Letter to the Editor: Student internships available for the taking

Internships are a critical opportunity to build a personal network and gain experience in a tangible way that will bring any student options for employment when he or she graduates. All too often, however, Rider students wait until they can do an internship for credit before taking this effort seriously.

At least for anyone interested in a job in public service, government, or politics – this is exactly the wrong thing to do. The more internships you have, the more exposed you are to a wide array of job opportunities. The connections you make at each internship – assuming you keep in touch with them through your collegiate career – will be the people most likely to help you find something when you graduate.

To assist Rider students with this effort, the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics has now posted its annual Guide to Summer Internships in politics, government and campaigns on Blackboard http://blackboard.rider.edu/.

The easy-to-navigate list utilizes our “internship opportunity form” so anyone can quickly compare one spot to another. This Summer Internship Guide includes several positions working for trade groups, think tanks, political parties, elected officials and campaigns. And – to answer the biggest question most students ask – several of them will pay.

The Guide is not exhaustive. If you are interested in something not currently listed, any Rider student can contact me at bdworkin@rider.edu. We can find you the right spot for your interests, time constraints, and career path.

In addition, the Rebovich Institute also is pleased to announce the creation of the Rebovich Fellowship, which will provide a $500 tuition scholarship for one student who is working in an unpaid internship in politics or government this summer.

For interested students, the first step is to secure your internship. Then you can apply for the fellowship through the office.

The Summer Internship Guide for political and government-related internships and the Rebovich Fellowship are unique among New Jersey universities. These are special benefits that are exclusively offered to Rider students. I urge any interested student to take advantage of them.

– Ben Dworkin

Director, The Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics