In 1793, a young John Quincy Adams published a series of political essays under the pseudonym “Marcellus.” In these essays, he argued the fledgling United States should maintain neutrality in the war between France and Great Britain. President George Washington sought to uncover the identity of “Marcellus.” A year later, Washington appointed Adams U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands. Adams’ thought in these essays and elsewhere would have a lasting impact on U.S. foreign policy.
The John Quincy Adams Society has developed the Marcellus Policy Fellowship to help the next generation of U.S. foreign policy leaders follow in young JQA’s footsteps. By combining knowledge of foreign policy, the craft of effective policy writing, and the ability to publicize his ideas, Adams launched a career shaping U.S. statecraft. The Marcellus Policy Fellowship will do the same, helping our fellows develop the ideas and skills necessary to guide American foreign policy in the twenty-first century.
Over the course of several months, Marcellus Policy Fellows will wrestle with ideas that can animate a prudent foreign policy. They will hone their writing skills under expert guidance, crafting a detailed policy paper and a related policy memorandum and op-ed. All this will strengthen their candidacy for roles in an increasingly competitive foreign policy career space.
The Society will select 8-10 Fellows for our inaugural Fall 2020 cohort. The Fellowship is open to current students (graduate and undergraduate) as well as those with 0-1 year of employment in the foreign policy space. (Internships and paid internships do not count against the one year limit, nor does any amount of prior work in other fields.) The Fellowship is for those who are in, are pursuing, or intend to pursue in the near future a career shaping U.S. national security policy in fields like government service, the media, academia, think tanks, advocacy, and so forth. U.S. citizenship is not required.
Applications will be open through August 16, 2020. The Fellowship will run from September to November, with remote sessions up to twice per week (Tuesday and Thursday evenings) which Fellows must attend. Fellows will receive a $750 stipend. Apply at this link. If you have any questions, contact Ryan Nuckles via email.