Student Information
Paid internship with a non-profit
+ credit seminar course =
Comenius Scholars
Application deadline for spring 2010 semester was Monday, October 12
Apply
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.
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 for 10-15 hours per week for one semester, and be paid minimum wage ($7.40)
- 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 and fall 2009.
See photos from fall 2008 and spring 2009.
Read an article about the Comenuis Scholars Program and another about what two Comenius interns participating in ACCESS' poverty simulation.
Employer 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
- 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.
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 minimum wage ($7.40) for their internship.
- Community partners contribute 50% of this wage, with Calvin providing the remaining 50% of the intern's wages for 150 hours of work or less (spring 2010 semester).
- Community partners may pay the student more if desired, though Calvin will only reimburse for 50% of minimum wage.
- For students who work 150 hours over the 12 weeks (12.5 hours per week) the employer portion is $550.
- Calvin pays the students during the semester. 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 become financially self-sustaining. 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
Post your position online, and be sure to check the box for "Comenius Scholars" near the bottom of the form.
Employer questions
Contact Laurie Lemmen
laurie@calvin.edu
(616) 526-8744
