Human Rights, Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice Internships

Overview

Thanks to the generous support of IWU alumni from the class of 1970, the Fund for Human Rights, Environmental Sustainability, and Social Justice, to be administered by the Center for Human Rights & Social Justice, has been established for the purpose of supporting relevant student internships and campus programming in these thematic areas.

During Fall 2024, the Center for Human Rights & Social Justice will offer up to $1,700 in individual stipends to qualified students who complete human rights, environmental sustainability, and social justice internships and demonstrate a career interest in one of these fields.

Assistance will be offered both to students who have already secured an internship placement but are in need of additional financial assistance and to students who are pursuing new internship opportunities that have not been previously established on a formal basis. Preference will be given to those students with first-, second-, and third-year standing. Students awarded internship support commit to sharing the results of the internship experience by participating in a public forum on campus after its completion.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the steering committee for the IWU Fund for Human Rights, Environmental Sustainability, & Social Justice and recipients will be selected based on

• Expressed commitment to human rights, environmental sustainability, and social justice
• Relevance of the proposed internship experience to one or more of these themes
• Depth of academic and experiential preparation
• Demonstrated value of the internship to the student's current and future courses of study and/or post-graduation plans.

Awards

Awards are based on internship costs, but the maximum award amount is $1,700.

Unless the HRESSJ internship is taken for academic credit, the award is considered taxable income.

Location

Internships may take place locally, elsewhere within the United States, or abroad. Internships abroad cannot occur in any country under a Level 3 or Level 4 State Department Travel Advisory. For a current listing, visit travel.state.gov.

Application Process

To start an application to the Fund for Human Rights, Environmental Sustainability, & Social Justice for internship support, click HERE.

A complete application will include:

1. An HRESSJ application form
2. The HRESSJ Short Answer Questions form
3. For students who have already applied for or been offered an internship, the HRESSJ Supplemental Questions form
4. An estimated budget
5. Two academic letters of reference

Applications are due Friday, November 15, 2024.

For More Information

• William Munro - Betty Ritchie-Birrer '47 and Ivan Birrer, Ph.D., Endowed Professor and Chair of Political Science, wmunro@iwu.edu
• Warren Kistner - Director, Hart Career Center, wkistner@iwu.edu
• Deborah Halperin - Director, Center for Engaged Learning, dhalperi@iwu.edu