Fall participants in UGA’s Washington Semester Program Head to the Nation’s Capital on Sept. 8

Against the backdrop of the upcoming presidential election this fall, University of Georgia junior Lucas Puente will have the opportunity to serve as an intern in the office of Senator Barack Obama through UGA's Washington Semester Program. Puente and the other UGA participants will start their fall internships Sept. 8.

“The Fall 2008 class once again represents the best of UGA,” said Don De Maria, director of the Washington Semester Program. “These bright, motivated students will have great opportunities at their internships, in the classroom and beyond. I am grateful for the support of our faculty, alumni and friends who make this a unique and defining experience for our students.”

Launched under the auspices of UGA’s Office of the Vice President for Instruction one year ago, the Washington Semester Program provides participants with classroom instruction and internship placement in congressional offices, nonprofit organizations and think tanks.

The students enroll in 12 credit hours, six of which include a traditional course and a seminar on life, work and culture in Washington, featuring guest lecturers from UGA and the D.C. area. The other six credit hours can be used for directed study, internship and/or research courses through the student’s academic department.

Joel Clark, director of the University of California, Berkeley’s Washington Program, will teach a course entitled, “Washington Ethics: Crisis, Reform, Reaction,” a course he specially created for students in academic internship programs in D.C.

“The interdisciplinary course explores several facets of politics in D.C., including ethical issues involving Congress, lobbyists, the president and his advisors, judiciary, and the media,” said Clark. “The elections will be a special topic of discussion this semester as we delve into topics such as campaign finance, fundraising and how the media reports on the presidential candidates’ public and private lives.”

The speakers who will be featured during the seminar will include Jere Morehead, UGA’s vice president for instruction; Thomas Lauth, dean of UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs; Joe Whitley, who served as the first general counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Randy Nuckolls, partner at McKenna, Long and Aldridge who serves as Washington counsel for UGA; and Elaine Bunn, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University.

Chiefs-of-staff from the offices of Georgia senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, Arkansas senator Mark Pryor, and Georgia representatives Jack Kingston and John Barrow also will be speaking.

In addition, members of D.C. Dawgs, the Washington, D.C. chapter of UGA’s Alumni Association, are involved in academic and cultural activities for the program participants, serving as mentors, hosting events or giving a lecture about their experiences living and working in D.C.

“I am very impressed with the scope and variety of internship placements and the superb quality of students selected for the fall class,” said Morehead. “I look forward to lecturing and meeting with this outstanding class later this fall.”

The priority deadline for spring 2009 applications for the Washington Semester Program is Friday, Sept. 12 with first consideration given to those students who apply by then. Applications will be accepted after the priority deadline until all program spaces are full.

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Mayor Franklin and Metro Atlanta Chamber Join Forces for Student Internships

For the third year in a row, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce are calling on metro Atlanta companies to provide summer internships for this year’s class of graduating seniors in Atlanta Public Schools.

The internship project -- which helps place hundreds of students each year at more than 325 organizations in the public and private sectors -- is in partnership with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ajcjobs.

Internships run from June 2 through July 25, 2008. Companies are asked to provide 35-40 hours of work per week and pay $8 to $12 per hour. Companies that cannot host an intern can still become involved by sponsoring an intern at another company.

“The internship program is designed to provide practical and invaluable work experience to talented youth by exposing them to the business world as they work to achieve their dreams,” said Mayor Franklin. “Through our strong partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the business community, we have had a great few years, and I’m calling on the community to step up again this year.”

The Metro Atlanta Chamber has been involved with public schools for decades through the Atlanta Partners for Education, a joint venture of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Atlanta Public Schools.

“One of the most important things we can do is to encourage young people to get an education, and to offer them real-world experience that will help them compete anywhere in the world,” said Tom Hough, area managing partner for Ernst & Young LLP and chair of the Chamber’s Atlanta Public Schools Education Committee.

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall said the internships offer students substantial experience in the real world and a positive outlook for their future.

“At Atlanta Public Schools, we can always rely on the business community to embrace our students,” she added. “And offering internships is another example of the community’s meaningful commitment to education and to the overall strength of our city.”

This internship initiative is part of the Mayor’s Youth Program, which helps Atlanta Public Schools’ graduating seniors map out a plan for success after high school. The Mayor’s Youth Program is administered out of the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA). AWDA assists students with unmet needs that may hinder their entrance to the training and/or institution of their choice.

AWDA has more than 700 students working in the public or private sector. In the public sector, jobs include the Fire Academy, the Police Academy and Camp Best Friends. In the private sector, students have received internships with law firms, architectural firms and engineering firms. Other contributors include the airline industry, soft drink industry, national hotel chains, utility companies, technology companies and colleges and universities, to name a few.

Some students are earning while learning. For instance, the students attending Atlanta Technical School will receive their certification as nursing assistants, patient care technicians and entrepreneurs. Also, 30 students with disabilities have received internships with nonprofit agencies.

The structure of the internship is determined by the hiring company, but should include exposure to an office environment. All eligible students have been pre-screened and accepted to two- or four-year colleges or technical schools this fall. Students will rely on public transportation for their commute.

For more information and/or to register for this program, go to www.mayorsyouthprogram.org or contact Pat Koch, Summer Internship Coordinator, 404.658.6883 or pkoch@atlantaga.gov.