LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs and the Manship School of Mass Communication announce the return of The Manship School’s Academy of Applied Politics, a nine-week program offering training in running political and public affairs campaigns.

Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings in the spring of 2013 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Journalism Building on LSU’s campus. The Academy’s semester will begin with orientation on Jan. 30, 2013. The Academy will run Jan. 30 through March 27.

Five Manship School of Mass Communication students will be admitted to the program on scholarship. Twenty-five applications will be accepted from the community.

You can download an application here.

“The Manship School’s political communication program trains students in the practical aspects of politics,” said Bob Mann of the Manship School’s Reilly Center.  “This Academy is a natural extension to the community of the training we offer our students every day.”

“The Academy’s focused, thematic approach to practical politics is designed for potential candidates, individuals interested in working on a political or public affairs campaign or those interested in learning more about the political process.”

Each week, the Academy will focus on a different topic and will host a guest or guests who are noted for their expertise in that particular area of political campaigning.

Speakers to include:

• Sasha Issenberg, author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Elections; writer for Philadelphia Magazine, Slate, The Washington Monthly, the Boston Globe, Monocle and George Magazine, where he was a contributing editor. 
• Charlie Melancon, former U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district, now a consultant at Southern Strategy Group. 
• Rob Aho, partner at BrabenderCox, a full-service ad agency based in Washington, D.C. specializing in integrated advertising campaigns and crisis communications. 
• Frank Greer, founding partner of GMMB and strategic counselor to President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton’s campaigns. 
• Trey Ourso, senior political strategist and partner at Ourso Beychok, Inc., specializing in direct mail campaigns. 
• Rich Masters, partner at Qorvis Communications, recognized as a top political and media relations expert and media manager.
• Jay Connaughton, partner at Innovative Advertising, specializing in social media, graphic design, advertising, websites and more.

The course is open to the public, although enrollment will be capped at 25.

If your application is received by or before Dec. 31, your fee will be $500. If your application is received on or after Jan. 1, the fee increases to $750.

Participants attending at least seven of the nine sessions will earn certificate attesting that they have successfully completed the Academy’s course of study.

All applications must be submitted by December 17, 2012. Applications can be emailed to Tara Hammett at thamme1@lsu.edu or mailed to:

Manship School’s Academy of Applied Politics
c/o Tara Hammett
211 Journalism Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

An integral part of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication, the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs promotes greater understanding and cooperation between the academic world and practical politics. Its mission is to generate thoughtful programs, dialogue and research about mass communication and its many-faceted relationships with social, economic and political issues. The Reilly Center uses the intellectual muscle of the school’s faculty to help address practical problems and advance good-government initiatives.

Evident in everything the center does is its commitment to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national leadership in media and politics. The center’s agenda is diverse and fluid – from the annual John Breaux Symposium, which hosts national experts to discuss a topic that has received little or no attention, to conducting the annual Louisiana Survey, a vital resource for policymakers that tracks advancements and regressions of citizen attitudes about state issues and services. Its action-oriented and partnership-driven philosophy underscores the Reilly Center’s dedication to tackling ideas and issues that explore the relationship of media and the public in democratic society.

Please contact Tara Hammett for more information about the Manship School's Academy of Applied Politics at 225.578.7312 or thamme1@lsu.edu.