Nethercutt gives students glimpse at government

Former U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt announced Tuesday he has established a foundation to send selected college students on two-week, all-expenses-paid study trips to Washington, D.C.

“Our mission is to foster a new generation of principal and civic leadership,” Nethercutt said at a briefing Tuesday at Washington State University’s Academic Center at Riverpoint. “We want to foster strong leadership qualities in our graduating college students and have them return to Spokane and serve the community.”

The first group of four students will be selected from Spokane Falls Community College and leave for Washington in June.

By fall, students from all Eastern Washington colleges may apply for the program.

“All Americans should have a deep understanding and appreciation of our country’s founding and history,” Nethercutt said, adding that many never – at least not until much later in life – get a chance to visit the capital.

The Nethercutt Fellows will do more than sight-seeing.

“They will meet with lobbyists, go to hearings, go to foreign embassies and see this government in action,” Nethercutt said. The trip is only part of the fellowship, which also requires students to follow a syllabus covering economics, political science, constitutional law, leadership and civics. Upon their return, Nethercutt Fellows must either intern with a local business or volunteer for a local charity to complete the program.

The George Nethercutt Foundation is a nonpartisan, charitable organization funded by donations.

Nethercutt served Washington’s 5th congressional district from 1995 to 2005. He’s an attorney with Paine Hamblen LLP and works for a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.

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