I am sending this on behalf of my colleague, Chayse Hurley. If you have students interested in this internship program, please feel welcome to refer them to Chayse at [log in to unmask]!

MSU has been partnering 30+ talented MSU students each summer with different City of Detroit agencies and civic organizations to address issues of economic development, civic engagement, civil rights, access to legal services, delivery of social services, among others. Our goal is to help provide additional human capital to organizations striving to make Detroit a more equitable place. Along the way, you gain professional skills and can make a positive impact on the city. 

Past MSU students have helped keep more than a 1000 families from tax foreclosure, updated the City’s GIS-maps so police and firefighters can arrive at the correct location during an emergency, helped prepare the city for the 2020 census so all residents are counted, helped revise the Jury Services Summons forms to make it more inviting and informative, and less punitive, created initiatives to reduce chronic absenteeism in schools, and launched a database system to connect local businesses so they source goods locally, keeping more dollars within the city. 

This year, InnovateGov will run for 10-weeks, tentatively June 4 to August 10. We will place you with one of our partners, depending on your interests and their needs. You intern for 30 - 35 hours per week, Monday through Thursday. In addition to enrolling in between 3 - 6 internship credits, depending on your credit needs, we also require students to register for a four-credit course (PLS 422, or ISS 315 if you haven’t completed your three-hundred level ISS course yet). For the class, we meet as a group to discuss critical issues facing Detroit, providing context for your internship experience. Besides, we frequently host lots of speakers, helping you to expand your professional network. And we organize other professionalization, team building, and culture events on Fridays. 

If you are still interested, you can apply by completing a short application form, writing a short essay expressing your interest in the program, and submitting a resume here: https://form.jotformpro.com/studyaway/ExpLearning_Application%20. Applications are due by February 15. We will interview candidates decide who is in the program by mid- to late-March. 

You can read more about the program here (https://polisci.msu.edu/undergraduate/internships/innovategov.html). I am also available to meet in person or via zoom to answer any questions.