Zach Montague was 20-years-old when he first came to Cornell in Washington (CIW) in 2011. Now a reporter for the New York Times who covers the federal courts, Montague has returned for the fall semester as a faculty lecturer teaching Political Journalism to the first cohort of DC Start Scholars.

“As a Cornell student, CIW gave me a real feel for the interplay between different institutions and interest groups in D.C. in a way that helped me navigate it after graduation. Having these career public servants and think tank fellows come teach and affirm a lot of the themes we were learning in the more academic courses had a reinforcing effect that I still remember more than a decade on,” Montague said. “Being on the other side now, I'm watching those mental connections happen when we talk about objectivity or fairness in the press or another theme that comes up in one of their ethics or policy courses, and it's just gratifying to see in real time.”

During his time at CIW, he completed internships at both the Brookings Institution and the Environmental Protection Agency, taking courses alongside in related subject areas.

Credit: James Kegley/Provided

Until this year, the experience of a self-directed internship combined with elective coursework has defined the CIW experience. With the launch of DC Start this Fall Semester, the Brooks School has added a new program to Cornell in Washington for the first time since its inception, creating a deeper connection between the Brooks School’s public policy curriculum and the public policy landscape of the nation’s capital.

During their first semester as Cornell undergraduates, 43 DC Start scholars from the Brooks School are taking a signature immersive learning course in applied public policy–DC Up Close: Policy, Politics, and Power that offers a close-up examination of policymaking and the political process in the nation’s capital alongside first-semester coursework required for the Brooks School public policy and health care policy majors. This curriculum will allow DC Start Scholars to seamlessly advance in their majors when they return to the Ithaca campus for their spring semester at Cornell.

“I would tell any prospective student to take this opportunity over anything–the unique experience of living in D.C. and engaging in classes that allow for real-life application is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will forever look back on as a highlight of my college experience,”  said Jane Wang, DC Start scholar. “My favorite part of living here is the access to so many D.C. live events, restaurants, and shops, as well as opportunities to engage in political events.”

Cornell in Washington will continue to offer its signature internship program for Cornell upper-level students from academic units campus-wide during the spring and summer terms. Now called DC Connect, upper-level students from across the university will engage in the same policy internships, coursework, and immersive experiences in D.C., while also benefiting from more robust student support, academic advising, and career counseling.

Located at the corner of 22nd and O Streets in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, Cornell in Washington sits in a tree-lined historic section of Washington D.C., within walking distance of nearly all the main attractions of the city’s cultural and civic life. Housed in apartment-style single and double residences, CIW students, whether they are DC Start Scholars or DC Connect students, pursue their coursework in the Wolpe Building’s dedicated classrooms and participate in a tailored slate of cultural activities, small group conversations with policy leaders, behind-the-scenes visits to major D.C. landmarks and historic sites, and social events on Capitol Hill.

CIW alumnae Valisha Graves ’85, who serves on Cornell University’s Board of Trustees and the Brooks School’s Dean’s Advisory Council, sees the addition of DC Start as an extension of CIW’s long track record of training young Cornellians for a life in public affairs careers.

"My CIW experience as an intern at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was transformative for me,” said Graves ’85, who participated in Cornell in Washington during her senior year at Cornell. “I'm very excited that DC Start gives first-year students that same Washington immersion right from the start. Building on the decades of success of the Brooks School's Cornell In Washington program, DC Start is going to create a whole generation of Cornell students who understand policy from day one."