Penn State Department of Political Science


Undergraduate: Newsletter

January 19th, 2007

Internship Opportunity
Green Corps, an environmental advocacy group, is accepting applications for its full-time, paid Environmental Leadership Training Program 2007-2008 program.  They are seeking motivated and talented young people with an interest in environmental and/or social change organizing and advocacy. Their preferred application deadline is this Friday - January 19, 2007, but students can apply after that date.  They are primarily interested in graduating seniors, but also students who are not yet graduating.

For more information on Green Corps, along with profiles of recent interns, see their newsletter at http://www.greencorps.org/newsletters/winter2007/.

For more information contact Jesse Littlewood at jesse@greencorps.org.
Green Corps 2007-2008 Environmental Leadership Program and see their website
http://www.greencorps.org.

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Research Assistants Needed
Amber Boydstun, a graduate student in American Politics, is looking for research assistants to help her with data collection.  These paid positions involve reading numerous New York Times front-page articles and coding each article according to a detailed coding scheme of policy issue areas.  Amber assures me that "The articles usually hold enough interest to make the work enjoyable or, if nothing else, at least educational."

If you are interested in this, or have additional questions, please contact Amber directly aboydstun@gmail.com (219 Pond Lab).  Hours are flexible and pay starts at $8.50 an hour.  Work Study students especially are encouraged to apply.  To apply, send Amber a brief cover letter and a resume. 

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Study Abroad in Political Science:
 
The Maastricht Summer Program on European Integration
The website for the “European Political Integration” Summer Abroad 2007 is up and running.  You can now apply on-line. 
http://www.personal.psu.edu/mhb5/Maastricht.htm
The program includes an on-site component in Maastricht for one month and a two-week study tour that visits Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Paris, Brussels, and Frankfurt. 
 
This year political science only has 12 reserved spots, so apply early. 
 
For those of you out of state, this program charges in-state tuition only.  Reduced tuition per credit is a great way to convince your folks that a summer program in Europe need not be outrageously expensive.

Find out more at our information night:
Politics of European Integration
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
125 Thomas Building

New Program (Spring 2008):  Semester Abroad at the Institute for Political Science (Science Po), Lille, France
Political Science has established a new semester abroad program in France, at the Institute of Political Science in Lille.  Lille is large French city not far from the English Channel, situated about half-way between Paris and Brussels.  Beginning in the Spring of 2008 (next year), we will send four students a year for a semester there.  There will be courses available both in English and French, and French language instruction.  If you are interested please, let me know and I will put you on listserv for future announcements.

We will be holding information night in the near future.

Question – Study Abroad in Eastern Europe?
We are looking into the possibility of setting up a semester abroad program in Eastern Europe.  One possibility is a new private college in Warsaw, Poland that offers a full curriculum in English.  Classes would be with Polish students fluent in English.  If you have potential interest in such a program please let Professor Bernhard know.

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Center for the Study of the Presidency Fellowship Program
 
Several of our undergraduates have done this program in the last several years, including Junior Elena Cross and Senior Justin Houser.  If you are interested in American politics and pursuing research on the American presidency this is a great opportunity.

Penn State can nominate one student for The Center Fellows Program. The Fellowship is offers undergraduate and graduate students, a year-long opportunity to study the U.S. Presidency, the public policy making process, and our Chief Executive's relations with Congress, allies, the media, and the American public. The Center Fellow Program’s goal is to develop a new generation of national leaders committed to public service.
       Fellows come to Washington, D.C. for personal briefings by national media representatives, for networking opportunities with decision makers, and for a chance to learn firsthand about the policy making process.
For more information please visit their website: http://www.thepresidency.org/Fellows/indexfellows.htm
Campus deadline for Nomination is March 1, 2007

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Governor Rendell's Policy Office is seeking up to five students with an interest in public service and government for 2007 summer internships.  The flyer below can be used to advertise the internship opportunities.   
Interested students should email their resume along with a cover letter to Patricia Grim at pgrim@state.pa.us.  The student should indicate which policy area they would like to be considered for.  The policy areas are:

  1. Education
  2. Health Care Reform
  3. Economic Development and Workforce
  4. Criminal Justice
  5. Land Use, Community Development, Infrastructure and Environmental Issues

If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Grim (717) 772-9068 or by email.   
 
