Practitioners, Policymakers, and Peers: Clements Center Student Programs in Review

The Clements Center’s undergraduate and graduate programs wrapped up the spring semester with a mix of practitioner meetings, fieldwork, workshops, and graduations across three program areas.

Undergraduate Fellows

This spring, the Undergraduate Fellows cohort met with senior policymakers and professionals—including Rana Inboden, Ambassador Dennis Ross, and former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison—to discuss current events and careers in diplomacy and national security. In March, the cohort visited Fort Hood to observe gunnery training and learn firsthand about U.S. Army culture and weapons technology. Twenty-one fellows graduated in May and are pursuing careers in the private sector, the military, and public service.

The Undergraduate Certificate in Security Studies has 7 graduates this spring semester but maintains robust participation. Students will complete 18 credit hours of coursework in security studies and an internship focused on national security to prepare them for careers in public service. Students have interned for the Hudson Institute, the Texas Capitol, Velocity Government Relations, and a majority of the Federal Government’s 3-letter agencies.

The Center’s bi-weekly Coffee Hours continued to draw strong attendance, with fellows leading peer discussions on topics ranging from the political landscapes of the Arctic, Iran, and East Asia to immigration policy and private military contractors. Sessions regularly drew 55 to 65 students.

Graduate Fellows

The Graduate Fellows program brought students into conversation with academic mentors throughout the year, including Zack Cooper, Joseph Torigian, and Tanvi Madan. Fellows supported one another’s research through the Works in Progress series, critiquing ongoing writing projects across disciplines. The year closed with a workshop led by Professors Odd Arne Westad and Jeremi Suri that critically reassessed the history, meaning, and legacies of the unipolar moment in global context—a fitting capstone for a program designed to foster intellectual exchange and break down disciplinary boundaries in the study of foreign policy and national security.

Graduate Portfolio in Security Studies

The Graduate Portfolio in Security Studies had an active semester, with students meeting expert practitioners and academics to discuss topics including grassroots diplomacy, institutional realities and security, and the power of narrative. Twelve students graduated from the program this spring.