# The Graduate School of Political Management

The Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at the George Washington University is a school of political management and applied politics, strategic communications and civic engagement. Its graduates hold a variety of professional titles including campaign managers, pollsters, speechwriters, communications professionals, legislative aides and directors, candidates, lobbyists, and new media experts.
It is the only school of applied politics in Washington, D.C. The faculty trains students of all political persuasions in how to win campaigns, advance legislative goals and impact public opinion ethically.

## History

GSPM was founded in 1987 as an independent graduate school chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, with the understanding that proper politics requires training.
The school's first class convened on the Manhattan campus of Baruch College. In 1991, the school opened a degree program on the urban campus of the George Washington University, in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, just a few blocks from the White House, Capitol Hill, both major political parties and many of the top consulting, lobbying and public relations firms in the country.
The university's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences formally acquired GSPM in 1995, and in 2006, the school moved into the College of Professional Studies (CPS), where it is currently located. Designed for working professionals, classes meet in the evenings.

## Campus and facilities

GSPM's programs are mainly located in three different areas of Washington, D.C.
* The Political Management courses take place at the George Washington University's Foggy Bottom campus, located in the centre of the city, close to the White House.
* Legislative Affairs programs are located in the Hall of the States building, across from the United States Capitol Complex.
* The Strategic Public Relations master's program is located at George Washington University's's Graduate Education Center

## Organization and administration

GSPM is administratively housed within the GW's College of Professional Studies. It is supported by a Board of Advisors, which is composed of officials and experts from varying backgrounds, including politics, media, communications and others.

## Academics

GSPM offers 4 master's programs (one in Spanish) and 6 graduate certificates (two in Spanish). The current master's programs are Political Management, Legislative Affairs, Strategic Public Relations and Comunicación Política y Gobernanza. The Political Management and Strategic Public Relations master's degrees are availably as fully online programs.
Admission criteria and tuition at GSPM vary and depend on the selected degree and courses. The school offers a range of options for financial assistance, including different scholarships.
For bachelor students in Political Science, Political Communication or Journalism and Mass Communication at the George Washington University, the master's programs at GSPM can be combined and studied as a dual degree.
Students at GSPM have a variety of worldwide short-time study abroad options, including residency courses available on five continents. GSPM offers additional courses and training from a pool of school fellows, which are experts in their field and come to serve at GSPM for 18 month terms. The school also offers professional seminars to externals.

### Research centers

The Global Center for Political Management is the school's research department. It focuses on public opinion survey data through the Society of Presidential Pollsters, as well as the George Washington University Battleground Poll.
The school researches the use of social media through its Public Echoes Of Rhetoric In America (PEORIA) Project, which uses data from Twitter to explore how campaign messages are developed and spread through social media.
GSPM is also home to the Battleground Poll, a project of national surveys conducted by pollsters Ed Goeas and Celinda Lake and the big data computational and analytic Shenkman Initiative. The school also runs the Society of Presidential Pollsters, a project which research focuses on the relationship between U.S. presidents and their pollsters. The society was founded by Mark J. Penn, a political consultant and former pollster to Bill Clinton.
Since 2013, GSPM hosts the Reimagining Disruption conference, an initiative bringing together officials to discuss the future of political communication in an era of increasing communicational conflict.

### Rankings

GSPM's master's degree program in Strategic Public Relations was named PRWeek's PR Education Program of the Year in 2015.

## Notable people

Notable alumni of GSPM include:
* Bobby J. Cox - State Representative (21st District), South Carolina House of Representatives
* Carlos Del Toro 78th United States Secretary of the Navy
* Donovan Fenton - State Senator (10th District), New Hampshire Senate
* Noel Frame - State Senator (36th District), Washington State Senate
* Michelle Giuda - Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
* Juan Guaidó disputedPresident of Venezuela
* Erin Houchin Representative Indiana's 9th Congressional District
* Karen Makishima - Representative of the Kanagawa 17th District, House of Representatives, National Diet of Japan
* Susan Manchester - State Representative (78th District), Ohio House of Representatives
* Devon Mathis - State Assemblyman (33rd District), California State Assembly
* Zachary Myers - United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
* Daniel Noboa 48th President of Ecuador
* Johnny Olszewski, 14th Executive of Baltimore County
* Matt Rhoades - Founder and CEO of America Rising, Campaign Manager for Mitt Romney 2012 Presidential Campaign
* Stephanie Schriock - President of EMILY's List
* Greg VanWoerkom - State Representative (88th District), Michigan House of Representatives
Notable faculty include:
* Christopher Arterton - Former GSPM dean
* Mary Landrieu - Three-term United States Senator and current Senior Policy Advisor at Van Ness Feldman