Look no further than the University of Illinois Springfield Graduate Public Service Internship Program. TRAIN and RETAIN graduate students from UIS to develop your workforce. Get the expertise your organization needs while controlling costs and adding valuable assets!
For nearly 50 years, the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) has housed the Graduate Public Service Intern (GPSI) program. GPSI has been placing UIS graduate students in State Government Agencies since its inception. In recent years, GPSI has made an effort to ensure Nonprofit Agencies are aware of this program’s opportunity and we continue to do so today. This program is open to any public service entity that holds a 501(c)(3). UIS offers highly skilled graduate students for these internships who are capable of handling important projects independently and will be available to you during long-term internship placements. Additionally, these interns can be placed in organizations in both Springfield and Chicago.
In addition, UIS offers a Graduate Certificate in Management of Nonprofit Organization consisting of six courses for completion. This program can be completed as part of a degree program or as a non-degree seeking student. The certificate allows professionals to accelerate their careers and build skills for nonprofit leadership roles that can lead to direct change in a community.
The structure of the GPSI program allows students to complete their graduate degrees and intern simultaneously and provides agencies the critical help they need to complete urgent and emerging special projects. Students work 20 hours/week during the school year and fulltime in the summer for their placement.
Last fall, the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway took advantage of this opportunity and hired Maria Sorto, a graduate MBA student. Maria serves as their Nonprofit Management Intern and works on a membership database with the goal of recruiting new agency members. Her supervisor, Executive Director Casey Claypool says GPSI has “helped her office tremendously.” Casey also notes, “You’re not only getting a staff member, but you’re getting a professional, someone that’s ready to enter into the real world.” View their full experience story here.
If your agency is interested in participating, GPSI hires interns twice a year and our next round of hiring holds a deadline of May 1, 2022. Virtual Interviews are planned for the week of May 16 – 20, 2022. The approximate cost to host an intern is $25,625 for one year. This cost covers salary, tuition & fee waiver, and professional development funds. UIS handles all payroll, onboarding and orientation for successful candidates.
Want to learn more? GPSI will be hosting an informational webinar featuring a panel of current internship supervisors on Wednesday, March 30th from 12-12:30 CST. Register here.
For more information, please contact GPSI Director, Sherrie Elzinga at sherrie.elzinga@uis.edu.
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Following a 32-year career in Illinois state government, Sherrie Elzinga has been the Director of Graduate Intern Programs at UIS since 2017.
