Matt Greenaway Fund for Experiential Political Learning at Xavier
In 2016, Xavier faculty and staff led a group of students
on an experiential learning trip to the Iowa Caucus. Despite a massive snowstorm, the trip to Iowa proved to be a resounding
success. Xavier students crisscrossed
the state, met candidates, listened to speeches, and walked door to door with
volunteers to hear directly from voters.
One of the reasons that Iowa trip proved so successful is
that we had a secret weapon on the ground in Iowa: Xavier alumnus Matt
Greenaway (Xavier ’15). Matt, a
Pittsburgh native and one of the first students to participate in the Gene
Beaupre State Politics Internship program, served as our guide during the trip. He had been working in Iowa for several
months as a field operative to the Hillary Clinton campaign and he shared his
expertise with student, helping them better understand the state, its politics,
and how the caucus process differed from the primary systems used by most other
states. Thanks to Matt’s help, Xavier’s
first foray into presidential politics was a success that we could build on. In 2020, we did just that with a trip to the
New Hampshire presidential primary.
As we head into the 2024 presidential campaign, we’ve been
presented with a unique opportunity to recognize Matt’s contributions to
experiential learning at Xavier and help a new generation of students get the
same opportunity to engage politics firsthand.
With the support of Matt’s family and friends, we are pleased to
announce the creation of the Matt Greenaway Fund for Experiential Political
Learning at Xavier.
Our goal is to raise $50,000 to provide a dedicated source
of funding to support Xavier Political Science and PPP students’ participation
in presidential campaigns, internships, and other experiential learning
opportunities in American Politics – including a 2024 presidential campaign
trip.