The large number of UD students and faculty who are fans of a former arch-rival may be surprising. When the arch-rival is newly-elected U.S. House majority leader John Boehner, the fan-base makes sense. Boehner's election on Feb. 2 appears to hold promise for Dayton and education programs.

Boehner has a history with Southwestern Ohio. He is a Cincinnati Moeller High School graduate and received his bachelor's degree in business from Xavier University. According to his past teacher at Moeller, Fr. John Putka, currently a UD political science lecturer, Boehner has worked hard to get to his top position.

'He is one of 12 kids,' Putka said. 'He worked his way through college as a janitor and is now a very successfully businessman. He made it to the top not only economically, but politically as well.'

Boehner started his political career in 1982 by serving as a Union Township Trustee. Beginning in 1984, he served as a state representative for six years, and was then elected to represent Ohio's Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990. In January 2001, he became chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee.

While Boehner focuses on elementary and secondary education, he is also attentive to the students of UD. Boehner visits Putka's political science classes once a year to talk about his experiences as a representative. Going one step further, students get behind-the-scenes looks at Capitol Hill. Putka left for Washington, D.C. on Wednesday with 50 students to visit Boehner at his job.

UD students get another chance to learn outside of the classroom through Boehner and Putka's internship program. Sophomore political science major Brad Gentile is interning and living on 'the hill' during the winter semester. Gentile was researching declaring political science as his major and decided on it only after he heard about the 'amazing opportunity.'

'It's been more exciting than I imagined,' Gentile said. 'Everything is very hands-on. I came right in the middle of the election and got to know his campaign strategy and see what works.'

With only one to two hours of office-work a day, Gentile plays an active role in researching policies and constituent issues for a man who initiated a well-known piece of legislation.

Boehner played a large part in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act. His tour of The Dayton Early College Academy (DECA) in September 2004 provided him with one example of an education program innovatively carrying out his legislation goals.

DECA is a public high school located in the old NCR building that is in partnership with UD. Thomas Lasley, Dean of UD School of Education and Allied Professions, showed Boehner around and spoke with him over lunch.

'I think he was most impressed with the academic curriculum and pleased with the type of students that go there,' Lasley said. 'It's an urban context and most students there do not have the same advantages as others.'

Boehner's new position as majority leader could shift the focus of his legislation, or his legislation could alter the House of Representative's agenda. With the mid-term elections coming in November 2006, onlookers expect Boehner to turn his attention to reuniting the Republican Party.

'He has to be concerned with the public's perception that the Republicans have a corruption problem,' Grant Neeley, UD political science professor, said in a recent press release. 'He's now the leader in the House and will have to dedicate considerable time to managing internal issues, especially the reforms that many are calling for.'

Whichever course he takes, Boehner's ties to the university will allow UD faculty and students to closely follow the changes both in and out of the classroom.