(Headline USA) Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed this week that he will be teaching classes on politics at Harvard University in the fall.
De Blasio is joining the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, and will be teaching various discussions, events and programming throughout the semester, he said. He will not be a full-time employee.
“I am happy to join the IOP to help inspire our nation’s next generation of leaders to find ways to serve in politics and public service, and to build a government that serves working people,” he said in a statement.
The former mayor added he is “VERY optimistic about the generation of leaders and activists coming up.”
I am VERY optimistic about the generation of leaders and activists coming up. It will be a privilege to offer lessons I’ve learned through decades of public service. My key message to them: we CAN make bold progressive change. I know because I’ve lived it. https://t.co/AtbKY9CaZd
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) August 24, 2022
Harvard’s IOP interim director Setti Warren claimed de Blasio’s “decades of experience in local government, federal agencies, national campaigns, and running the largest city in the country will provide invaluable insight to our students and the Harvard community.”
“We are excited to welcome Mayor de Blasio to campus as we look for pathways forward on the challenges facing our democracy,” Warren added.
The new job follows de Blasio’s humiliating congressional loss. He launched a bid for New York’s 10th congressional district earlier this year, but dropped out of the race after realizing “it’s not going to work out.”
“I’ve really listened carefully to people and it’s clear to me that when it comes to this congressional district, people are looking for another option. And I respect that,” he said last month.
