Service Learning Internship Grant Award
Skidmore's Summer 2007 Service Learning Internship Award is offering several unique learning experiences for interested students during the summer of 2007. Interested students must contact the appropriate faculty member to discuss their qualifications and interest in participating. Once approved by faculty, students must submit an application form along with a 500 word double-spaced essay no later than February 22, 2007.

Internship Sites and Sponsors

Application Form

Purpose
The purpose of the summer grant award is to provide opportunities for Skidmore students to further their academic understanding of a field and enhance their career development through participation in a service-learning internship. Service-learning experiences are specifically designed to be reciprocally beneficial for both the community and the student. Service Learning combines community service with academic instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking, problem solving, ethical considerations, and civic responsibility. Each service-learning intern will be guided and supervised in the field work as specified by the sponsoring organization. Skidmore faculty sponsors will supervise and guide the student in terms of making academic connections, raising ethical and context dependent concerns, and in constructing final products. Internships are for eight to ten weeks during the summer of 2007. All internships will be non-credit bearing.

Stipend
Selected students will receive a $250 per week stipend for an 8 to 10 week summer internships (not to exceed $2,500.00). Local internships will include housing on campus. Students with housing needs in Washington D.C. or New York City should contact the faculty sponsor. Faculty stipends for overseeing the internship will be $250 per internship site.

Eligibility
Students applying for these internships must be in good academic standing, which is defined for this purpose as a 2.0 or better total GPA and not on academic probation. Preference to receive this award will be given to students with demonstrated financial need. Students may apply for one internship only.

Application Process
Students of demonstrated financial need interested in applying for the Summer 2007 Service Learning Internship Grant Award must contact the point person in their academic department for more details. (Demonstrated financial need will be determined by Skidmore’s Student Aid Office).

1. Student must contact appropriate faculty member to schedule a meeting. The faculty member will decide if the program meets the student and department objectives and; if so, the student will receive an application form to complete to apply for the program.

2. The student will complete and hand in the application form along with a 500 word double-spaced essay on how the internship fits into their overall academic and career development no later than Thursday, February 22, 2007. (Students should indicate in the essay how they will make use of the experience and knowledge gained in their field experience in relation to academic courses already taken or planned in the future. In addition, how does the student anticipate that the internship will enable him/her to better understand the factors (e.g. ethical, environmental, economic, cultural, educational, etc.) that should be taken into consideration when taking action, making decisions, planning and implementing programs in the face of social problems in their discipline? Faculty approval will be based on how well the internship fits into the student’s overall academic and career development and on the basis of the answers to the essay question. Students approved to participate will be contacted by faculty no later than Thursday, March 8, 2007.

3. Once students obtain faculty approval to apply to the internship as part of Skidmore’s Summer 2007 Service Learning Internship Grant Award, they will be required to submit the necessary documents to the internship site prior to the organization’s deadline.

4. While several students may be approved to apply to each organization, usually only one will be selected by the organization and will be eligible for the award.

NOTE: Deadlines to apply for internships vary with each participating organization. The deadline to hand in the application form and essay to the appropriate faculty member is Thursday, February 22, 2007. Please contact appropriate faculty member prior to this date. Students who are approved by the faculty to participate in the program, will then send resumes and cover letters, along with any other requested materials, directly to the organization(s) of interest. Participating organizations will make the final determination of interns for the upcoming summer.