GV PS

Public Policy Minority Fellowship Program

Public Sector Consultants (PSC), a private consulting firm located in Lansing, has established a Public Policy Minority Fellowship program to attract minority students with a passion for public policy. The program is a way to identify student talent while at the same time increase the number of minorities entering the arena of public policy analysis and development, including governmental, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations.

PSC is now in its second year of the minority fellowship program, and is seeking new candidates for the fellowship from Michigan numerous community colleges and universities. PSC is seeking more than one candidate, from among whom the final selection will be made. The fellowship position will be 40 hours/week and housed at PSC. The salary will include benefits and will be commensurate with the fellow’s qualifications, but no less than $30,000 annually. (Download psc_minority_fellowship_2008.pdf

or view PSCs website at www.pscinc.com). Applications must be submitted by May 30, 2008, at 5:00 PM EST to Public Sector Consultants, 600 West Saint Joseph St., Suite 10, Lansing, MI 48933.

Logie Fellows Program - Grand Rapids City Government Internships

John H. Logie Fellows Program
Application Deadline is April 15!
Materials are available online at www.gvsu.edu/provost .

The John H. Logie Fellows Program, named for long-standing mayor of Grand Rapids, offers students at Grand Valley State University an exceptional opportunity to experience and contribute to the operations of Grand Rapids’ city government.

The complex arena of city government offers numerous opportunities for students, whether they seek enrichment of their educations as citizen of the world or they are pursuing experiences that will help them reach particular occupational goals. Students awarded one-semester John Logie Fellowships will work in individual consultation with representatives from the City of Grand Rapids to tailor the fellowship experience to his or her specific talents and areas of interest. The first points of contact for Logie Fellows will be with the Senior Executive Staff of the City of Grand Rapids, including the City Manager, the Deputy and Assistant Managers, and their staffs, as well as with Former Mayor John H. Logie.

This fellowship is designed for any current undergraduate student of junior or senior year status or any graduate student from any discipline who would benefit from an in-depth understanding of specific aspects of city governance. The Fellows will receive tuition free course credit related to the experience for up to six hours, as appropriate to the student’s academic program. The Fellow recipient will be awarded a stipend of $1,500.

More information and application materials are available at www.gvsu.edu/provost .

Paid Community Organizing Training Program

The Direct Action & Research Training (DART) Center is currently accepting resumes from alums and spring graduating GVSU students interested in social and economic justice issues for their paid, four-month community organizing training program known as the DART Organizers Institute.

The DART Center has built non-partisan community organizations throughout the country that have won important improvements on a broad set of issues affecting low-moderate income people including:

· Education reform in low-performing public schools
· Job Training
· Drugs and Violence
· Affordable Housing
· Criminal Recidivism
· Neighborhood Revitalization, etc.

The DART Organizers Institute starts June 15, 2008 and combines a 7-day classroom with 15-week field training. Organizer Trainees will learn such things as:

· Entering a community
· Identifying and training local leaders
· Strategic planning and issue cutting
· Relationship and community building
· Direct Action on community issues
· Fundraising

This is a paid training program designed to promote successful graduates into permanent salaried positions making up to $35,000/year in starting salaries, plus benefits. Graduates from the DART Organizers Institute have gone onto accept Executive Director and Associate Community Organizing positions throughout the country. We continue to train the best of those working to build the power of low-moderate income neighborhoods to win victories on important issues in their community.

To apply, Grand Valley State University students must send an updated resume and completed application to: Ben MacConnell, the Recruitment Director at: institute@thedartcenter.org before March 17, 2008. You can also call him with questions: (785) 841-2680. To find out more about the DART center, check out our website: www.thedartcenter.org

Position Available at Law Firm

Thanks to a GVSU poli sci alum for sending this along:

Who: 1-2 current students or recent graduates
What: Part-time (20-25 hrs per week) data-entry position and other misc. legal assistant work
Where: Stenger & Stenger, P.C. 4095 Embassy Drive SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546
When: ASAP
Rate: $10.00 per hour

Flexible scheduling & opportunity for promotion.

Send resume and cover letter to:

Angela Roberts
angela@stengerlaw.com

ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship

The American Bar Association is seeking applicants for the Legal Opportunity Scholarship. Here is some information about the scholarship from the ABA:

As part of President Paul's initiative to increase diversity in the legal profession and at his request, the ABA Board of Governors, at the Annual Meeting in Atlanta, established the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund. The Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund, established within the Fund for Justice and Education, is intended to encourage racial and ethnic minority students to attend law school and to provide financial assistance to those in need.

The goals of President Paul's diversity initiative are to increase minority participation in the legal profession by encouraging members of racial and ethnic minorities to consider law as a career and to provide increased opportunities for minorities already in the profession. Financial aid to minority law students is an essential part of the initiative.

The ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarships were awarded beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year. The Scholarship Fund awards $5,000 of financial assistance annually to each scholarship recipient attending an ABA-accredited law school. Assuming the recipient achieves satisfactory performance in law school, an award made to an entering freshman may be renewed for two additional years, resulting in financial assistance totaling $15,000 during his or her time in law school. A scholarship committee, comprised of representatives from ABA entities, the national minority bar associations and at-large members, has been created to screen the applicants for the Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund.

For more information or an application, see the scholarship website.

The deadline is March 1.

Free Practice GRE, LSAT

On February 16 , Kaplan will be offering a campus-wide opportunity for students to take a free practice GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT and PCAT administered under simulated testing conditions.

Kaplan’s Practice Test, is a terrific opportunity for prospective business, graduate, law, medical and dental students to answer a critical question, "If I took the exam today, how would I score?"

