PSSI: Public Service Summer Internships
PSSI connects 12 – 15 F&M students with a paid 8-week internship opportunity that thoughtfully exposes them individually to the mission and inner workings of a nonprofit or government entity while also engaging them as a cohort in the exploration of broader societal issues.
A core element of each PSSI experience includes the opportunity for PSSI interns to help a nonprofit or government entity explore, expand and/or evaluate efforts to address current or emerging social issues and/or community needs/opportunities in a way that they may not otherwise be able to due to a lack of resources and/or limited capacity.
F&M underwrites every PSSI student’s experience by providing them with a generous stipend.
PSSI
The Public Service Summer Internship (PSSI) program began in 1994 in response to an institutional belief that a true liberal education includes making meaningful contributions to one's community. Interns are paid a $3,500 stipend by the College and work full-time for eight weeks in the summer.
What Interns Do
Under the guidance of carefully selected mentor-supervisors, interns work full-time on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on-site at various community benefit organizations.
Every Wednesday, interns come together on campus for discussions, reflection, workshops while also engaging them as a cohort in the exploration of broader societal issues.
Program Dates: June 6-August 3, 2018
PSSI training takes place June 6-8 and internships begin June 11 and end August 3. You must be available June 6-August 3.
Questions?
Contact Ann Hughes, Director, the Ware Institute.
Internship Descriptions
Application Dates:
February 14-March 12, 2018
Students are required to submit their resume as part of the application process. Be sure to have an updated PDF of your resume ready to upload before starting the application.
Students may apply for up to three internships on the application.
To be eligible for the PSSI program, F&M students must:
- Be rising Juniors or Seniors
- Have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher
- Not be on academic or disciplinary probation
- Pass a criminal background check
- Demonstrate a strong desire to immerse themselves in the everyday work of a local nonprofit or government entity to address social issues.
Each PSSI student experience will include:
- Ownership of and/or responsibility for at least one specific project or task.
- The opportunity to present results of project/task to direct supervisor and/or organizational leaders in either a formal oral and/or written format.
- A direct supervisor from within the partnering organization who agrees to:
- Serve as a positive role model and mentor who provides day-to-day oversight of the PSSI student experience while also thoughtfully including the PSSI student in opportunities to expand organizational and community issue personal knowledge base beyond day-to-day activities.
- Expose the PSSI student to a variety of aspects of how said community partner brings mission to life and measures its success.
- Discussion, discovery and reflection with a peer group around assigned social issue, efforts to address them, exposure to best practices and community/societal impact. Includes final oral presentation of group findings and recommendations around assigned Lancaster County-specific issue.
- A 40 hour per week commitment from June 11 – August 3, 2018 that includes four 8 hour days on-site at community partner site and one 8 hour day spent with PSSI student cohort.
- Participation in 24 hours of PSSI cohort training from June 6 – 8, 2018.
- A stipend in the sum of $3,500 underwritten and paid in full by Franklin & Marshall College.
My PSSI Experience