ASU teams with Washington Center to offer internships

Arizona State University has hooked up with the prestigious Washington Center to offer qualified students an opportunity to participate in semester-long internships.

For the first time, students across ASU’s four campuses who have achieved second-semester sophomore standing and have a 2.75 grade point average or higher are eligible to participate. With first-time funding through ASU’s University Student Initiatives, ASU is also offering those accepted into the program an opportunity to apply for as much as $5,000 in scholarship support.

“The Washington Center is the largest and most responsive internship program in D.C.,” says William Simmons, director of the master’s program in Social Justice and Human Rights in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. “The internships programs offered greatly enhance our students’ academic programs and prime them for their careers.”

The program has wide appeal and includes opportunities in such areas as advocacy, service and arts; business and information technology; international affairs; law and criminal justice; mass communications; political leadership; and science and policy. Also available are Congressional, Ford Motor Company Global Scholars, governors and NAFTA-America Leaders internship programs.

“This is a great program that reaches across a wide range of subjects and majors,” says Phil Tompkins, director for strategic initiatives at ASU’s West campus. “From a career standpoint, this is an exciting internship program that students will want to take advantage of, especially in light of the new scholarship opportunity.”

An additional scholarship is available for the summer, fall and spring semesters to qualified students with disabilities. The center’s Public Service Internship Program for Students with Disabilities provides a $2,500 scholarship to help cover the costs of housing fees, and is available to qualified students across all majors.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is an independent, non-profit organization serving hundreds of colleges and universities in the U.S. and other countries by providing selected students opportunities to work and learn in Washington, D.C., for academic credit. Students are exposed to community, national and international leaders through workshops, seminars, lectures, embassy visits and networking events held throughout the duration of each semester. Internships are available in D.C. and abroad.

“”I’ve had students placed in Congress, at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the State Department and the Smithsonian, to name just a few,” says Simmons, an assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences who has written or co-written articles on contemporary political thought, human rights law, conspiracy theories among African Americans, and other topics. “Several of my students have been offered permanent jobs by their agency at the completion of their internships.

“I can think of no better preparation for a career than to complete an internship in our nation’s capital. Students not only learn a great deal from their internship, but they also gain much from the many extracurricular activities the Washington Center provides and the experience of living in D.C.”

Application deadlines for Washington Center internships are: Fall 2008 – Early 5/2/08, Regular 6/13/08; Spring 2009 – Early 5/26/08, Regular 11/15/08.

For additional information about the Washington Center internship program, visit http://twc.asu.edu/.