Andrew Buher was named to the Fellows Program at the Center for the Study of the Presidency.
By: Lea Kahn
Andrew Buher has been interested in government and politics since he spent the day at the Statehouse as a junior and then as a senior at Lawrence High School.
It is no surprise then that the 21-year-old Rider University senior jumped at the chance this year to become the first Rider student named to the Fellows Program at the Center for the Study of the Presidency, based in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Buher has joined a select group of students from some of the nation’s top colleges, including Princeton, Harvard and Yale, as well as Smith College, Mount Holyoke College and Howard University.
"It feels great," he said. "I’m glad the Center for the Study of the Presidency has chosen to bring such a prestigious program to Rider. I’m proud that Rider students (in the future) will have the opportunity to interact with students from some of the most prestigious schools in the country."
The political science major learned of the program while working as an intern in former acting-Governor Richard Codey’s office last year. Some of the governor’s staff members suggested he apply to the program, he said.
Mr. Buher pitched the idea to the Rider University administration, which supported the proposal to join the nonprofit, nonpartisan group founded in 1965 to foster scholarship on issues facing the modern American presidency. Rider applied and was made part of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, clearing the way for him to participate.
For the next few months, Mr. Buher will spend his spare time writing a 15- to 20-page research paper on an aspect of presidential leadership to be presented at a Center for the Study of the Presidency conference in the spring.
Mr. Buher has chosen to compare the approaches taken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President George W. Bush in making appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court.
The Rider senior’s research paper for the Fellows Program parallels the honors thesis he is writing under the direction of political science professor Harvey Kornberg. The honors thesis analyzes the politics of President Bush’s appointments, including his personal, political and partisan agendas.
Dr. Kornberg said he is very proud of Mr. Buher, who ranks in the top 10 percent of all the students he has taught in his nearly 33-year career at Rider University. Dr. Kornberg teaches courses in constitutional law, the judicial process and civil liberties.
"Andy is a fine student," Dr. Kornberg said. "He is a quick study and that is one of his strengths. He sees the connection between different ideas and concepts. We are looking at a person who will have a fine career in law or politics, whatever he does."
Upon graduation, Mr. Buher said, he expects to apply for an internship with the Speaker of the House or the U.S. Supreme Court. He may apply to law school, where he is considering earning a joint degree in law and public policy.
"I could teach," he said. "I hope to run for elected office, but that’s a far-off goal. My interest is in New Jersey politics. I think there is a lot of potential in the state. There is a lot of positive changes that government can make."

