Internship Opportunity: World Trade Center Tacoma

From: Annie Zhou Molina [mailto:AZhou@WTCTA.org]
ent: Monday, August 15, 2011 11:31 AM
To: Karl Fields
Subject: Accepting Full Quarter Internship Application

Dear Karl

My name is Annie Zhou Molina. I am in charge of the internship program at WTC Tacoma. We've been having such great interns from UPS, I hope to continue on. I just want to let you know WTC Tacoma is currently accepting full quarter internship application. Please pass on to your students and encourage them to apply. They can contact me directly and email me their cover letter and resume. For more information please check our website at:

http://www.wtcta.org/contact-us/careers

Best Wishes,

Annie Zhou Molina

China Desk Specialist
Office Manager
World Trade Center Tacoma
950 Pacific Ave Suite 310
Tacoma WA 98402
Phone: 253-396-1022
Fax: 253-396-1033

Brown Bag Talk Monday 9/19: How to Kill an American: Civil Liberties, the War on Terror, and the Case of Anwar al-Awlaki

Congrats: Professors Kessel and Weinberger teaching awards

No surprise to the department, but this week Professors Kessel and Weinberger were both recognized with teaching awards by the university. If you'd had a class with either you aren't surprised either--and if you're a current student and haven't had either, well, don't miss out...

Congrats to both!

Graduate School: It's going to cost you

From Inside Higher Ed:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/08/17/students_will_bear_brunt_of_changes_to_graduate_financial_aid

excerpt:

WASHINGTON -- For most advocates for student aid, the biggest casualty in the the debt ceiling compromise reached by President Obama and Congress last month represented the least bad option: a change that would make graduate students responsible for the interest that accrues on their loans while they’re in school but leaves Pell Grants and other financial aid programs untouched (for now)

But for graduate schools, the cut presents a challenge: how to help students and encourage enrollment as state and federal resources decline.

The move eliminates subsidized federal loans for graduate students -- loans, distributed by need, on which the government paid the interest that accrued while students were enrolled in school. The cuts will save the government about $18 billion over 10 years. The change won't reduce the amount that students can borrow, but it will shift about $125 billion from subsidized loans to unsubsidized loans.

The final decision to eliminate the loans is so recent that officials at many graduate schools said they haven’t determined what, if anything, they’ll be able to do to provide more aid to students when the cuts take effect in 2012. Still, the combination of declining state aid and possible cuts to federal research spending make it unlikely that they will be able to offer significantly larger stipends or grants to offset the added interest.

“Given our own limited budget situation, I can’t see how we’re going to be able to respond immediately,” said Patrick Osmer, vice provost and dean of the graduate school at Ohio State University and chairman of the Council of Graduate Schools. While Ohio State is still determining how students will be affected and what the university's response will be, “we’re just working through our budget constraints ourselves,” he said. “I think it’s just going to be something that people have to absorb.”...

Read the rest at the link above.

Class of 2011: A long job search

From the National Association of Colleges and Employers:
http://www.naceweb.org/s08172011/job_search_time/

Class of 2011 Took Longer to Land Jobs
Spotlight for Career Services Professionals, August 17, 2011

Students in the job market this year took longer to secure a position than students did last year, according to results of NACE’s 2011 Student Survey.

The median time that seniors from the class of 2011 took before landing a job was 7.74 months. For seniors from the class of 2010, the median time looking for a job before securing one was 6.95 months.

Why it took longer is hard to say. It may be that seniors this year saw the difficulty the two previous classes had in finding a job and simply started their searches sooner, perhaps even before the recruiting season truly got underway.

NACE’s 2011 Student Survey was conducted mid-February through April 30, 2011. More than 50,000 students nationwide, including nearly 20,000 graduating seniors, took part in this year’s survey. Information in this story is based on data gathered from graduating senior respondents. A full report from the survey will be available this fall.

Obama Re-election Campaign

Hello Dr. O'Neil,

My name is Jeremy Walker. I’m the Regional Field Director for South West Washington with Organizing For America., We are now accepting applications for our Fall Fellowship program. We are asking that applicants finish their application process by August 25th. While we realize that this deadline will come before school starts, I was hoping that you could email currently enrolled students in your Political Science and related departments.

This is a local program, meaning we’re seeking applicants who already live and study in Tacoma and the surrounding areas to fulfill positions.

Here is the link with a summary of the Fall Fellowship program.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fall-fellows-cover?source=ssn
If you have any further questions please feel free to reply to this email or call me at (206) 653 6458.

Thank you,
Include. Respect. Empower.
Jeremy Walker
Organizing For America
SW WA Regional Field Director
c (206) 653 - 6458
f (206) 583 - 0301

New opportunities for federal Internships and jobs

From the Chronicle of Higher Education:

As a candidate, Barack Obama had a simple answer for people's distaste for government. He would make public service "cool again." But as president, he has a larger challenge in his way: making sure those just embarking on their careers can get into government at all...Bureaucrats and college officials alike hope that may be about to
change. Last week, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management released draft regulations for putting in place a 2010 executive order, Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates, that charged the agency with remaking four cumbersome federal hiring
programs. In their place, the order established something called the Pathways Program, designed in part to do a better job of converting interns into full-time employees and hiring inexperienced but talented graduates.

