Twc Invitation Affiliate

Internships and Academic Seminars

An invitation to affiliate

For Private Colleges and Universities 2010 1

Dear Colleagues: Do your institution’s priorities include: Recruiting and retaining strong students? Providing students of all majors high-quality internships? Offering international study options and internships abroad? Cultivating special opportunities for particular groups, such as honors students, national fellowship candidates, and students of diverse backgrounds? Michael B. Smith, President

Launching your graduates—and future alumni—on successful career paths? Providing opportunities for leadership and civic engagement?

Council of Presidents Phillip Austin President Emeritus University of Connecticut William G. Durden President Dickinson College Mark A. Emmert President University of Washington Nathan O. Hatch President Wake Forest University William E. Kirwan Chancellor University of Maryland System Sally K. Mason President University of Iowa Mark S. Wrighton Chancellor Washington University in St. Louis

Providing opportunities for faculty development? For over three decades, The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars has helped colleges and universities accomplish these goals. It delivers more than a semester “away” and coveted internships. It provides an integrated, credit-worthy experience that transforms theory into practice, ambition into purpose and potential into achievement­—an experience that transforms. That’s why hundreds of private colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad choose to partner with The Washington Center. We hope you’ ll want to work with us, as well. Sincerely Michael B. Smith President

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What is The Washington Center? A nonprofit educational organization in Washington, D.C., The Washington Center serves colleges and universities that want to extend their curricula to the nation’s capital and, increasingly, key cities in other countries. Founded 34 years ago, it now has 75 staff, some 40 associated faculty, and more than 40, 000 alumni from more than 1,000 institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

What exactly do we provide? In our main internship program, we provide students of all majors academic semesters and summer terms centered on tailored internships in Washington, D.C.—and in a growing set of international locations (currently London, England; Oxford, England; and Sydney, Australia).* We also provide academic seminars, typically one to two weeks in length as well as customized faculty-led programs. Every four years we organize the only national academic programs for college students at the major political conventions.

Our Washington, D.C. internship program has three main components A tailored internship: We maintain ties with more than 1,000 internship sites in governmental, international, business and nonprofit organizations. With help from our professional staff, students choose a substantive, supervised internship tailored to their academic and professional interests and needs. An academic course: We offer 35 to 50 a semester, in a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary areas. Students choose one, taken for three hours, one evening a week. Faculty are highly qualified academics (a course guide with biographies is available) and are often also practitioners in their field. Through a partnership with Johns Hopkins University, selected students may take their course in one of two Washingtonbased graduate programs there. The Leadership Forum: We enrich students’ internships and academic study with some remarkable programming not possible for programs of a smaller scale. For example, at our President’s Lecture Series students hear from and question members of the cabinet, ambassadors, leading journalists, and CEOs. Our Public Policy Dialogues on Capitol Hill program enables students to meet in smaller groups with Members of Congress or their staffs. All students carry out a civic engagement project in an area of personal or professional concern. To document, analyze, and reflect on the internship experience, students also complete an internship portfolio.

* The Intern Abroad Programs differ in some respects; for more information, visit www.twc.edu/internabroad

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William G. Durden, Ph.D. President Dickinson College

“The Washington Center shares with Dickinson a commitment to provide a useful education that combines hands-on experience with a rigorous liberalarts academic foundation. When I review the internships Dickinson students have experienced through TWC, I am impressed by the breadth of choices that are available to them. Our students have used their Washington Center experiences to serve in the White House, Congress, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Brookings Institution, etc. These internships are pivotal opportunities for our students to engage the world as emerging citizen leaders.”

How can institutions be assured that a student’s work with us is worthy of academic credit? Sample Internship Sites U.S. Department of the Treasury U.S. Congressional Offices Voice of America U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Amnesty International The White House National Institutes of Health Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars CNN Merrill Lynch INTERPOL Law firms and lobbying firms National Education Association U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia ABC News Peace Corps Among thousands of others

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Since they award their own academic credit for students’ work, there’s no more important question for our affiliated colleges and universities. With our nationally representative Liaison Advisory Board, we’ve been developing the answer for over three decades—and the fact that hundreds of institutions award credit for what students do speaks to the success and appeal of The Washington Center’s approach. First, some background. The amount of credit and the type or types of credit colleges and universities award are, of course, institutional decisions. But generally students receive 12 to 16 hours for a 15week semester and 6 to 12 for a 10-week quarter or summer term. Some credit may be in the major, some may be elective or general education credit. Some credits may be graded and some awarded pass/fail. We are happy to provide guidance as well as examples of “credit packages” from similar institutions. How, then, can an institution be assured that a student’s work with us is credit-worthy? Some of the key assurances:

Admissions standards We admit only students who are ready for a challenging academic and work experience. All have official approval of a liaison or faculty sponsor. The average GPA of enrolled students is over 3.3. Successful applicants join one of the most diverse and motivated peer groups in the country.

