The Executive Internship: ON-CAMPUS Internship Opportunity
The Executive Internship Program is designed to acquaint student interns with the operations and responsibilities of the university's chief executives and their offices. The internship is a paid position, where students earn academic credit. Interns will work out of the one of five executive offices of the university on assigned projects and assist the office staff with clerical duties.
Five interns will be selected for the upcoming 2007-08 academic year and will be assigned to one of the following offices; president's office, the provost's office, the office of the vice-president for university relations, the office of the vice president for business and financial affairs, and the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. More detail about the specific activities in each office is provided below.
All interns will participate in a seminar during the academic year. Dr. Libby Street, Executive Assistant to the President and Professor of Psychology, will lead and facilitate these seminars for the upcoming year. Through readings, interactive discussions, small groups and other activities, interns become knowledgeable about a wide-range of issues, including: strategic planning, budgeting, and financial management; academic management and planning; leadership and institutional change; higher education and public policy; diversity and gender issues; technology; and personal and interpersonal dimensions of administration.
Interns participate in meetings with the president (President's Advisory Council, the Board of Trustees, etc.) and have the opportunity for special assignments of interest. Sample projects might include development of a database of current issues and bills in higher education; compilation of all organizations who lobby for higher education with a continual tracking of their activities. A previous project included leadership of an initiative to improve the college's partnerships within the community.
The provost's office is responsible for the academic operation of the university. This office oversees curriculum, faculty hiring and promotion, and research activities of faculty and students. The Academic Affairs Council, made up of the provost, associate vice presidents, deans, and other academic officers of the university, considers academic policy and works in partnership with the Faculty Senate to ensure that the academic programs of the university are rigorous and meet all necessary standards. Sample projects might include helping to organize faculty development activities, drafting or compiling reports, participating in grant development, assisting the academic affairs budget analyst; coordinating activities for and with the university centers, and assisting with university celebratory events.
In the spirit of providing exceptional service to the university, interns will shadow university staff to secure external funding from its alumni, friends, corporations, foundations and government constituencies. Interns will also receive exposure to the public relations and marketing efforts of the office. Sample projects might include assistance with alumni programming activities, development of meeting packets and materials, and support for the registration table at cultivation events.
Interns will assist the division of Business and Financial Affairs in providing quality services in finance, facilities, technology and human resources. Interns will participate in meetings with the President's Advisory Council, the Business Affairs Council, and the Board of Trustees, in addition to the opportunity for special assignments of interest within specific departments of Business and Financial Affairs.
Interns will arrange meetings with all constituents reporting to the Vice-President; work with the Associate Vice-President and CWU’s Problem Solving Team; demonstrate a thorough understanding of the public administration and organizational setup of the university. Additionally, this intern may have the opportunity to play an integral role on the following committees: Campus Judicial Council, the Election Commission, the Scholarship Advisory and Oversight Committee, and the Retention Action Team.
Observe first-hand how CWU and its leaders solve real problems and challenges
Assist the executive officer (president or vice president) on issues that are critical to the future of the institution
Work on projects of interest to them, the campus, and the community
Receive on-the-job training that transforms their lives and careers
Develop an understanding of the role of leaders in a complex state-funded institution of higher education
Interact informally with other interns to share ideas, insights, and experiences
Gain the skills and experience they need to advance into position of greater responsibility and leadership
Qualified students will
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
Have been accepted into their academic degree program
Be able to commit up to ten hours per week to the internship for the entire upcoming academic year
Additional expectations include:
- Express a desire to work as a student leader in a supportive environment.
- Be able to effectively manage and prioritize time to meet deadlines.
- Be comfortable working in a dynamic and evolving environment.
- Incorporate technology into program design and delivery.
- Have excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Be able to maintain confidentiality about the activities of the office as appropriate.
The application process will begin again in Spring 2008. The application for the internship consists of four parts: 1) a written application sheet, 2) a current resume detailing college, community, and leadership activities as well as work experience, 3) two letters of recommendation: one from a member of the university's teaching faculty and one from another person familiar with the activities and capabilities of the applicant who is not a relative or close friend of the applicant, 4) a short essay, not to exceed 300 words on one of three topics (see application materials).
Preference will be given to students who are available for longer terms of employment.
