OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi students can gain
practical experience in the nation’s capital through the
Washington Internship Experience program developed by the
Lott Leadership Institute, Department of Political Science
and Division of Outreach.
The WIE integrates course work and internships for 20
students during fall, spring and summer terms.
“We believe that this unique opportunity to study and work
in our nation’s capital will be a valuable experience for
students,” said William R. Gottshall, executive director of
the Lott Leadership Institute. “One of our goals at the
institute is to prepare our students to assume positions of
leadership. Serving in Washington, D.C., will broaden our
students’ perception of our nation and the world.”
The political science department has offered informal
internships in the past, but the WIE adds an
interdisciplinary approach that includes history, criminal
justice and other fields, said Richard Forgette, professor
and chair of political science. It also takes the
internship experience to the next level.
“It’s a way to get firsthand knowledge and a feel for how
D.C. works,” Forgette said. “This can be a life-changing
and career-changing experience. Then when the participants
come back to school, they share that experience in class
with other students, and that’s beneficial to everyone.”
Matt Minyard, a junior from Vicksburg majoring in political
science, agreed.
“I applied because I really want to understand how
government works,” Minyard said. “It has such enormous
power to affect lives. I’m looking forward to being in the
middle of it all.”
Students can apply the same university, state and federal
aid available to them on campus to their terms in
Washington, making the experience accessible to more
students from a variety of backgrounds.
“Before now, many students didn’t have the time,
opportunity or financial ability to participate in this
kind of internship,” Forgette said. “But with the WIE,
we’ve made it so that every student has the chance to go to
Washington and get this experience.”
As part of the program, the students live together and
attend classes while working 32 hours per week as interns
in government, the media or a national institution.
The cornerstone of the program is a mandatory Washington
Policy Process seminar, which meets once a week to hear
guest speakers from various areas of leadership. Using the
vast resources available in the area, students plan and
execute a research project that culminates in a term paper
incorporating knowledge achieved through the entirety of
the program. Students also take an additional six-to-nine
hours of academic credit.
WIE is open to junior, senior and graduate students.
Second-year sophomores also may apply at their department
chair’s discretion. The program is open to all majors.
William Gillis, a senior business major from Columbus,
plans to intern in Washington during the spring semester.
“The Washington Internship Experience will help me
understand how business and politics work together in
developing and implementing public policy,” Gillis said.
“What happens in Washington affects everyone. I want to be
knowledgeable about the process.”
Participants pay regular on-campus tuition and fees, plus
the cost of housing, transportation, books and supplies,
and food. Applications to WIE for summer 2008 must be
submitted on or before Feb. 28.
For more information, go to
http://outreach.olemiss.edu/washington?internship.