Students & Alumni

Sebastian Smeureanu, a member of the class of 2022, has recently joined The Institute of World Politics’ staff as Director of Media Development and Production. He comes to IWP with a unique academic and professional background. Below is his story.   From Performing Arts to National Security   Sebastian was born in communist Romania. Realizing the hardships…

Maria Katarina Calderoni, IWP alumna and former president of IWP’s student chapter of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE), attended the IAFIE and IAFIE Europe Chapter’s 2022 Joint Conference in Treviso, Italy, in June 2022. The 3-day conference, hosted by Ècole Universitaire Internationale, was themed “Working Wicked Intelligence Challenges” and focused on Emerging Near…

The Institute of World Politics mourns the loss of Professor Emeritus S. Eugene Poteat, who peacefully passed away on May 22 at age 92. “He was a gentleman,” said Founder, President Emeritus, and Chancellor of IWP, John Lenczowski. “He was soft-spoken. He was a man of serious convictions, but he did not force his beliefs…

Scott Cullinane (’12) is teaching a course in International Relations & Development for The School of The New York Times as a part of a two-week summer program for high school students. The program, which is primarily journalism-focused, attracts high-performing students. Scott is teaching for two sessions of the program, back-to-back in July. This is…

“IWP will gear you towards a successful career-building relationship with the intelligence community, and the academic rigor from IWP will ensure your success in the IC.” -Gregory Hamilton, IWP M.A. candidate A retired Army intelligence officer who is currently serving as an intelligence collection manager for U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, Greg Hamilton chose IWP after…

On Saturday, May 14, the IWP community gathered to celebrate the Class of 2022 at their Commencement ceremony at the Fairmont in Washington, D.C. 28 members of the Class of 2022 were in attendance, along with trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, families, and friends. This Commencement was the first time in IWP’s history that students…

Maria Katarina Calderoni, Valedictorian of the Class of 2022, gave the following remarks at Commencement at the Fairmont Hotel on May 14, 2022. Buongiorno Dr. Hanson, Chancellor Lenczowski, Chairman Lovewell, President Woś, Dean Robbins, honored guests, and the students and faculty of The Institute of World Politics. Thank you for joining us today to celebrate…

This April, IWP students elected officers for the 2022-23 Student Government Association Board. The officers will begin their duties on May 14 and will continue until Commencement in May 2023. President: Sean Honesty Sean was raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago before attending The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and majoring in Political Science…

The Spring 2022 edition of the student-run journal Active Measures is now available online. The name of the journal refers to a set of influence operations and propaganda — disinformation and deception — used by the Soviet Union to persuade and to have a strategic impact. Active Measures was founded by IWP students in 2012. This edition includes the…

On April 7, 2022, IWP doctoral candidate Amanda Won presented her research topic “North Korean Espionage” at the Intelligence Studies Consortium (ISC) 2nd Annual Student Challenge, which gives top student graduate and doctoral students an opportunity to present their research.  The conference had over 370 registered attendees, split between in-person and virtual attendance. Ms. Won…