Guidelines for Master s of Public Administration Internship Paper

Transcription

1 Guidelines for Master s of Public Administration Internship Paper Purpose: The purpose of a public administration internship is to provide the student with experience in a practical setting of a public or non-profit agency. The student is to experience the real life day to day dynamics of the organization for which he or she is assigned. Daily Journal: It is important that the student keep a journal of each day working within the agency. It is significant to note the assignments given by supervisors and how you accomplished them. If you develop a policy or other written product as part of your assignment is important to include this within your internship paper. It is important to observe and note the management styles of superiors and other supervisors and record your observations. Objectives of Internship: When you were given permission to take an internship with a specific agency, the permission form lists the projects and work assignments that the agency has agreed to provide. Your paper should reflect and emphasize these projects and assignments. Once you are actively involved in the internship, should these assignments or projects change, you should discuss this change with the Graduate Internship Coordinator promptly! Writing the Paper: As with any professional paper presented to the faculty, the paper should be typed and bound in some manner. The initial section of the paper should describe the setting and structure of the agency of which you have been assigned. The objectives you were assigned and how you went about accomplishing them should be described. A typed version of your daily journal should be included (see above for content). Finally, the paper should include an assessment of what you learned. What management styles did you observe (positive or negative) and what did you learn from this observation? Were there political influences that you observed? Also assess from your perspective the efficiency or effectiveness of your element of the agency and what you learned. Interject your value system and what you have been taught by the faculty in this assessment. Detail how this internship experience will help you become an effective and productive public or non-profit employee and how you believe it will advance your career. Do not copy policies and procedure not developed by you for inclusion within the paper unless they have some direct relevance to a theme you are using in your paper!

2 AGREEMENT BETWEEN INTERNSHIP AGREEMENT (Student) (Organization) AND Master of Public Administration Program at Department of Political Science, EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY This agreement is made and entered into this day of, 20, by and between the Master of Public Administration Program, and. (Student) (Organization) Whereas, the Master of Public Administration Program desire to enrich the Master of Public Administration experiences of the above named student through an applied educational experience; and Whereas, the Master of Public Administration program desires to facilitate appropriate and related work experience for students through the internship program in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. The Master of Public Administration Program, and (Student) (Organization) agree to the following: 1. RESPONSILBILITIES: a. The Master of public Administration Program and (Organization) shall agree to a schedule of assignments, (Student) including number of hours worked and duties assigned. b. The Master of Public Administration Program and (Organization) shall each designate a supervisor to work with to (Student) facilitate a meaningful learning experience. c. Each party shall keep the other informed changes in program and assigned duties. d. The Master of Public Administration Program shall have the right to

3 exclude a student from the internship experience in the event that the Program or the Organization determine that the individual is not performing satisfactorily or is interfering with the Organization s operations; provided, however, that the person has been made aware of the intent to release him/her and has been given the opportunity to respond prior to the release. e. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, color, creed, sex, national origin, or physical disability in either the selection of students desiring to serve internships. However, with the respect to disability, the disability must not be such as would, even with reasonable accommodation, in and of itself preclude the student s effective participation in the program. f. Students serving as interns in the Organization under this Agreement shall not be deemed employees or agents of the Master of Public Administration Program or East Carolina University by reason of such assignment. Neither the Master of Public Administration Program nor East Carolina University shall be responsible for payment to students of any salary, wages, nor employment-related benefits, including but not limited to workers compensation benefits. Although compensation is not a required element of the internship experience, the Master of Public Administration Program encourages compensated internship by Organization because a compensated internship more closely replicates the workplace relationship. g. The Organization shall provide written communication to the Master of Public Administration Program regarding the student s experience including an evaluation of his/her duties at the Organization. Additionally, the Director of the Master of Public Administration Internship Program shall evaluate student performance based on academic requirements. h. The Master of Public Administration Program shall keep on file and make available upon request to all assigned students a copy of this Agreement. i. The Organization agrees that all personally identifiable information about the students provided by the University under this Agreement shall be treated as confidential, shall be used only in furtherance of this Agreement and shall not be further disclosed without the student s written consent except as required by law. 2. GENERAL PROVISIONS: a. This Agreement shall last during the duration of the internship experience of the student at this internship site.

4 b. Any written communication regarding this Agreement shall be made to the following representative of the respective parties at the following addresses: For Master of Public Administration Program: Contact Person: East Carolina University Greenville, NC For the Organization: Contact Person: Address: Phone: Phone: c. This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties (Master of Public Administration Program, Student, and Organization s Supervisor) and shall not be altered, amended, or modified, except by an agreement in writing among the above designated individuals. d. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina. For the Master of Public Administration Program Signature: Title: Date: For the Organization: Signature: Date: Title: For the Student: Student: Signature: Date:

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6 GRADUATE REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE AN INDIVIDUAL STUDY COURSE NAME: DATE: ECU BANNER ID: TERM: COURSE: PADM 6898 SECTION: 001 Faculty member administering study: Robert J. Thompson Topic of Study: Politics and Policy of Public Higher Education in America Brief Outline for requirements and course content: The focus of this independent research course will be on the development, operation, and public policy decision-making processes affecting contemporary public higher education in the United States. Access, affordability, and accountability are seen as the three most pressing public policy issues facing institutions of higher education today and will serve as the integrating themes of the course. Attention will be paid to how both federal and state public policy processes address and affect these issues. The course, readings and assignments will be organized around the following six topics: The development of higher education in the United States Governance: Who governs what? Access: To what, for whom and where? Affordability: Show me the money! Accountability: For what, to whom and how? Whither now? The course grade will be based on the student s weekly performance in discussing the reading materials and in demonstrating a comprehension of the linkages between the different topics. The discussions will count for 30% of the course grade. The three short papers will be prepared over the course of the term with one due approximately after four weeks of meetings, the second due after seven weeks, and the third due after ten weeks of meetings. These papers should be professionally prepared and should be based on an aspect of the readings covered during this period in question. The papers should be 5-7 pages in length with proper footnotes and citations. Each of these papers will count 15% of the course grade, for a total of 45%. The longer paper, minimum pages, should likewise be professionally prepared and is due four days after the last meeting. It should explore some aspect of higher education policy and politics about which you would like to know more. The topic should be discussed with the instructor prior to committing yourself too extensively. This paper will count for 25% of the course grade. James J. Duderstadt and Farris W. Womack, (2003) The Future of the Public University in America: Beyond the Crossroads, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Philip G. Altbach, Robert O. Berd, and Patricia J. Gumport, eds. (2005) American Higher Education in the Twenty- First Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Donald E. Heller, ed., (2003) The States and Public Higher Education Policy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Other readings will be drawn from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Change, and other higher education sources.

7 Approved: (Instructor) Approved: (MPA Director) (Date) (Date) Copy to: Student Faculty Member Department File

8 GRADUATE REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE AN INTERNSHIP IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Name: Date: Banner ID: Term: This document specifies the terms of this internship as the agency representative, the Internship Director and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) student has agreed. Duration of Internship: From to. (Date) (Date) Total number of hours: hours. Internship Projects and/or Work Assignments: We understand our roles and agree to terms provided for this internship. Agency Representative: Signature: Name: (Please Print Name) Title: Address: Telephone: Date: