Senator Don Nickles, (R-OK), Oklahoma's senior Senator, has agreed to champion the cause of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. The Senator will sponsor as many as four students, preferably from Oklahoma, to participate in the Institute each summer. Additionally, the Chairman of the powerful Senate Budget Committee will assist the organization with fundraising.

Senator Nickles worked his way through Oklahoma State University by starting a janitorial service. Following graduation, he went to work for Nickles Machine Corporation in Ponca City, Oklahoma, where he later became vice president and general manager. His career in public service began with his election in 1978 to the Oklahoma State Senate. Two years later, at age 31, Nickles was elected to the United States Senate. In addition to the Budget Committee, he serves on the Committees on Finance, Energy and Natural Resources, and Rules and Administration.

In a recent letter to friends, Sen. Nickles wrote, “Like me, you probably know a young person whose life has been changed for the better by working in Washington, DC -- someone for whom higher expectations, bigger challenges and greater demands brought the realization they could do more for family, for community, and for country. Please join me in building a program that has the potential to mold future national leaders and change the lives of bright young students who also happen to be minorities.