Published Wednesday February 4, 2009
Hagel takes job with Georgetown University
BY JOSEPH MORTON
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel is set to enter a new arena - the classroom.
The former U.S. senator from Nebraska will become a distinguished professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Washington. The university plans a formal announcement Wednesday.
Chuck Hagel
Hagel, 62, said he will start in right away, conducting seminars and delivering lectures to graduate students and undergraduates. He will begin teaching his own class on foreign relations this fall.
Hagel said he will teach only one class per semester, which will allow him to take advantage of other opportunities in the private sector.
"It's going to give me a balance that I wanted after I left the Senate, between the private sector and staying involved in international affairs, young people and government," Hagel said.
He said the private sector roles will be announced in the coming days and that he plans on maintaining an active schedule of speaking engagements.
A Vietnam War veteran, Hagel served on the Foreign Relations Committee throughout his 12 years in the Senate. He was a high-profile, outspoken GOP critic of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. He opted not to run for re-election in 2008.
Hagel said he looks forward to sharing his experiences with the students to flesh out the theory and abstractions contained in their textbooks.
"You can say, 'I was in that situation and this is what we did or how we did it, or what we did wrong or what we did right,'" Hagel said. "That's part of the value that you bring."
Hagel doesn't have any experience teaching, but he noted that the profession seems to run in the family. His brother Tom teaches at Dayton University's School of Law and his brother Mike at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha.
He joked: "My brother Tom thinks I've set back education in America generations by being considered a 'distinguished professor.'"
• Contact the writer: 202-662-7270, joe.morton@owh.com
Poster Comment:
Chuck Hagel - Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, Eisenhower World Affairs Institute