Ogmius 10TH
Anniversary issue

Jimmy Hague

When I reflect on the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, I am reminded of how the Center became a second home during my time at the university. This certainly had something to do with the number of hours I spent there. However, the converted bungalow on the north end of campus was also a welcoming alternative to the staid academic settings of the main campus.
My desk space – where, if you craned your neck at the right angle, you could just see the Flatirons – was much preferred to the windowless, cinderblock cubes inside Folsom Field. The office became home to myriad books, papers and even gym clothes of mine, much to the chagrin of my officemates. The wide front porch became an extension of the classroom, especially on sunny days when conversations would continue long past the end of class.

Disregarding every other structure on the street, I usually referred to the Center simply as “Grandview.” In my two short years there I saw dozens of people come through Grandview. The students, faculty and staff became like family. They challenged me to think about policy like I never had before. I learned to understand my biases and values and the biases and values of others when working on a policy problem. This is a critical skill working in the U.S. Senate where an appreciation for opposing viewpoints is a good prerequisite for finding compromise.

The students, faculty and staff at the Center were my friends away from class as well. I may never forget debating the shortcomings of the linear model with classmates at the Sundowner over pitchers of cheap beer.

Working for a senator from Colorado, I have the pleasure of continuing those debates and frequently collaborating with current and former Center personnel in our respective professional careers. The friendships I made at the Center are a valuable professional network of dedicated civil servants, analysts, lawyers, business people and others who share a common policy language.

This may prove to be the most lasting impact of the Center. It has created a wide wake in its ten short years of existence that is spreading out to many policy shores. The ideas and methods taught at the Center are rippling through the academic, government, non-profit and private sectors alike. I am eager to see what waves the next decade of Center graduates will make.

Jimmy Hague, graduate student at CSTPR 2005-2007; M.S. ENVS 2007; Legislative Assistant for Senator Mark Udall (CO).