Allegheny College to Host Model Campaign USA Competition

MEADVILLE, Pa. – April 21, 2009 – More than 140 participants—a record number of high school students and their teachers, Allegheny students, staff and faculty—will gather on Allegheny’s campus on Wednesday, April 29 to be part of the fifth annual Model Campaign USA.

Model Campaign USA is a regional competition sponsored by the Center for Political Participation that examines lessons learned in the semester-long program on the art and ethics of political campaigns.

“Involvement in electoral politics is arguably the foundation for many other types of civic engagement,” said Professor Daniel Shea, who directs the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College. “We have seen that students who participate in education outreach activities such as Model Campaign USA develop skills and interests that can lead to a lifetime of civic responsibility and, in turn, create a stronger democracy.

“In fact, the program’s success is now prompting us to consider expanding it internationally,” Shea added. “I’m convinced that the expertise we’ve developed in teaching and engaging young Americans about political participation through Model Campaign USA can readily be transferred to politically inexperienced populations in expanding democracies.”

How Model Campaign USA Works

Model Campaign USA is designed with two specific goals in mind. First, it is meant to serve as a standard for teaching students how to run ethical campaigns, as opposed to the “win-at-all-costs” attitude. Second, by utilizing a hands-on learning and teaching approach, the Center for Political Participation hopes to inform students about the campaign process as a way to spur life-long involvement in politics.

Aided by top Allegheny College political science student-coordinators, area high school students meet regularly throughout the spring term to learn to design their own campaigns.

The weekly sessions cover “how-to” topics ranging from managing and reacting to crisis situations and writing press releases, to specialized responsibilities such as managing campaign budgets.

The culminating experience of the semester takes the shape of a fast-paced, mock campaign event, in which teams compete in a series of face-to-face challenges as they race to “win their districts.”

Among other activities, students will prepare a television ad and a campaign speech and attend a roundtable discussion with campaign consultants. The teams will be judged and given awards in categories such as effort, growth as a team and overall performance.

For more information, contact Center for Political Participation Coordinator Mary Solberg at (814) 332-6201.