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Policy
Studies Requirements |
Course
Guide |
Online Policy Studies Booklet
| "Doing Good" By Renée Levy The Maxwell School's major in policy studies, offered via the undergraduate Public Affairs Program, has built a reputation for graduating students with the goal of making the world a better place and the skills to actually do it. >> read it here "Genuine Do-Gooder" As the long-time director of Public Affairs, Bill Coplin has become something of an icon within the Maxwell undergraduate community. >> read it here Doing Good and
Teaching Well An article about the involvement of former Maxwell and Policy Studies students in Teach For America. Click here to read the article.
The Internship Divide Cokie Roberts, a political commentator for ABC News, told a group of congressional interns last year that unpaid internships are "something that really makes me nuts" because they make it "more difficult for people who don't have economic advantages to catch up." If my experience at Syracuse University is typical of faculty around the country, Cokie has a point. One star student of mine spent summers driving a forklift to pay his tuition bills rather than exploring his career options through internships. It took him nearly six years after college to move beyond bartending and into law school. Much like the digital divide and the many other gaps in educational performance and opportunity, a divide exists between those students who get internships and those who don't. Students from well-heeled families can take unpaid internships; the rest have to earn money in the summer to support their ever-increasing tuition payments. Paid internships range from $500 to cover transportation to more lucrative internships that might yield $6,000 or more for a 10-week stint. The ones that pay serious money, such as those from Microsoft or GE, are highly competitive, as are high-level government internships such as those with the FBI and CIA. These dream internships require previous experience and a strong academic record, both of which are less likely as the income level of the student's parents diminishes. There are always exceptions, of course. As a rule, though, the disadvantaged remain that way in this arena. Who you know The recruitment process for internships is subject to nepotism and cronyism. Access is key, and that access often begins with family contacts. The Web gives everyone equal access to thousands of positions through search engines, but it does not match personal connections available to those whose parents are themselves connected. The rule of privilege can be offset in some cases, such as programs of government and non-profit organizations. AmeriCorps provides cooperating non-profit organizations with money to hire more than 25,000 students across the country with paid positions and direct educational subsidies. Programs such as INROADS, a non-profit started in 1970, specifically seek to help "ethnically diverse students." Universities can do their part to level the playing field by: Not charging tuition for summer internships for full-time academic year students. Providing more summer stipends for students who take unpaid or low-paid internships, often from non-profit organizations. Beefing up the field work that they offer for credit during the academic year. Some colleges have taken one or more of these steps to aid students. All need to do more. Even so, a solution doesn't need to come from academia. Government can play a role, too. For example, the New York Legislature offers a paid spring semester program in which students register in their home school and earn 15 hours of academic credit in a rigorous program managed by academics. In return, the legislators receive high-caliber labor at a very low cost. Talk about win-win. The reality of it The truth, though, is that changes such as the ones I propose would help too few students. Those born to parents who don't have the money or the educational background will be less likely to land quality internships. Even so, they should not be deterred. They will have to work harder, longer and smarter than those who are advantaged. This, they can control. A student of mine whose mother had been on welfare graduated five years ago and is now a well-paid consultant. He spent his college years interning at non-profit agencies and for Syracuse's Center for Community and Public Service. In one internship, he started an educational program in a housing project near the campus. That experience, in addition to his strong intellect, landed him that consulting job. And he still e-mails me with stories about how he gives back to the community. Stories like his won't drive Cokie nuts. If only there were more stories like his. Bill Coplin is a professor of public policy at the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University, and author of 10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College.
Student Accomplishments for 2003-04: (The program is relatively small with about 60 graduating majors a year.)
High performance on the job market. Two were offered GE Management Training positions, one took it. A high percentage of students had jobs with serious career potential by graduation or were accept to graduate school. Newsletters:To look at the newsletter, you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. If you don't have it or have trouble accessing the newsletter, click here. Downloads: For more information, contact the Public Affairs Office. |
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