And NextGov:

New Details on Pathways Programs

The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday issued proposed regulations to create more uniform and transparent pathways to federal service for students and recent college graduates.

In December, President Obama issued an executive order calling for streamlined "Pathways" programs to improve federal recruiting and provide training, mentoring and career development opportunities for students and recent graduates. OPM said Thursday that the proposed regulations limit the Pathways programs to serve as a supplement to competitive examining and veterans' preference.

"These regulations commit the federal government to two key goals," said OPM Director John Berry. "First, they require pathways to federal service to be clear and accessible for students and recent graduates. Second, they press us to create a federal culture where agency leadership is actively engaged in recruiting, training and managing top talent."

The program includes three tracks for students in high school, undergraduate or graduate programs as well as recent graduates. Participants would be hired under a newly created Schedule D of the excepted service, allowing for more flexibility in hiring while still preserving veterans' preference. The proposal also would require agencies to make meaningful assessments of participants before converting them to permanent positions in the competitive service.

The internship track of the program would replace existing internship programs and be targeted towards students in educational institutions from high school to the graduate level. The recent graduates track would target recent college graduates, requiring them to apply for a job within two years of degree completion.

The proposal also would beef up the Presidential Management Fellows program by expanding the eligibility window for applicants and making it more student friendly by aligning it with academic calendars.

World Affairs Council, Seattle Internship

From alum Kammi Sheeler (who is about to head off to Bosnia on a Fulbright)--

The World Affairs Council of Seattle is currently seeking applicants for intern positions with the International Visitor Program who would be available to start immediately. Applications for the Fall quarter are officially not due until August 27, but the IVP department is looking to hire people earlier if possible. During normal application cycles IVP receives the most applicants and is very competitive, so this is a great opportunity for interested students to get a bit of an advantage in the application process.

I have been working with this department since April and have found it incredibly interesting, educational, and enjoyable. It has also provided a lot of opportunities for networking with local and international professionals, which has been great. I would highly recommend the position, and would be happy to answer questions or talk to anyone who is considering applying.

They can contact me at kammiksheeler@gmail.com. More information about the department and intern responsibilities can be found at http://www.world-affairs.org/internship-positions. Applications should be submitted in the form of a cover letter and resume to the hiring manager, Margaret Tyson, ASAP. Instructions for applying can be found at http://www.world-affairs.org/internships

Paid Internship for fall

Internship Opportunity in Congressman Adam Smith’s
Tacoma, WA Office

Congressman Smith Currently Seeking Applicants for a Paid Internship Position in his Tacoma, WA District Office

Candidates should have an interest in the legislative process and civic service, possess excellent writing and communication skills, and work well as part of a team. To be eligible for the paid internship opportunity, candidates should be college students in their sophomore to senior year of college.

Interns in the District Office have an opportunity to work in community outreach, constituent services and drafting policy and issue updates. This includes working with caseworkers to help constituents with issues relating to immigration, military and government agencies, among others. Depending on interests, interns also have an opportunity to participate in community outreach, attending meetings and events with outreach staff and Congressman Smith and assisting with town hall meetings.

Other intern duties are administrative: assisting staff with answering phones, data entry, scanning/copying and other tasks as needed. The paid internship is either a part-time or full-time position requiring approximately 20 (part-time) or 40 (full-time) scheduled hours per week during posted business hours (8:00am to 5:00pm). The stipend is $600 per month for part-time or $1,200 for full-time.

Applicants must submit an internship application packet, including a letter of interest, resume, and 2 letters of recommendation to the following address:

Congressman Adam Smith
Attn: Carrie Locken
2209 Pacific Ave, Suite B
Tacoma, WA 98402

Application Deadline: Monday, August 15, 2011

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact Carrie Locken by phone at (253) 593-6600 or by email at carrie.locken@mail.house.gov

The Office of Congressman Adam Smith is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

Job Opening!

News from Congressman Adam Smith
July 28, 2011

Job Announcement

Congressman Adam Smith’s District Office Hiring Office Manager

Job Description: Office Manager (full-time), Tacoma District Office of U.S. Congressman Adam Smith

Start Date: 9/12/2011

Letters of interest & resumes with references must be received by August 5th Attn: Linda Danforth
* faxed to 253.593.6776
* mailed to: U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, 2209 Pacific Avenue, Suite B, Tacoma, WA 98402
* emailed to: OfficeAssistantWA09@mail.house.gov

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Answer calls and greet visitors; open, code, and route incoming mail and email correspondence; answer constituent requests for general information; draft letters to constituents; coordinate intern program; procure and troubleshoot office technology/equipment and supplies; and assist with other various duties and office projects.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Professional manner; excellent communication and organization skills; ability to use computer, copier, facsimile and other office equipment; ability to work cooperatively and courteously with others; knowledge of the political process; and compassion and commitment to public service and customer service. A Bachelor’s degree is required.

Salary range
$26,000 to $28,000 depending on qualifications and experience, with Federal employee benefits.

U.S. Rep Smith's Office is an equal opportunity employer.