For almost a quarter century, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) has provided a critical space for discussion and debate—and it couldn’t have happened without the vision, dedication, and commitment of several Anselmian women.
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WOMEN IN POLITICS
When great ideas take shape, we often don’t realize we’re on the cusp of something special. This rings true for Elizabeth Ossoff, Ph.D., professor emerita of psychology. When asked by former college president Fr. Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B. ’69 to be on the steering committee for what would eventually become the New Hampshire institute of Politics (NHIOP) in 2001, she didn’t know exactly what she was about to be a part of, but she knew she wanted in.
“Father Jonathan called me and asked me to be part of this, and I said, ‘Yes, absolutely,’” says Ossoff. For Ossoff, whose focus is social psychology with an interest in political behavior (how people react to politicians, how politicians react to their constituencies), becoming involved with the NHIOP was a perfect fit. The founders, according to Ossoff, included Paul Manuel, Ph.D., former professor of politics who would become the NHIOP’s first director, and Dale Kuehne, Ph.D., professor of politics.
Silvia Castro Shannon, Ph.D., professor emerita of history, and the first tenured female faculty member of the history department, was chair of the advisory board of the Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College (the precursor to the NHIOP) from 1999 to 2002. The board’s main task was to design a management structure for the Institute and to work out how the Institute would interact with the college. “I was enthusiastic about the vision for an institute of politics that had been developed by Professors Paul Manuel and Dale Kuehne,” she says. “There were other institutes of politics in the country, but none of them were located at a small liberal arts college.”
Plans for exactly what the NHIOP would be consisted of many discussions. “We met many, many times, and really hashed out what this should look like, and this would come to include making sure it provided an academic aspect, but also a public engagement and civic aspect,” says Ossoff. “There was absolute excitement in building this, with New Hampshire’s unique position holding the first primary, and the college’s reputation for bringing candidates to campus — now we could do this in a more systematic way that would involve our students and provide more opportunities to become engaged.”
Ossoff is particularly proud of the National Education for Women (NEW) Conference, which she and Jennifer Lucas, Ph.D., professor of politics, hosted for several summers at the NHIOP. The program, which was in partnership with the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) out of Rutgers University, welcomed female students from throughout New England to stay on campus and attend classes and workshops at the NHIOP. “It was exciting to be able to offer this opportunity to women, and so many of these attendees have gone on to enter politics—these experiences with these young women were really special,” says Ossoff.
The academic aspect of the NHIOP initially included four research centers: international affairs and law, the Jeanne D. Smith Center for American Democracy and Citizenship (which Ossoff was director of), religion and public life, and New Hampshire political life.
Professor emerita Barbara Baudot, Ph.D., the college’s first female politics faculty member, helped facilitate events and speakers under the international relations and law center. “I arrived at Saint Anselm in 1988, having worked for 13 years for the United Nations—in both New York and Geneva,” says Baudot. “International relations was my strength. For me, it was natural and where I built my nest—this is what I knew and what I could give.” This resulted in Baudot helping the NHIOP bring in speakers, such as the first female president of Iceland, the secretary general of the World Council of Churches, and the editor-in-chief of the Christian Science Monitor.
Amy Schmidt, Ph.D., professor emerita of economics, remembers helping coordinate the NHIOP’s distinguished speaker events during its earlier years. “One of the most moving talks I remember was Azar Nafisi on her book Reading Lolita in Tehran,” she says. “It was also fun for me to coordinate a talk by Mark Simonoff, the legal advisor for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations—who also happens to be my brother!”
Ossoff, Shannon, Baudot, and Schmidt all point to the work of three other women whose vision, tireless work, and dedication helped bring the NHIOP to life, and kept it humming since: Anne Broderick Botteri ’82, former executive director of the NHIOP, Lorie Cochrane, former executive assistant, and Ann Camann, deputy director.
“Anne Botteri was a true visionary of the NHIOP,” says Ossoff. “She was there from the get-go, and was on the front lines, and as director, she was always working to provide opportunities for students.” As for Cochrane, Ossoff credits her for always going above and beyond. “Lorie was integral in keeping things running and everyone organized,” she says. “During our NEW conference, Lorie would even stay on campus for the week, something not a lot of people would be willing to do.”
Baudot has similar memories of all three. “Botteri really made it go, she had such vision,” she says. Similarly, she points to the herculean efforts of Camann and Cochrane. “Those two were always so busy—they were like the engine room of the NHIOP, they just kept everything running.”
For Camann, who came to the college in 2005 and joined the NHIOP in 2007, it has been amazing to see the recognition of the NHIOP grow. “Paul Manuel, Dale Kuehne, and Anne Botteri, they were the primary leaders—it’s incredible to watch their vision realized and a consistent standard of excellence maintained,” she says. “Now, with Neil Levesque as executive director, I’ve watched the Institute achieve national recognition.”
At the center of it all, however, has always been the students. And Isabella Langella ’25 couldn’t be a better example. The double major in secondary education and history has been involved with the NHIOP as an archivist intern since her freshman year, and a Kevin B. Harrington Student Ambassador since her sophomore year. “Throughout my time as an ambassador and intern at the NHIOP, I have had the unique opportunity to meet and speak with numerous politicians, something that I would not have had the chance to do if I hadn’t joined the ambassador program,” she says. “It has been incredible to speak with these prominent members of our American political sphere.”
This, according to Camann, is what the NHIOP is all about—offering students an incredible experience, and valuable opportunities to build the confidence needed to pursue their professional goals after leaving the Hilltop. “I see these women be able to really think on their feet, solve problems, and then be able to move on from that,” she says. “This is what impresses me.”