Last year, tens of thousands of Kaplan Practice Test participants assessed their test-taking skills while learning valuable strategies to help them ace the real test. Since admission to law, business, grad, medical and dental school is fierce, a high score on your entrance exam can give you an edge.

We would like to invite you to participate in the 2008 Kaplan Practice Test taking place at Grand Valley State University on February 16. To register for Kaplan’s Practice Test, you may call 1-800-KAP-TEST today or visit us online at www.kaptest.com/practice.

We look forward to providing you with this valuable service.

Sincerely,

Julie Ryntz
Area Director
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
product information kaptest.com
517-332-2539
Cell: 616-340-4221
julie.ryntz@kaplan.com

Paul Henry Congressional Internship

PAUL B. HENRY CONGRESSIONAL INTERNSHIP

The GVSU Department of Political Science is now taking applications for the Henry Internship competition. The Henry Internship places a GVSU student – the “Henry Scholar” – in the Washington, D.C., offices of one of Michigan’s Representatives or Senators during the spring/summer 2008 session. The Paul B. Henry Foundation pays a stipend of $2,000 to defray the costs of travel and living expenses, and Scholars receive academic credit without tuition costs (up to 6 credits).

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible, students must have completed a minimum of 55 credits by the end of this semester (Winter 2008) and are expected to make a brief presentation about their experiences at GVSU during the 2008/09 academic year.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please submit a resume, transcript, one recommendation letter, and a 250 word essay addressing your reasons for seeking the internship and how it will help you advance your career and educational goals. Students may also identify a Senator or Representative with whom they would prefer to work, but keep in mind that placement with that legislator is not guaranteed. Turn in completed applications to Prof. Donald Zinman, Political Science Department, ASH 1127 (zinmand@gvsu.edu).

DEADLINE: February 22, 2008

The Paul B. Henry Foundation is named in honor of the late Paul B. Henry, who served West Michigan in the House of Representatives from 1985-1993.

Local Pre-law Diversity Scholarships

Warner Norcross & Judd offers two scholarship programs to promote diversity in the legal profession in the State of Michigan.

Click here for the page with both scholarships.

Minority Scholarship Program
The Firm has a Minority Scholarship Program which annually awards $5,000 to a law student, $2,000 to a paralegal student and $1,000 to a legal secretarial student. Winners are chosen by the Firm and Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Interested students should print an application and submit it by mail to the Grand Rapids Community Foundation (209C Waters Building, 161 Ottawa Avenue, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, 616.454.1751. The deadline for applying is April 15, 2008.

LSAT PREPARATION COURSE SCHOLARSHIP
The Firm recently introduced its LSAT Preparation Course Scholarship program. Each year, Warner Norcross will award up to five scholarships, maximum of $1,500 each, to minority college students in their junior year to attend a Kaplan LSAT preparation course. The scholarships will enable minority students who have an interest in attending law school to be well prepared to take the Law School Admissions Test.

Interested students should print, complete and submit the LSAT Preparation Course Scholarship application form to: WNJ LSAT Scholarship, Attention: Ms. Robin Keith, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, 900 Fifth Third Center, 111 Lyon Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2487. The deadline for applications is May 30, 2008.

For more on diversity on the legal profession and diversity scholarships, see this post.

Michigan Service Scholars Program for 2007-08

The New and Improved: Michigan Service Scholars Program for 2007-08

The Michigan Service Scholars Program (MSS) is an AmeriCorps program that encourages students to serve on their campuses and in their communities.
MSS promotes civic engagement and active citizenship among college students.

Students willing to complete 300 hours of community service during one calendar year will receive a $1,000 education award to help further their education. Service hours may be completed during the academic year and/or over class breaks, including over the summer.
The MSS program has defined "Service" into 2 categories: Volunteer Recruitment & Community Service

Volunteer Recruitment members serve to recruit other students, faculty, community members, etc. to participate in service activities for a 501(c)3 nonprofit, K-12 school or higher education institution doing community work.

Community Service members complete their hours by helping community agencies achieve their mission by volunteering in various capacities. You can do that by working the various social issues tackled by 501(c)3 nonprofit, K-12 schools or colleges/universities doing community work. Internships, service learning courses, and Federal Work Study Positions focused on community needs may qualify.

For more information, please contact the Site Supervisor - Jodi Griffin - by phone at 616.331.2468

Some additional information from Jodi:

This non-competitive program is simple. Students who will volunteer 300 hours in a calendar year are eligible for the $1,000 education award through AmeriCorps if they serve in the following capacities of Volunteer Recruitment and/or Community Service that furthers the mission within a 501©3 organization, K-12 institution or through GVSU.

Students are required to attend a one-time training through Michigan Campus Compact and are then able to start recording their hours. GVSU will also host a short training on the resources and opportunities available in our local areas and on campus. Because this is not a competitive process, anyone eligible to apply is allowed into the program up to 450 students state wide. Students who are completing an internship, and/or working through Federal Work-Study may also be eligible. The education award can be used by students for a variety of educational purposes: graduate school, current tuition/fees, student loans, etc.

Here is the website.

Internships in German Parliament (Bundestag)

Deadline November 17th, 2007 for the DAAD EMGIP- Program 2008

EMGIP (Émigré Memorial German Internship Program) offers internship opportunities for US and Canadian students in the German parliament, the Bundestag. The internships are two months long in positions matching the student’s interest and experience. Interns will be placed with their preferred Fraktion, Ausschuss, with individual members of the Bundestag and their offices. In addition to contributing to the respective offices, interns have the opportunity to study legislative and administrative procedures in the German parliament.

For more information please visit our website:

http://www.daad.org/?p=53287

http://www.daad.org/page/53438/