What’s Next for Next Generation Students

 

Up Next in our Master Classes for Young Leaders Series:

 

Rep. Gus Bilirakis,

Rep. John Sarbanes,

Rep. Zack Space and

Rep. Niki Tsongas

 

on Capitol Hill

 

July 8, 2008

 

As they get closer to the end of their “freshman” term, four Members of Congress share the challenges they’ve faced during their first terms on Capitol Hill — a great follow-up to one of last year’s most popular Master Classes with two of these newly-elected Congressmen.

 

It would be hard to beat last week’s Master Class that took 20 lucky students behind the scenes with CBS National Correspondent Thalia Assuras for a live broadcast of the CBS Evening News, but we think we’ve got a winner: The Four Freshmen!

Join us on Tuesday, July 8th when we meet on Capitol Hill with Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R) of Florida, Rep. John Sarbanes (D) of Maryland, Rep. Zack Space (D) of Ohio and Niki Tsongas (D) of Massachusetts. These four outstanding new Members of Congress will sit down with us to talk about their first terms in Congress, the challenges they see ahead as they go back to face the voters in their districts this fall, and answer questions about how their roots in the Greek American community have shaped their approaches to public service — or whatever questions you want to ask them!

 

This is the big kick-off to our new, election-year series: “Why This Election is Important to the Next Generation” — a very special, once-every-four-years series of Master Classes and “Conversations with Leaders” we will be offering this summer and fall about the big choices young Americans will face this fall.

 

As with all our previous Master Classes (see highlights of recent master classes below), it’s FREE for next generation students. Seats will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.

 

A Master Class on Capitol Hill with U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis, John Sarbanes, Zack Space and Niki Tsongas

Tuesday, July 8
Washington, DC

 

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Another exciting opportunity for next generation students only — and only from the Next Generation Initiative.

 

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About our Master Classes

 

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The Next Generation Initiative’s Master Classes for Young Leaders program is a continuing series of informal after-work “master classes” which bring next generation students together with leaders — and give them some insight into the pressing issues and concerns of the day, from the point of view of some of the brightest minds and influential leaders in their respective fields. The Next Generation Initiative offers these master classes to all next generation undergraduate and graduate students on a FREE, first-come, first-served basis.

 

 

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Recent Master Classes

 

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Thalia Assuras

at CBS News

June 26, 2008

 

Whow wouldn’t want to see how a major broadcast news program works — and hear how a network correspondent covers the news? This class gave a group of 20 lucky students a chance to watch a live evening news program being broadcast — and meet a working news correspondent who has been covering major national and international stories since 1997 — when we went behind the scenes with CBS National Correspondent Thalia Assuras for a live broadcast of the CBS Evening News — and got the scoop on what its like to be a correspondent covering everything from White House intrigue to the battlefield in Iraq.

 

Thalia’s challenging overseas assignments includes reporting from Iraq, where she covered the U.S. military action following the fall of Saddam Hussein — and was one of the first television journalists to report live from Tikrit only hours after his capture. Other international assignments include covering the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Bam, Iran and the Kosovo refugee crisis in Albania. She has also covered a wide range of domestic stories, including the 9/11 attacks in New York, the Elian Gonzalez controversy and Hurricane Floyd, and has interviewed world leaders ranging from President Bill Clinton to the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

 

Master Class with Thalia Assuras

Thursday, June 26 Washington, DC

 

 

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Frances Fragos Townsend

April 23, 2008

 

Ever wondered how you get a top job at the White House? First you graduate (with honors) in three years from a local university, get your law degree, and then work really, really hard — first as an assistant DA in New York, next at the U.S. attorney’s office run by Rudi Guiliani, then at the Justice Department serving under Janet Reno, and then at the National Security Council with Condileeza Rice.

 

After all that — going from prosecuting mobsters to the fields of international law and then intelligence policy — you might be rewarded one day with what the Washington Post called the “low-ceilinged, windowless confines of a basement office in the West Wing” — but you’d be taking the place of two four-star generals as the President’s point person for handling one of the greatest challenges facing the nation, while heading the White House offices for both Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

 

Imagine being one of the select group of fascinated Next Generation students who heard about all this and much more, when they sat down to have lunch with Fran Fragos Townsend at the famed Army-Navy Club in downtown Washington, DC.

 

Master Class with Fran Fragos Townsend

Wednesday, April 23 Washington, DC

 

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Amb. Alexandros Mallias

March 31, 2008

 

The Next Generation sat down with Greece’s number one man in America on the evening of March 31, as we kicked off our 2008 Master Classes for Young Leaders series with a very special event for Next Generation students only — an evening at the private residence of Greece’s Ambassador to the U.S., Alexandros Mallias.