See the flyer below:

Summer 2007 Internships at the

Governor’s Office of Policy & Planning

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Governor’s Office of Policy and Planning is seeking up to five bright, versatile students with an interest in public service and government for on-the-job summer internships. These prestigious internships offer students the opportunity to work on policies that better the lives of the people of Pennsylvania, while learning valuable skills that will prepare them for a variety of careers, most especially policy and public service.

Graduate and undergraduate students may apply. Preference is given to those students with demonstrated outstanding writing, research, and computer skills.

Interns will actively participate in the daily operations of the Governor’s Office of Policy & Planning, writing briefing memos, analyzing legislation, researching new policies, supporting task forces, preparing quantitative data, and supporting the senior staff with research and analysis. Students can expect a challenging work environment that asks them to call upon all their skills and knowledge in their work. This is an excellent opportunity for students to work in a welcoming and fun environment in the office of a Governor with an ambitious policy agenda.

We will attempt to help successful intern candidates find stipends from outside sources, but are unable to guarantee paid internships for all five positions. Students are encouraged to begin looking for outside funding early in the semester.  For more information about Governor Rendell’s policy agenda, see http://www.governor.state.pa.us/

Interested candidates should reply by email to Patricia Grim, Senior Policy Manager, at pgrim@state.pa.us.  Please include:

  1. Resume
  2. A brief cover letter describing why you are applying for an internship and identifying which of the following policy area(s) interests you the most.
    1. Education
    2. Economic development & workforce
    3. Criminal justice
    4. Land use and environmental issues
    5. Health care reform

We will accept up to five interns and decisions will be made on a rolling basis beginning in February 2007.
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Americorp Opportunities in Philadelphia

Many of our graduates have taken a year or two after a graduation with Americorp, Teach for America, the Peace Corp, or other service programs. 

City Year Greater Philadelphia has full time AmeriCorps positions available starting in September 2007.  Pass this on to Penn State students you know who would be interested in a challenging post graduate service experience, and visit www.whyiserve.com for more information on this unique opportunity.
 
City Year Greater Philadelphia unites young adults ages 17-24 from diverse backgrounds for a challenging year of full-time service and leadership development. Corps members serve on teams, providing direct service to youth of Philadelphia and working to solve pressing social issues in the communities they serve.  Members work primarily in the city’s most under-resourced schools where they take on multi-faceted roles providing academic support, leading and innovating education programs, and serving as role models to youth.  City Year is also an 'action tank' for citizen service that works to promote the concept of voluntary citizen service as a means of building a stronger democracy. The experience provides young adults with a unique opportunity to make a dramatic impact on the lives of children while also serving as an advocate for social change in our community, nation, and world.  City Year is a great opportunity for young people who are looking for a challenging and rewarding post-graduate experience ­and for the third consecutive year, has been featured in the Princeton Review’s “Best Entry-Level Jobs” as one of 112 companies recommended as great places for new grads to work. 
 
Position responsibilities:  

  1. Provide in-class academic and literacy support
  2. Lead after-school and out of school programming
  3. Lead youth in service learning– based curricula
  4. Assist in college and career preparation for high school students
  5. Develop and implement large-scale service events
  6. Engage community members, elected officials, and corporate partners in service
  7. Help design innovative service projects and plan special events

Position qualifications:

  1. Being between the ages of 17 and 24
  2. Strong commitment to improving communities through service
  3. Ability to work individually and with a diverse team
  4. Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle multiple projects
  5. Relative team, volunteer, and leadership experience, as well as experience working with youth highly preferred   

 
Read more about our workshop and service activities in our January Newsletter:
http://whyiserve.com/resources/newsletters/rec_newsletter_200701.pdf

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Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarships

PennState campus deadline: February 6, 2007In 2007, the Foundation expects to award 80 scholarships of up to $5,000 and 50 honorable mentions on the basis of merit to sophomore and junior level college students. Scholarships are offered in any of three categories:

  1. To students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to the environment; or
  2. To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to tribal public policy; or
  3. To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to Native health care.

The Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, and economics.
Each nominee must:

  1. Be a matriculated sophomore or junior-level student
  2. Be committed to a career related to the environment, or committed to a career in tribal public policy or Native American health care
  3. Have a college grade-point average of at least a “B” or the equivalent.
  4. Be pursuing full-time study during the 2007-2008 academic year.
  5. Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or a U.S. permanent resident.