The internship Internships are tailored and substantive. They are arranged and supervised by professional program advisors, typically with master’s or J.D. degrees and extensive experience in their fields. Our agreement with our several thousand placement sites—most of which are long-time partners—is that internships will be substantive and challenging, and that at least 80% of the student’s work will be non-clerical. Every student’s Washington Center program advisor visits the work site to ensure that the university’s—as well as the student’s and the organization’s—expectations are being met; if not, and we can’t resolve the problem, we will find the student a more appropriate placement. An institutional member of the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE), The Washington Center adheres to the principles of good practice specified by this organization, as well as the guidelines for internship programs adopted by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS). Washington Center program advisors also participate in NSEE’s Academy of Experiential Education series of training seminars.

The Washington Center gives our students a wonderful academic experience that they could not obtain anywhere else. It provides them with more of everything – better internship placements, better housing, and more oneon-one supervision –and at a price that allows us to make this opportunity available to the greatest number of students. The Center’s staff has been tireless in seeking out additional funds from state governments, foundations and the private sector so as to make the experience affordable to all.

Francis Graham Lee, Ph.D. Professor of Political Science and Campus Liaison Saint Joseph’s University

From left to right, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, NPR President Kevin Klose, and former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta are among many recent speakers.

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Alexander Lamis, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Political Science and Campus Liaison

“I tell my students two things:  that we have never had a dissatisfied customer and that this type of hands-on knowledge is invaluable. Our Case students have had excellent experiences, enlightening internships, fine instruction, and great opportunities to get close to at least a part of the action in the political center of the nation. They are fired up when they come back to campus, ready to learn more about how politics works in Washington.”

Case Western Reserve University

Sample Private Institution Affiliates Bradley University Case Western Reserve University Clark University Colby College Dickinson College Elon University Emerson College Furman University Loyola Marymount University Mount Union College Quinnipiac University Saint Joseph’s University Stonehill College Suffolk University Texas Christian University University of San Diego Vanderbilt University Villanova University Wagner College Wake Forest University Washington College Washington University in St. Louis Xavier University And hundreds more

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Academic courses

Grading of student performance

We hire only highly qualified instructors—the large majority with both terminal degrees in their fields and successful college teaching experience. Many also bring a valuable perspective of recent or current practice into their classrooms.

Just as colleges and universities provide their own credit for students’ satisfactory completion of our internship program, they determine students’ grades. The Washington Center, however, provides the campus the documentation it needs to make this determination. This includes, in addition to a brief mid-term evaluation, final evaluations from the student’s program advisor, site supervisor and course instructor, each of whom also recommends a grade. The student’s portfolio is also sent back to the institution.

A detailed course guide is provided in advance of each term, containing academic policies, biographical information on faculty and course summaries. We can provide individual course syllabi on request. Courses and instruction are carefully assessed each term.

Tailored programming and portfolio learning

Inspection visits and requests for references encouraged

Under the guidance of their program advisors, students in our thematically-organized program areas—Political Leadership, International Affairs, Business and Management, Media and Communication, Advocacy, Service and Arts, Law and Criminal Justice, and the like—meet together as groups each week for panels, speakers, site visits, and other programming focused on their specific areas of interest.

We invite faculty and other campus representatives to visit at any time for a full orientation to our program—internships, academic courses and Leadership Forum— and to tour our facilities, including our new headquarters building and state-of-the-art academic center. If you would like to visit us, we may be able to help with the expense.

Week by week, students also compile portfolios in which they document, analyze and reflect on the experiential components of their work. Components include a learning objectives statement, résumé, analyses of lectures, a report on an informational interview, a civic engagement assignment, sample work products and an “internship defense letter” to the student’s institution explaining why the experience has been credit-worthy.

We also invite prospective partners to speak with members of our Liaison Advisory Board, who are faculty and administrators from some 40 of our affiliated institutions across the country. Please contact us if you would like selected names and contact information.

