Student Information
Paid internship with a non-profit
+ credit seminar course =
Comenius Scholars
Application deadline for spring 2013 semester was Oct 15 at 8:00 a.m.
Apply
The Comenius (pronounced kuh-mee-nee-uhs) Scholars Program is a paid, for-credit internship program for liberal arts students to work in non-profit organizations.
Interns are paid at least a $500 stipend for 120-140 hours of work. Some employers will pay more than $500. If you are work-study eligible and select a work-study eligible internship site, you will be paid minimum wage ($7.40/hour) through Calvin's payroll.
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.
Student Information
Who should apply?
- students from liberal arts majors (e.g. philosophy, history, religion, IDS, foreign languages, etc, not professional programs like nursing, education and engineering)
- students whose major does not already offer a local credit internship course option - see list of current credit internship courses
- students whose GPA is 3.0 or above preferred
- students with a career goal to be a leader in non-profit administration
Course credit
- 3 credit hour seminar course, IDIS 385, taught by Mark Fackler of the CAS department
- includes guest speakers from the non-profit community teaching about their areas of expertise
Once you're accepted...
- a list of possible internships will be made available to you, and you will apply for those that interest you
- you can also find your own position; however, it will need to be approved by the Comenius program coordinators and director, and internships on Calvin's campus do NOT qualify
- you'll work at your internship site 120-140 hours over the course of the semester and will be paid at least $500, possibly more depending on the employer (employers will indicate pay rate on their internship postings)
- you must arrange your own transportation to and from the internship
Selection criteria
- major, year in school (juniors and seniors preferred), GPA, disciplinary status and desire to work in a non-profit organization as a career
- students who have a local credit internship course available in their major will not be considered
- limited to 25 students per semester
- students who are accepted will be required to complete approximately one hour of training on resume writing, interviewing, etc.
Student questions
Contact Beth Cok
bcok@calvin.edu
(616) 526-8519
See a list of Comenius Scholars placements for spring 2007, fall 2007, spring 2008, fall 2008, spring 2009, fall 2009, spring 2010, fall 2010, spring 2011 and fall 2011.
Employer Information
Calvin College invites you to join us as a community partner in the Comenius Scholars program. This internship program provides paid, for-credit internships for liberal arts students working in non-profit organizations. The program aims to
- offer young people responsible apprenticeship positions in the non-profit sector
- provide non-profit organizations the abilities and enthusiasm of liberally educated college interns
- 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 organizational 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 through a grant from the McGregor Foundation.
Coursework
An on-campus seminar, facilitated by Professor of Communications Mark Fackler, 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. See sample syllabus.
Finances
- Students are paid at least a $500 stipend, paid by your organization at the end of the internship for 120-140 hours of work
- Community partners may pay the student more if desired (for example, a stipend of $750 or $1,000, or an hourly wage); paying more may increase your candidate pool
- 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.
Requirements
The non-profit organization must:
- have a supervisor/mentor to work with the intern
- be willing to pay at least a $500 stipend
- provide the intern with work for 120-140 hours over a 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
Post your position online, and be sure to check the box for "Comenius Scholars" near the bottom of the form.
Documents
Goal planning form
Performance evaluation
Employer questions
Contact Laurie Lemmen
laurie@calvin.edu
(616) 526-8744
