D.C. Internship with Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations
Vanderbilt University’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Federal Relations is seeking an enthusiastic Vanderbilt University student interested in higher education and science public policy for a summer internship. This internship will provide you with a firsthand look at the federal policymaking process and the role that advocates play in influencing public policy.
As one of the nation’s top research universities, Vanderbilt plays an important role in the federal policy-making process. Both as a recipient of federal research and student aid funding, and as an expert provider of cutting-edge research and analysis, Vanderbilt’s voice is vital to the consideration of national policy issues. Among the many topics on which the Office of Federal Relations focuses are higher education policy; student aid; international student access; funding for research in science, engineering and the humanities; healthcare; tax issues and intellectual property issues.
As an intern, your responsibilities will include:
- Researching public policy initiatives related to higher education, federally funded research, and healthcare
- Tracking legislation related to the University’s priorities
- Attending hearings and briefings on and off Capitol Hill
- Publishing a weekly newsletter that is sent to Capitol Hill staff
- Contributing to a daily round-up of federal news items sent to Vanderbilt faculty and staff
- Drafting weekly blog posts for use on Facebook and Twitter
- Updating communications tools including our issue and district based one-pagers
- Assisting the Legislative Analyst and Assistant Director with administrative tasks
The ideal candidate would have a strong interest in the Federal policy-making process and a background in political science, public policy, the biological or physical sciences or engineering. A positive attitude, strong writing skills and critical thinking skills are a must!
The internship is fulltime (40 hours a week). It will begin on June 2, 2014 and conclude on August 1, 2014. This is an unpaid internship although we are willing to work with you to earn academic credit. We are also able to provide a stipend for metro fare.
To apply, please provide Margie Glick at Margie.Glick@vanderbilt.edu with a cover letter and resume by April 30th.