Paid Internship with a Non-Profit Organization +
Credit Seminar Course =
Comenius Scholars

Thanks to a grant by the McGregor Foundation, Calvin College created the Comenius (pronounced kuh-mee-nee-uhs) Scholars Program, a paid, for-credit internship program for liberal arts students to work in non-profit organizations.

Similar to the federal work-study program, Calvin pays a portion of the student wages and the employer pays a portion. See a list of Comenius Scholars placements for spring 2007, fall 2007 and spring 2008. Starting in the spring 2008, non-profit organizaitons will pay a third of minimum wage (although Work-Study eligible students will continue to be supported with 75% of their pay).

Student Information

If you are a student from a liberal arts major (e.g. English, philosophy, history, foreign languages, etc, not professional programs like nursing, education, and engineering) with a career goal to be a leader in non-profit administration, apply to be a Comenius Scholar!

You will have the opportunity to obtain a paid internship in a non-profit organization and receive credit for attending accompanying courses related to non-profit leadership. The 3 credit hour seminar course, IDIS 385, facilitated by Prof. Kurt Schaefer, includes speakers who are leaders in the non-profit community teaching you about their areas of expertise.

Once you are accepted into the program, a list of possible internships will be made available to you, and you will apply for those that interest you. When you have been hired for an internship, you will work at your internship site for between 10-15 hours per week for one semester, and receive minimum wage ($7.15) as compensation. A Comenius Scholars internship will help you build a strong resume, deepen your understanding of how non-profit organizations run, and assist you in determining your vocational calling.

Selection criteria include major, year in school (juniors and seniors preferred), GPA, disciplinary status, and desire to work in a non-profit organization as a career. Preference is given to students who do not have a for-credit internship program already established in their major. This program is limited to 25 students. Students who are accepted will be required to complete approximately one hour of training regarding resume writing, interviewing, etc. prior to gaining access to the list of open internships.

Apply now if you're interested in being considered for this program. The student application deadline for the fall 2008 Comenius Scholars Program is March 30.

Non-Profit Employers Information

Calvin College invites you to join us as a community partner in the Comenius Scholars program. This internship program, developed through a $250,000 grant received from the McGregor Foundation, provides paid, for-credit internships for liberal arts students working in non-profit organizations. The program aims to
(1) offer young people responsible apprenticeship positions in the non-profit sector;
(2) provide non-profit organizations the abilities and enthusiasm of liberally educated college interns; and
(3) link students and organizations in relationships with deliberate goal-setting, accountability, mentoring, and training in non-profit leadership and management.

This internship program will nurture students' sense of civic responsibility through leadership building and experiential learning. Appropriate projects for students include those related to organizationl leadership, strategic planning, resource management, marketing, communication, fundraising, grant writing, volunteer coordination, working with boards, event planning, etc. The program began during the spring 2007 semester with 22 students.

COURSEWORK: An on-campus seminar, facilitated by Professor of Economics Kurt Schaefer, is a 3 credit class for students, touching on a variety of topics related to non-profit leadership. Internship supervisors are invited to attend the seminars free-of-charge.

FINANCES: Students are paid minimum wage for their internship ($7.15). Community partners involved in the Comenius Scholars program contribute 1/3 of this wage, with Calvin providing the remaining 2/3 of the intern's wages for 150 hours of work or less. Community partners may pay the student more if desired, though Calvin will only reimburse for 2/3 of minimum wage. (For students who work 150 hours over the 12 weeks-or 12.5 hours per week-the employer portion is around $358). Calvin pays the students hourly during the semester, though the work supervisor signs the intern's time cards every other week. The community partner is billed for their portion of the wages at the end of the semester.

Some Comenius Scholars are eligible for the Federal Work-Study Program (W-S). These students' wages will be paid from W-S funds, and the employer will be charged for 25% of the wages.

We intend that each student's internship will include activity related to expanding the employer's funding base so that the Comenius positions can gradually become financially self-sustaining. Students will work with their community-partners and their professor to develop a financial plan to build funding for a sustainable internship by the fifth year of the program. Community partners' contribution to their interns' wages will gradually increase over the years.

REQUIREMENTS: The non-profit organization must:

• Have a supervisor/mentor to work with the intern
• Be willing to pay their portion of the intern's wages
• Provide the intern with work for 10-15 hours per week for 10-12 weeks (we will reimburse for a maximum of 150 hours over the semester)
• Develop a brief description of the internship position to post at Calvin, and select their own intern from the students who apply (Note: Calvin will review position proposals and offer preference to those with more challenging work assignments. Positions not filled by a Comenius Scholar can be posted for the general student body.)
• Be willing to sign an internship agreement and fill out an evaluation of the student's performance

POST YOUR POSITION: If you would like to post an opening for a Comenius Scholar to work in your organization, post your position online, and be sure to check the box for "Comenius Scholars" near the bottom of the form.

QUESTIONS? Contact Laurie Lemmen.

See photos from our fall 2007 Comenius Scholars Reception.