Former NH governor to teach at Tufts

Former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen will teach a class at Tufts called "Governing in a Partisan Environment" in the Political Science department next fall.

Shaheen, who served as governor from 1996 to 2002, will be assisted by Judith Layzer, a visiting professor from Middlebury, who will run daily administrative work and grading.

The class will examine issues of state governments and the challenges faced in running a partisan government, Shaheen said. She also hopes to take the students on a field trip to New Hampshire for the primary elections.

Shaheen, who currently commutes four days a week to teach at Harvard on American education policy, the New Hampshire primary, and the challenges for women in public life, said she is "really looking forward to this, and is excited and appreciative of the opportunity to do a real fellowship in this way."

Shaheen hopes that she will learn from the classroom discussions that she engages in with her students. "Part of governing is dealing with disagreements," she said of the varied perspectives she expects to hear.

The experience will offer a unique opportunity for students who otherwise might not come in contact with those who have made politics their livelihood, Political Science Department chair James Glaser said.

"It's not every day students are able to get prolonged exposure to a major public figure like this. I'm thrilled. It will create excitement about politics," he said.

The course's co-taught format will help Shaheen focus on the course material instead of administrative duties, Glaser said. "We want to utilize [Shaheen's] strengths, experience and perspective, without having to worry about the political science structure."

The process of bringing the former governor to Tufts was spearheaded by Rob Hollister, the dean of the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS). The original idea, however, came from Deb Jospin, a Tufts trustee who is a friend of Shaheen's.

Shaheen was New Hampshire's first woman governor and the state's first Democrat governor in 16 years. After three terms as governor, Shaheen was narrowly defeated in a bid for the US Senate in 2002.

Shaheen has not yet decided what she will do after her semester at Tufts. "You never quit politics," Shaheen said. "Tufts will give me the opportunity to think and engage and look at my opportunities."

Before teaching at Harvard, Shaheen taught public speaking in Mississippi in 1969.

Shaheen describes herself as a moderate Democrat, and she has strong feelings about the war in Iraq. "It is unfortunate that it has gotten to this. At this point we need to support those efforts and get this done as soon as possible," she said.

The class will be capped at 45 students and will only be offered for one semester. Registration for the course will go through the regular SIS Online process.