UH Mānoa offering Congressional, legislative internships

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: Nov 18, 2009

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is offering its students new internships with Hawai‘i’s Congressional delegation, and is expanding its state legislative internship program starting in the Spring 2010 semester.
 
At least three U.S. Congressional Interns will be selected to work in Washington, D.C., in the offices of Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation. Scholarship funding will cover a full semester’s tuition and earn every intern 15 credits toward graduation. Also covered are the costs of air fare to and from Washington, D.C., paid dormitory housing, a food and winter clothing allowance, and a stipend for incidentals. 
 
The State Legislative Intern Program will place several students on the staffs of legislators in both the Hawai‘i House of Representatives and Senate. The stipend for this internship has been increased to $4,000, and covers the period while the 2010 State Legislature is in session. Each participating student will earn 15 credits toward graduation. 
 
“Crucial to the mission of UH Mānoa is giving our students the opportunity for real-world experiences that will help prepare them for their future careers. The new Congressional Intern Program and revitalized State Legislative Intern programs are perfect examples of this,” said Reed Dasenbrock, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “Assisting our students to be able to participate in national politics in Washington also shows them that Mānoa can be a great jumping off point to experience the rest of the world.”
 
The deadline for the Hawaii Legislative Internship program has been extended to Wednesday, December 4, 2009.   The program is limited to full-time UH Mānoa juniors and seniors in good academic standing, with a minimum 3.0 grade point average.
 
The deadline for the U.S. Congressional Internship passed on November 16, 2009, and the selection committee is preparing to review the applications received.
 
“Both the State Legislative and the Congressional internship programs provide a great opportunity for experiential learning,” said Jon Matsuda of Outreach College. “The students are able to validate previously learned academic concepts as they observe and participate in the legislative decision-making process.”
 
Added Lawrence Nitz, a professor of political science, “There are very few open opportunities for students to represent their university in the nation’s capitol, so this U.S. Congressional internship is something we have long dreamed of offering to students.”
 
For more information, call Matsuda at 956-6780, send an e-mail Nitz at lnitz@hawaii.edu, or see the Outreach College Web site at (http://www.outreach.hawaii.edu/InternPrgs/Legislative.asp).