Adapted from an article written by Gordon Neal
Director of Comm. At Hampden-Sydney College

CIPA has partnered with Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) and the College’s Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest to encourage and facilitate the enrollment of qualified H-SC students into CIPA.

This partnership developed as a result of 2008 CIPA alumnus Ryan Pemberton, who serves as the director of the Wilson Center, reaching out to CIPA Executive Director Thomas O’Toole to discuss possible affiliations.  

“This is exactly the kind of partnership that we would love to have our alumni help us develop with their undergraduate institutions,” says O’Toole.  "While CIPA provides exceptional training for leadership roles in the field of public affairs, two years is not a long time. It's therefore critical for us to recruit students from strong undergraduate institutions like Hampden-Sydney whose programs are compatible with the instruction and professional experience we offer at Cornell. I am very confident that this collaboration will yield the best of the best, in terms of those who are eager and prepared to solve some of the world's most difficult public affairs challenges."

In addition to an application fee waiver, students of various Wilson Center programs, including the Wilson Leadership Fellows Program and the College’s Leadership in the Public Interest and Military Leadership and National Security minors, will have the opportunity to interact with CIPA representatives at Hampden-Sydney each academic year to learn more about the MPA program and how best to position themselves for admission. 

“We are thrilled to partner with CIPA,” said Pemberton. “CIPA is an exciting community of students dedicated to serving the common good at home and around the globe. The breadth and depth of the curriculum, the ability to conduct meaningful research, and the collegial nature of the student body make it an ideal place to do graduate work.  I am confident our Wilson Center graduates who choose to study there will have a great experience as they prepare for careers and lives of consequence.”

A private college for men that held its first classes in 1775, Hampden-Sydney in Virginia is known for its mission of forming “good men and good citizens,” as well as its codes of honor and conduct, 40-year-old rhetoric program, liberal arts curriculum, and devoted alumni network. For more information, visit www.hsc.edu.

The Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden-Sydney was established in 1996 and named for the College's former president, the late Lt. Gen. Samuel V. Wilson (U.S. Army, Ret.). The Wilson Center provides opportunities for students to explore, practice, and hone their leadership skills. The Wilson Center offers minors in Leadership in the Public Interest and Military Leadership and National Security, and the four-year Wilson Leadership Fellows Program began in 2018 with an initial cohort of 47 freshmen.

A private college for men that held its first classes in 1775, Hampden-Sydney in Virginia is known for its mission of forming good citizens as well as its codes of honor and conduct