“When Wake Forest University first explored opportunities for academic internships in Washington, we conducted a thorough evaluation of The Washington Center’s (TWC) history, mission, programs, and operations. We were convinced that our partnership would serve our requirements for both academic rigor and internships that were discipline-based, experientially probing, and exceptional in quality. The high caliber, commitment, and responsiveness of the entire staff have been hallmarks of our very successful affiliation.”

Is housing provided? Yes, it is guaranteed to all accepted students. Students live in shared, fully-furnished apartments in well-established neighborhoods in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. Beginning in fall 2010, many will live in apartments in our new academic and residential facility just blocks north of Capitol Hill. All facilities are easily accessible to Washington’s Metro subway system. Student life professionals— including resident assistants assigned to each building—organize a range of activities and provide an important “safety net” in case of emergency.

What is the cost? How is it paid? The program fee (tuition) for a semester during the 2010 calendar year is $6,345, and for the summer term or quarters, is $5,455. Housing fees are $4,550 and $3,540, respectively. Students’ actual net costs vary greatly according to additional aid received from any of several sources, including their institutions, states, internship sites and The Washington Center’s own substantial financial assistance program. All told, more than 75% of Washington Center students receive some form of assistance. The program fee is set between the average tuitions of public and private institutions nationally. This enables most private colleges and universities to collect their usual tuition (students remain enrolled on the home campus), pay The Washington Center’s program fee from the amount collected, and retain the difference on campus. Again, we can provide examples of arrangements in place at like institutions.

Paul N. Orser, Ph.D. Associate Dean of the College and Campus Liaison Wake Forest University

What are the academic seminars that are available to students? Academic seminars are usually offered for one or two weeks in January and May. Students at all levels, including recent graduates, are eligible to participate. The academic seminars offer an in-depth, intensive focus of study on particular topics through lectures, site visits, tours, briefings, and special events. Past topics include Congress and the Presidency, Politics and the Media, Leaders on Leadership, the Camp David Peace Process. Our Campaign Series centers around the presidential nomination and election process and includes signature programs at the national political conventions and the presidential inauguration. Starting in 2010, we will be offering customized programming for faculty who are bringing students to Washington during spring break. The seminars provide incentives for faculty to serve as faculty leaders and to bring groups of students as part of a mini-term, summer or semester add-on course, worthy of one to two credits per week of study. They are an ideal way to introduce Washington, D.C. and its vast resources to students who can only spend a short time in Washington, D.C., and the faculty development opportunities are considerable. For upcoming seminars please visit www.twc.edu/seminars.

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Kristin Ewing Associate Director of Career Services and Campus Liaison Sweet Briar College

“I’ve enjoyed developing a close relationship with the staff at The Washington Center over the last few years, particularly as we worked together to develop an affiliation agreement that did not just satisfy the program’s requirements but most importantly worked to best fit the needs of our individual students. As a small, all-women’s liberal arts institution, Sweet Briar prides itself on providing individual, personal attention. Representatives from The Washington Center have gone above and beyond to provide this personal attention to our students.” We hope this summary clarifies why The Washington Center has become the largest organization of its kind and the partner of choice for colleges and universities. Few institutions are in a position to offer their own program in Washington. And even those that are may find that by partnering with us, they achieve their goals at a fraction of the cost, without the liability and with far more assurance of quality. We invite you to explore an affiliation between your college or university and The Washington Center. An affiliation is a simple no-cost, no-obligation agreement that spells out your institution’s preferences regarding the credit students will receive, the handling of fees, and the appointment of a campus liaison.

For more information please contact: Joseph S. Johnston, Ph.D. Senior Vice President The Washington Center 202-238-7948 [email protected] Eugene J. Alpert, Ph.D. Senior Vice President The Washington Center 202-238-7984 [email protected]

You can download a copy of our brief Institutional Affiliation Guide and the Institutional Affiliation Agreement Form at www.twc.edu/affiliation. We would of course be happy to answer any questions you may have and share arrangements set up by other private institutions.

© The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars 2009. All rights reserved. The Washington Center actively strives for equal access to its programs for all regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical challenge or veteran status. The information in this brochure is correct at the time of printing. The Washington Center reserves the right to make changes as circumstances warrant.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars 1333 16th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20036-2205 202-238-7900 Main 202-238-7700 Fax 800-486-8921 www.twc.edu 8 

Cover image by Annie Pearlman. Other images by Scott Lerman.