The
John F. Kennedy School of Government has always recognized that engagement with the media should be part of the school's focus, and initially this role was fulfilled by the
Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP). In 1974
Jonathan Moore became the institute's director, and under him the IOP sponsored conferences and invited journalists to Harvard as fellows. In 1980 Moore drafted a proposal for a Harvard center on the press, politics and public policy. Kennedy School dean
Graham Allison and Harvard president
Derek Bok supported the concept, and an advisory board and committee were formed. Those consulted included political scientist
Richard Neustadt; attorney and educator
David Riesman; journalists
James C. Thomson Jr.,
David S. Broder,
J. Anthony Lukas and
Dan Rather; newspaper executives
Otis Chandler,
Katharine Graham and
William O. Taylor II; researcher
Stephen H. Hess;
Foreign Affairs editor
James F. Hoge, Jr.; and television executive
Frank Stanton . An endowment fund was created by the IOP, and other donations came from the
Boston Globe,
Cox Enterprises,
Walter Cronkite and
General Electric. In all, these efforts raised $5 million for professorships, programs and fellowships. At the ceremony an address was given by
Benjamin C. Bradlee, with remarks by Senator Kennedy, Walter H. Shorenstein and others. He worked to raise the center's profile, and under his leadership the Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics was established, followed by the
Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. Kalb directed the center until 1999, and during that time formalized its fellowship program; developed the introductory course on press, politics and public policy; and expanded the Kennedy School's curriculum. Since taking over, he has enhanced the fellowship program, launched initiatives to increase student engagement and broadened the advisory board. The Shorenstein Center is one of the most active programs at the
Harvard Kennedy School, and has hosted more than a thousand speakers since 1986. It is currently run by Nancy Gibbs, former editor in chief of Time and former editorial director of the Time Inc. News Group. ==Shorenstein Center fellows==