The Washington Center is the largest and most established student internship program in Washington, D.C. Since our founding, we've helped more than 60,000 individuals from across the U.S. and around the globe expand their academic pursuits into rewarding jobs and careers. We use our scale and expertise to deliver solutions that open career pathways for learners, solve recruitment challenges for employers, while helping create greater access, equity, advancement and representation.

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