GGE Internships

Introduction
These guidelines serve as a basic overview of our summer internship program. Most host organizations for this program adapt to it through mutual accommodation or previous work with one of our interns. By the same token, we exercise similar flexibility, so that interns meet requirements specific to different placements.

Overview of the Summer Internship
The internship program is administered each summer by a selected faculty member from the department. Students register for 3, 6, 9, or 12 semester hours of credit in the course "G&ES 450 - Internship". The course is open to all students of the University who qualify under the program requirements.

Eligibility
Students of good academic standing who show an acceptable level of maturity and responsibility. Most typically, juniors and seniors are accepted as interns. Placements are searched out in both the public and private sectors, in the Slippery Rock area or elsewhere, depending upon the student's home community or travel capabilities.

Finances
The University does not provide funds to pay interns. Most internships are unpaid and are intended to give the student experience in their chosen field. However, some agencies do provide a stipend. This is most welcome and does not conflict with the guidelines of the program. Those host organizations, public or private, that may provide a stipend which is less than the minimum wage are not in violation of labor laws. Department of Labor rulings cover internships separately in this regard.

Host Organization Responsibilities
An organization that accepts one of our interns is responsible for: 1) attempting to integrate that student into the organization's activities; 2) providing supervision for the student during the internship; 3) planning a range of activities for the student; 4) providing the program representative with a summary of the proposed activities sometime before, or early into, the internship; 5) keeping up their part in correspondence with the program representative; 6) providing the opportunity for visitation by the University program representative, if geographical distance permits; and 7) participating in an evaluation of the student at the close of the field experience.

Intern's Responsibilities
The student, in acceptance of an internship, agrees to: 1) abide by the rules and regulations of the host agency; 2) keep all matters confidential that are so designated by the host organization; 3) maintain a professional demeanor during the internship; 4) maintain contact with the University program; and 5) meet the academic requirements of this program.

Internship Program Representative's Responsibilities
The representative of the department who is responsible for managing the summer internship program will: 1) explain the program to the host organization whenever requested; 2) maintain contact with the host organization and student by mail, telephone, and/or in person; 3) arrange a visit to observe the student's performance and meet with the student's supervisor at the host organization if geographic distance is not prohibitive; and 4) be available to mutually solve any problems that may arise during the internship.

Student's Academic Requirements
There are some very important academic requirements in this program. Briefly stated they are: 1) maintaining a daily journal; 2) presenting a written project proposal; and 3) preparing a final term paper. In addition, students are expected to prepare themselves for the faculty visitation and to be available for a seminar if one is scheduled within a reasonable distance of the student's placement. The journal consists of a log of activities, plus comments on those activities, as well as questions that are raised during the time a student is in the field. The academic paper should be tied to some facet of the student's experience, but is not a summary of those experiences . Interns are given instructions on this paper and are advised to share these with supervisory personnel in the host organization, when feasible. There is no prohibition of assistance to interns by persons in the host organization when it comes to planning the academic paper. Indeed, this is highly encouraged.

Grading and Evaluation
The internship course receives a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) as determined by the academic supervisor. The grade is based partly on the academic requirements and partly on the evaluation of the intern's performance which is completed by the agency supervisor. The program provides a form for this purpose, but any standard form the agency uses, or a letter of evaluation, would be acceptable if the agency supervisor prefers such an instrument.

Contact Persons
 
Internship coordinator for G&ES students:
Dr. Langdon Smith
336 Advanced Technology and Science Hall
Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA 16057-1326
Phone: (724) 738-2389
Fax: (724) 738-4217
Email: langdon.smith@sru.edu
Homepage: click here.

Internship coordinator for EGEO students:
Dr. Michael Stapleton
333 Advanced Technology and Science Hall,
Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA 16057-1326
Phone: (724) 738-2495
Fax: (724) 738-4217
Email: michael.stapleton@sru.edu
Homepage: click here.

Department Chair:
Dr. Jack Livingston
330 Advanced Technology and Science Hall
Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA 16057-1326
Phone: (724) 738-2388
Fax: (724) 738-4217
Email: click here.
Homepage: click here.

Any questions? Contact the department by email or phone: (724.738.2048).