Nickles Fellowship Program allows OSU students to intern on Capitol Hill

Friday, October 28, 2005

A fellowship program that honors Don Nickles, a former Oklahoma senator and Oklahoma State University graduate, will make congressional internships attainable for students at his alma mater, it was announced at Friday’s OSU/A&M Board of Regents meeting.

The Don Nickles Fellowship Program was established to allow OSU scholars to experience the political and legislative landscape in Washington, D.C. Fellowship recipients will intern in one of the Oklahoma congressional offices.

“This program has graciously been established through the Don Nickles Fellowship Program to give students the learning experience of a lifetime,” OSU System CEO and President David Schmidly said. “We are extremely proud of what Sen. Nickles has accomplished in his career and what he means to OSU.

“We truly appreciate the leadership and education experience Sen. Nickles is providing our students. It is another opportunity for the world to see the quality students Oklahoma State University is producing every day.”

In this program's inaugural year, seven internship positions are offered in the fall, summer and spring semesters. Full-time sophomores and juniors with diverse academic and career interests, as well as a minimum 3.0 GPA, are encouraged to apply. In addition to the experience of working on Capitol Hill, fellowship recipients will receive a stipend for travel and living expenses and may earn academic credit.

The OSU administration supports the program, and administrators have organized a task force to promote the program to students and help identify potential fellows.

The program is an opportunity for students to represent OSU and the state of Oklahoma proudly, said Joe Alexander, who leads OSU federal initiatives and is director of the Don Nickles Fellowship Program.

“There is no greater place to learn about our nation and our government than in the nation’s capital,” Alexander said. “This program will allow our fellows to see the day-to-day workings of our government and provide them the chance to rub shoulders with America’s leaders. And it is a fabulous way to showcase our students to the rest of the nation.”

The Don Nickles Fellowship Program is funded by the Don Nickles Fellowship Endowment and managed by the OSU Foundation. The endowment is financed through generous contributions by friends of Nickles and university alumni and supporters.

Fellowship application packets are available at the OSU Center for Innovation and Economic Development in the Wes Watkins Center. Applicants must have two letters of recommendation, including one from an OSU faculty member. The deadline for the upcoming spring session is Nov. 1.

Nickles served as an Oklahoma senator for 24 years. During that time, he was the chairman of the Republican Senatorial Committee, chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and assistant Republican leader for eight years. Nickles retired from the Senate in January 2005 and now heads up The Nickles Group, which provides strategic advice, policy development and political execution for clients seeking to engage in the federal legislative or executive process.

In other action, the Regents approved naming Schmidly's Stillwater residence “The Willham House” in honor of former President Oliver S. Willham.

The Schmidlys made the recommendation. No funding needs have been required for this request. The Willham House is only the second official university-owned home for the president in the history of OSU.

The university’s first president’s home was built in 1917 on the site that now holds the Bennett Memorial Chapel. That home was torn down in 1952, and the university did not own a residence for the first family until 1962, when the current house was built at 1600 N. Washington.

When the home on Washington was built, the estimated house cost was $60,000. Three-fourths of the cost of constructing that home was considered a personal contribution from the Willhams. They had lived in their own home since he had been named president in January 1952 and had never used the $400 set aside each month by the board for operating expenses of his official residence, nor had he used the maintenance funds.