New Endowment Enhances Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program

Contributions will supplement existing UNM internship program funding

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Fred Harris and Margaret Elliston have made gifts to establish the Endowed UNM Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program Fund. Annual income from this newly created endowment will augment existing funding for the UNM Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program.  

“This endowment bolsters the internship program’s accessibility to students of all financial backgrounds,” says Jami Nelson-Nuñez, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at UNM. “Through this program, students who have never lived outside of New Mexico or who are first-generation college students have been able to travel to the heart of the most important political space in the country and immerse themselves in a dynamic, influential city. Program alumni have gone on to serve in distinguished positions in state and national politics and in nonprofit organizations providing critical services. While the endowment aims to support students, it is also indirectly an effort to address political inequalities that are sustained when only affluent students are able to pursue meaningful internships in Congress.”

Established in 2006 in the University of New Mexico Political Science Department, the Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program provides students with life-changing, hands-on experience through semester-length internships with members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.

The program is nonpartisan and supports a talent pipeline for both political parties in New Mexico. To date, the program has sent 154 UNM students to the nation’s capital to learn how federal policy is created and developed.

Each semester, up to five undergraduate UNM students with outstanding academic achievement are selected through a rigorous application process to travel to Washington, D.C. There, the student interns will work in New Mexico delegation member offices, take part in an online, 15-credit-hour curriculum that combines practical internship experience with studies in the American political system, political theory, and development of research and writing skills. Students of all majors may apply for the internship; the skills and experience they acquire will benefit them regardless of their ultimate career choice.

“Interning in Senator Luján’s office was an incredible experience that showed me an insider’s perspective on Congressional lawmaking and representation beyond the theory of a political science textbook,” says Jaden Chavez, a fall 2023 program intern. “This internship benefited me in a multitude of ways as I gained invaluable professional experience and expanded my network. Participating in the Fred Harris program has also helped me clarify my career goals.”

The program was founded by Fred Harris, a former U.S. Senator (1964-1973) from Oklahoma, chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1969-1970), and U.S. presidential candidate (1972, 1976). He was a strong advocate for education, healthcare, civil rights, urban affairs, and for building a more democratic and equitable society. Harris was the most active member of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, which reported on racial disparities and injustices in the U.S.

In 1976, Harris joined the UNM faculty as a professor of political science. He held that position until he retired in 2006 and is now a UNM professor emeritus. Even after retirement, Harris stayed on at UNM, serving as the internship program’s director and faculty member until 2018. He has authored more than 20 books.

Funds will help pay the increasing costs of the Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program, including housing costs and increasing intern stipends; they also will help expand the program to allow more UNM students to participate in the program.

The program, which is open to students of all partisan backgrounds, is administered by the UNM Political Science Department through the College of Arts and Sciences. Individuals interested in making a gift to the Endowed UNM Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program Fund may mail a check to:

The University of New Mexico Foundation
Two Woodward Center
700 Lomas Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87102 

Checks should be made payable to UNM Foundation and “Fred Harris Endowment” should be written on the memo line.

Gifts can also be made electronically by visiting https://unmfund.co/FredHarrisCongressionalInternshipFund.

About the UNM Foundation

The UNM Foundation promotes excellence at the University of New Mexico by raising, investing, and managing private gifts through the cultivation of long-term partnerships with donors, and by matching their interests to the University’s priorities.