Skills through Experience

You can be one of the hundreds of students who have completed thousands of projects for nonprofits and government organizations in Onondaga County and throughout the world since 1979.

You begin as a consultant in PST 315: Methods of Public Analysis and Presentation by working with a nonprofit or government client to produce a basic report on data made available by the client.

After the 315 experience, you are ready to work for credit and sometimes pay with staff from all over the university, local government bodies like the City of Syracuse, or nonprofits like Home Headquarters or the Boys and Girls Club. You conduct basic research, develop proposals, write grants, implement new software, or provide general assistance. 

These opportunities are offered through several different sections of courses entitled PAF 410: Practicum in Public Policy as well as experience credit and independent study courses. They are offered through off-campus programs.

Some services we provide include, but are not limited to:

• Grant preparation: trained students write grants for nonprofit organizations
• Program evaluation
• Database design: students help develop databases in Microsoft Excel
• Design, conduct, and analyze surveys
• Tax advising under for people to complete their income tax forms

Tutoring, educational programs, and administrative services: students are assigned between 5 and 90 hours to provide services requested by organizations.

The sooner you start working in the local Syracuse community, the better. 

As a first-year student, you will start to practice the skills you need for a professional career and show your commitment to be a responsible citizen. The Policy Studies program offers PST 110: Practicum in Public Service, which is taught by Michelle Walker, director of community programs for Policy Studies. PST 110 meets five times a semester and generates one academic credit.

The classes discuss experience and observations about the Syracuse Community. Ms. Walker also supports internships for other courses and has established several programs at nearby Wilson Park. The biggest program, 'Cuse Spot, is held during the Syracuse City School District’s February week-long vacation. She also works closely with the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Community and Public Service.

Contact Ms.Walker by email at mawalker@maxwell.syr.edu for more information or to schedule an appointment. 

Think of internships as playing in the minor league in baseball or on a college basketball team as an important step to making it in the pros. Internship and jobs are important to your career and citizenship success in two very different ways. (Note that while most people talk about internships, jobs in college can be just as important, if not more important, than internships.)

First, an internship or job will allow you to test if you actually like a career that is similar to your internship, and if you have the skills to succeed in the field. Finding out what you like to do and are good at can only happen in an internship or job while you are in college.

Second, you will develop almost all of the 10 skills sets in your internships. You will have stories to tell to your interviewers when you get have a job interview. Resumes can list your skills, but you have to convince your prospective employers by your stories of what you have done. Policy Studies majors have several products they can show their interviewers that are much more convincing than listing skills on a resume.

The Policy Studies program provides many avenues to obtaining an internship during the academic year and in the summer. While completing PST 410:1, Nonprofit Organization and Government, you will gain 90 hours of internship experience.