The Wise Legacy: How One Professor Transformed the Nation

The Wise Legacy explores the profound impact of Sidney Wise, the late Charles A. Dana Professor of Government at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Sid encouraged many of his students, including prominent politicians, educators, religious leaders, lobbyists and business executives, to pursue public service careers, and was responsible for creating an elite Washington network before online networking existed. Wise's mentees include Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff Kenneth Duberstein, SEC Chair Mary Schapiro, Federal Judge D. Brooks Smith, HBO CEO Richard Plepler, and United Negro College Fund CEO and former Congressman William Gray, among many others.

This book features 41 interviews that reveal Wise's passion for educating and guiding students, his astute use of networking to create a group of alumni dedicated to public service (many of whom serve today, years since Sid's passing), as well as his never-abused hidden power in our country. Throughout the book emerges Wise's passion for educating and guiding students, Wise's astute use of networking to create a group of alumni dedicated to public service (many of whom serve today, years since Sid's passing), as well as his never-abused hidden power in our country.

At its core, this book highlights the power of mentoring and networking. Sid Wise's Rolodex, as it was often called, was a social networking vehicle long before the Internet. This book affirms the power of networking, and how working with others can define careers, and cause meaningful change.