 

The lucky group of outstanding students who joined us on March 31 had a rare chance to sit down for dinner with one of Washington’s leading diplomats – and saw for themselves how Greece is making a new name for itself, here and around the world.

 

We warned our students to be prepared, though — today’s Greece is not their grandfather’s Greece, and this young, dynamic, and forthright ambassador is definitely not their grandfather’s ambassador. They came prepared with some tough questions, and they had to answer some good questions themselves — in an enthusiastic give-and-take during this behind-the-scenes look at how a top diplomat handles the heat of international competition and confrontation.

 

Master Class with Amb. Alexandros Mallias Monday, March 31 Washington, DC

 

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Highlights of

Previous Master Classes

 

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(Listed by Master Class leader in alphabetical order)

 

Bill Antholis at the Brookings Institution
A Master Class with Bill Antholis, the Managing Director of Washington’s oldest and most influential “think tank” — founded in 1916 as the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level.

 

Dr. John Brademas at NYU
A Master Class with former Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives and 10-term U.S. Congressman Dr. John Brademas, President Emeritus of New York University.

 

Gov. Michael Dukakis at Northeastern University A Master Class with the former Governor of Massachusetts, and Democratic candidate for president, Michael Dukakis, professor of political science at Northeastern University and visiting professor at UCLA.

 

Paul Glastris at the Washington Monthly
A Master Class on the press and the 2008 elections with Paul Glastris, the Editor-in-Chief of Washington’s legendary “must-read” magazine of politics and government, where many of today’s best-known names in journalism got their start.

 

Dr. George Hatsopoulos at MIT
A Master Class with the legendary inventor, entrepreneur and founder of high-tech giant Thermo-Electron Dr. George Hatsopoulos in his labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

Maria Iliou at the American Film Institute A visit with the award-winning film director Maria Iliou in conjunction with the Washington DC premiere of her moving documentary “The Journey: The Greek American Dream.”

 

Amb. Tom Korologos and Emanuel Rouvelas A joint Master Class with two masters (and old friends) from opposite sides of the aisle previewing the 2008 primary season — Tom Korologos, former presidential advisor and immediate past U.S. Ambassador to Belgium — and Manny Rouvelas, former Senate counsel and advisor to two presidential transitions.

Ted Leonsis at AOL A visit to the headquarters of AOL with high-tech industry leader and modern marketing genius Ted Leonsis, Vice Chairman of AOL.

 

Sylvia Mathews at the Gates Foundation
A visit to the headquarters of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle with Sylvia Mathews, former Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director and now President of Global Development Programs for the Gates Foundation.

 

Dr. Demetrios Papademetriou at the Migration Policy Institute A Master Class with Dr. Demetrios Papademetriou, the one of the world’s leading experts on one of the most critical issues facing our nation today — immigration — and President of the Institute right in the thick of the policy debate on four continents.

 

Barbara Spyridon Pope at the State Department A visit to the U.S. Department of State with former Assistant Secretary of the Navy and former Assistant Secretary of State, Barbara Spyridon Pope.

 

Rep. John Sarbanes and Rep. Zack Space on Capitol Hill A Master Class on the Hill with two Members of Congress — Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland, and Rep. Zack Space of Ohio — who shared their experiences as newly-elected “freshmen” Members of the 109th Congress.

 

Sen. Paul Sarbanes on Capitol Hill
A frank discussion over dinner with the legendary Greek-American leader, former six-term Sen. Paul Sarbanes, regarding the state of American politics today — and what challenges the next generation will be facing.

 

John Sitilides at the Woodrow Wilson Center A Master Class with John Sitilides, the Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Southeast Europe Project — and Washington’s leading expert on analyzing U.S. geopolitical, commercial, and security issues and interests in southeastern Europe and adjacent regions.

 

George Stephanopoulos at ABC News
A behind-the-scenes visit with broadcast journalist George Stephanopoulos during a taping of his Sunday morning news show “This Week” at ABC News.

 

George Tenet at Georgetown University
A Master Class with the Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, George Tenet. Previously, Prof. Tenet served as Deputy Director, Acting Director, and from 1997 to 2004 as Director of Central Intelligence during the Clinton and Bush administrations.

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The Next Generation Initiative’s Master Class series for Young Leaders is sponsored by the members of Hellenext, an independent network of global Greeks who support the learning and leadership programs of the Next Generation Initiative, a non-profit 501(c)3 educational foundation.