In a previous newsletter, I discussed the importance of building a "portfolio" of experiences. One of the most effective ways our students do this is through internships. We offer credit for internships related to political science to help students incorporate experiential learning into their studies. Similarly, our updated Environmental Policy major now includes a capstone requirement that can be fulfilled through internship work.

To see how these changes are landing, we surveyed students who completed internships in Summer 2025. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive: students are deeply grateful for these opportunities and strongly believe the experience will benefit their long-term careers.

However, we also learned that finding these opportunities can be a significant hurdle. Many students expressed a desire for more support in the internship search. We are listening. To streamline this, we have identified a staff point person in the department to collect the various opportunities sent to our faculty. We are forwarding these to the Center for Career Engagement so that our students have a central place to go to learn about the various opportunities out there.

Our goal is to ensure that while the work of an internship is challenging, finding one doesn't have to be. We look forward to seeing the impressive professional steps our students take next.