♪ Music ♪
(Robert Mann) We're teaching the
practical side of politics.
We're taking these young people
who want careers
in public service, who want
to be affiliated with a
political campaign, they want
to work for a public official,
they want to be a pollster,
a speech writer,
they want to just be
involved in one aspect
or another of politics
or public affairs
and we teach them
how to do that.
My expectation is that
when my students
leave here, that they're not
going to go somewhere
and just take some
entry level grunt job
where they're doing menial
labor, but they're going to be
able to walk in and start from
day one , being able to write
press releases and do real
substantive work for the people
who they go work for. We have
students who are only two or
three years out of this school
who are working on Capitol Hill
as press secretaries and
communications directors
to members of Congress.
(Student Madeline Peters)
I've been able to complete
internships at a government
relations and lobbying firm
in downtown Baton Rouge
working at the Capitol
to spending a semester in
Washington DC interning
with NBC News' Meet the
Press. After I finished
with Meet the Press, I
went up to New York City
and interned with Morning Joe
for two and a half months.
(Mann) One of the really
wonderful advantages
of the Manship School in general
and in political communication
in particular is that
every week there are
elected officials, U.S.
Senators, former governors,
network correspondents,
campaign managers
to presidential candidates,
who are coming through here
speaking to our students.
(Student Ryan Martin) The
content matter of what we learn
is always evolving. So every
time a new person comes who is 
an expert in the field, it's
interesting to see what
they have to say. Like Callie
Crossley was just here
and she talked a lot
about social networking
and the new waves in the media.
(Student Aly Neel) It's just, I
mean, the most intense
group of individuals I've ever
met. The most hard working,
the most engaged,
the most involved.
(Mann) National politics is full
of people who got their training
in Louisiana - James
Carville, Donna Brazile.
Because of the
reputation of the state
and its political awareness,
and its skill with politics,
and because of LSU's reputation,
our graduates. They have some
credibility when it comes to
politics, that these people
really know what they're talking
about. They know politics.
There aren't many programs that
do this kind of thing.
There's probably two or three
out there. And so, We've got,
I think, one of the
more interesting
and unusual programs
in the country.
(Peters) I feel that I am
prepared, that I could go 
into any field that I want to.
Because everyone has to
communicate a message.
You know everyone has a story
that they want to tell
and something that they
want to give exposure to,
and this major does that.
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