For more information about this opportunity please visit their website:
http://www.udall.gov/udall.asp?link=200
The PennState campus deadline isFebruary 6, 2007and the national deadline is March 6, 2007.

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Beinecke Scholarship
Each year approximately 100 colleges and universities are invited to nominate a student for a Beinecke Scholarship, and 20 new scholarships will be awarded in 2007.  A Beinecke Scholar, as juniors, receive receives a total of $32,000 -- an initial payment of $2,000 is awarded directly to the student prior to entering graduate school.  The remainder, $30,000 is applied toward graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences (not law school) for students who have a demonstrated financial need. 

Conditions of Eligibility
To be eligible for a Beinecke Scholarship, a student must:

  1. Have demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during his or her undergraduate career.
  2.  Be a college junior pursuing a bachelor's degree during the 2006-2007 academic year. 
  3. Plan to enter a master's or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences.
  4. Be a United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  5. Have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during his or her undergraduate years. 

For more information about this opportunity please visit their website:
http://www.beineckescholarship.org/INDEX.HTM
The PennState campus deadline isFebruary 14, 2007and the national deadline is March 1, 2007.

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The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 ($5,000 is awarded at the beginning of the project; and the remaining $5,000 is awarded upon receipt of a six-month progress report) stipend for a graduating college senior to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.
 
For more information about this award please visit their website: http://www.nationalgridus.com/commitment/d4-1_award.asp
National deadline is February 15, 2007

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The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
  The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship Program will award approximately 30 scholarships to seniors and recent graduates planning to attend graduate school for the first time starting this fall. 
 
Award
Each award covers a portion of educational expenses, including tuition, living expenses, required fees, and books for the graduate degree chosen. The maximum available per student per year of study is $50,000 and the maximum length is six years.
 
Eligibility

  1. Must be a senior or recent graduate
  2. Must have a bachelor’s degree by the start of Fall 2007 semester
  3. Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale)
  4. Have unmet financial need
  5. Be nominated by his/her undergraduate institution
  6. Never been previously nominated for the Jack Kent Cooke graduate scholarship
  7. Plan on attending a full-time graduate or professional degree program at an accredited U.S. university or college in the fall 2007. This must be the first graduate degree the candidate has ever pursued.

Getting Nominated
Students interested in this scholarship must be nominated by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Faculty Representative at their institution. Students may not apply directly to the Foundation for this program.
 
For more information about this opportunity please visit their website:
http://www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/content.aspx?page=Grad&_redir=122
The PennState campus deadline is February 16, 2007 and the national deadline is March 15, 2007.
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Human Rights Delegations for Young Leaders -- Summer 2007

Program Locations:        Bosnia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Rwanda & Venezuela
Application Deadline:   January 26, 2007

Global Youth Connect, an international human rights organization, is accepting applications from young leaders (ages 18-25) for their summer 2007 international human rights delegations.  Program locations include:  Bosnia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Rwanda and Venezuela. 

Human rights delegations are a unique, first-hand opportunity to cross cultural boundaries and learn about the daily reality of human rights as experienced in a complex and increasingly globalized world.  Each delegation weaves together three core sets of activities: site visits to local organizations, hands-on fieldwork projects, and a human rights training workshop with local youth activists.  For more information on each program, application details, and financial assistance see their web page: www.globalyouthconnect.org/participate

Bosnia   (June 29 - July 18)
Program Tuition:  $2,495
     This delegation will explore the roots of the conflict and the dynamics of justice, reconciliation and peacebuilding as experienced in Bosnia. 

Cambodia: (June 17 - July 17)
Program Tuition: $1,995
      Participants in the delegation will learn more about the legacy of violence in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, the impact of current human rights challenges on development, the status of justice and peacebuilding, and discuss possibilities for a change in the future. 

Guatemala  (June 2 - June 30)
Program Tuition: $1,950
     This delegation will explore the roots of violence and social injustice in Guatemala, with a particular focus on the country's indigenous population.  Spanish proficiency is required.

Rwanda  (June 16 - July 14)
Program Tuition: $2,150
    This delegation will explore the roots of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, how this legacy of violence has impacted the country and its people, particularly Rwandan youth, and also how the country is attempting to rebuild today. 
Venezuela  (July 28 - August 19)
Program Tuition: $2,195
     The delegation will explore the rise of social change movements and human rights activism in present-day Venezuela, both on the grassroots level and as represented by national government programs. Spanish proficiency is required.

 

 


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