Professor Peter Loge will be returning to his alma mater in March to accept an award he once helped to create.

As the recipient of Emerson College's 2011 Walter Littlefield Distinguished Speaker in Rhetoric and Communication Award, Professor Loge will be recognized for his professional achievements in the public service communication sector. The award was founded by Loge and many of his fellow Emerson alumni to celebrate the 30-year career of their professor, Walter "Walt" Littlefield, who taught about the ethical uses of communication for political and social advocacy.

Loge has been working in professional politics and communication since 1992. He has held senior positions with three congressional House members and one senator. His roles were Chief of Staff, Communications Director, and Campaign Manager to U.S. Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA), Director of Constituent Services to former U.S. Representative Sam Coppersmith (D-AZ), and Deputy to the Chief of Staff to Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). He has also advised numerous advocacy and non-profit organizations as the Senior Vice President of M&R Strategic Services, a national public affairs and political consulting firm. His time as the director of The Justice Project led to the passage of the Innocence Protection Act that President George W. Bush signed into law just prior to the 2004 election. Currently, Loge serves as the principal of Milo Public Affairs, LLC, which he launched in 2007.

With his in-depth resume, Loge will be accepting the award that his colleagues originated to recognized public service done by Emerson alumni. He will receive his award on campus in conjunction with Emerson's annual Communications Week in March, and will deliver a lecture as part of the award ceremony.

“A lot of Emerson alumni are successful in entertainment and television, but we wanted to identify those in public service,” he said.

Professor Loge has been adjunct teaching since 1989, and taught at Clemson and Arizona State University before arriving at GW in 2001. He landed his SMPA teaching job while working as a Senate staffer after a SMPA undergrad in his office put him in touch with Professor Steven Livingston.

“SMPA students are the smartest, most interesting students I’ve ever taught,” he said. 

He attributed the proximity to Capitol Hill and the opportunities available elsewhere in D.C. as the factors that set SMPA students aside from other college students.

“The students push each other, force each other to do better and be smarter," he said. "The professor should become a facilitator.”

Read more about Professor Loge and his personal interests elsewhere on the SMPA blog!