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Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States
Annual Review 2018-2019
MISSION AND VISION
Our mission is to strengthen the democratic square through research, public events, and hands-on training programs. We expect to lead the academy in this pursuit.
COMMITMENTS
- Intellectual Vitality
- Analytical Rigor and Transparency
- Practical Relevance
- Collaboration
- Diversity
ACTIVITIES
- Generate scientifically rigorous and practically applicable research
- Equip political scientists with new data resources and other analytic tools
- Host conferences/workshops to boost intellectual exchange and collaboration
- Educate the public through events and deliberative issue forums
- Empower students with hands-on research training
- Train political professionals through the Campaign Management Institute, the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute, the European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute, the Legislative Negotiation Institute and the Survey Research Institute
- Publish the political science journal Congress and the Presidency
- Sponsor post-doctoral research fellowships
PERMANENT GOALS
- Increase external funding -- to accelerate research output, endow post-doctoral fellowships, and create new programs
- Heighten visibility and applied politics relevance, contributing to a steady rise in the School of Public Affairs’ national/international reputation
- Expand/deepen intellectual collaboration across American University, the region, and the nation
- Promote reasonable civic deliberation
PERMANENT STRATEGIES
- Intensify external grant-seeking
- Expand partnerships and exchange programs
- Host collaborative research workshops with prominent national scholars to produce edited book volumes or special issues of prominent journals
- Create externally funded post-doctoral and pre-doctoral fellowships
- Host deliberative policy summits around challenging political issues
ANNUAL REVIEW: 2018-19 (In Brief)
It was another active and productive year for CCPS. Specifically, from September 2018 to July 2019, we:
- Sponsored or co-sponsored 13 events and symposia (see here).
- Published 2 books, 5 peer-reviewed articles, 11 book chapters, and 12 editorials/pieces of public scholarship
- Received 2 new grants, totaling $1.1 million dollars
- Inaugurated the Program on Legislative Negotiation, with support from the Hewlett Foundation and in partnership with Harvard University, the Partnership for a Secure America and the Library of Congress.
- Added five new CCPS fellows
- Supported 2 visiting scholars and 7 graduate students
- Awarded the Madison Prize and the Barbara Sinclair Lecture
- Sponsored Eagles Elect, a student-led voter registration drive
- Established/Deepened partnerships and working relationships with the following entities:
- Continued our long-standing relationship with the US-China Education Trust (USCET)
- Maintained the quality of Congress and the Presidency, under editor Jeff Crouch, Managing Editor Aaron Stuvland, and book editor Adam Warber
- Maintained the success of our professional Institutes and Weekend Workshops:
Annual Review 2017-2018
The inaugural year of Professor Barker’s directorship was active and productive. Specifically, from September to June, we:
- Sponsored or co-sponsored 8 events (2017 and 2018) and 1 national conference
- Received 3 new grants, including one from the National Science Foundation
- Finalized One Nation, Two Realities: Dueling Facts & American Democracy (Oxford U. Press)
- Completed 2 other research projects, and initiated 2 more
- Completed 2 new data collections, supporting faculty colleagues and SPA students
- Published 6 blog posts on The Monkey Cage, The Conversation, and Mischiefs of Faction
- Added over a dozen new CCPS fellows
- Supported 2 visiting scholars (including a Fulbright Scholar) and 6 graduate students
- Initiated the Madison Prize and the Barbara Sinclair Lecture
- Began work on a new bipartisan congressional internship program
- Sponsored a student-led voter registration drive
NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
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- New York Times (Trump Administration Deregulation Tracker)
- The Congressional Management Foundation
- US Capitol Historical Society/US Capitol Visitor Center
- National Issues Forums
- Library of Congress's John W. Kluge Center
- Pew Research Center
- William + Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Kettering Foundation
- R Street Institute
- Bipartisan Policy Center
- PSB Research
- Public Religion Research Institute
- AU Center for Latin American and Latino Studies
- AU Metropolitan Policy Center
- Continued our long-standing relationship with the US-China Education Trust (USCET)
- Created a new website, strategic plan, and Twitter page
- Maintained the quality of Congress and the Presidency Journal, under new editor Jeff Crouch
- Maintained the success of our professional Institutes and Weekend Workshops: