I. Domestic Off-Campus Programs and Internships

CHAPTER 14

SPECIAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

I. Domestic Off-Campus Programs and Internships

A. Intership Program

Internships are short-term, supervised learning experiences in a professional work setting, under the direction of an employer in the field, and overseen by a Central College faculty member. Internships are usually part-time during the school year, but can be full-time in the summer. Academic credit is awarded to students who register for credit prior to the start of the internship and complete all aspects of the internship; credit is based on the level and amount of work and the fulfillment of learning objectives planned jointly by the intern and the faculty supervisor. Internships are graded on a pass/no record basis.

Students may earn between 1-6 internship credits in a given semester or summer. Students are allowed 20 hours of “experiential” credit total, which includes various music groups for credit, practicums, student teaching, the two x credits and internships. In the summer, students may complete an internship for one fall credit, providing they make arrangements with a faculty supervisor prior to the start of the internship, and complete the required academic component during fall semester.

Three components must be present for an opportunity to be considered an internship: a complete position description/host agreement form, stated learning objectives, and evaluation methods developed by the faculty supervisor.

Regarding internships, faculty members are called upon to:

· Discuss internship interests and direction with the student. Suggest possible sites. Determine amount of credit awarded according to level and amount of work.

· Approve the internship and sign registration form.

· Develop an academic component for the internship. This could include complementary readings, journal writing, research, midterm and final summary papers, presentations to classes, or other special projects. Assign evaluation methods to account for the intern’s learning.

· Communicate regularly with the employment supervisor. Complete one site visit during the internship.

· Evaluate the experience with the intern at the end.

Staff at the Career Center help students with the entire process of securing and completing internships, and also assist as the liaison between the employer and the college. Career Center staff work to develop new sites, monitor sites, and post all sites, both in hard copy and electronically. A designated faculty member from each department receives announcements of new internships for posting and sharing with interested students from the Career Center.

While internships are not required, students from all majors are strongly encouraged to add experiential education to their academic program. Internships help students accentuate their skills and strengths, and are invaluable in providing students with firsthand experience in professional work environments.

In addition to internship sites in Pella, Des Moines, central Iowa, and at many of Central’s study abroad locations, students have the opportunity to complete internships in two metropolitan areas of the U.S., Chicago and Washington, D.C.

B. Chicago Semester (CS):

Spending a semester living, learning and working in Chicago introduces students to an urban setting known for its economic and cultural diversity, and affords them opportunities to pursue internships relative to their career interests. Students intern or student teach 32 hours per week, take two graded seminars*, and attend “issues forums” held three times during a semester. In addition, there are numerous opportunities to attend fine arts and cultural events, take field trips, and participate in the daily life of the city, including apartment living and the use of public transportation. Students generally earn 15 credits during their semester in Chicago.

Application materials and additional information are available at the Career Center. All applications are due to the Career Center by March 1, prior to the fall or spring in which the student wishes to intern. Twelve students are selected each year to participate in the Chicago Semester program, by the Off Campus Programs Committee.

Chicago Semester, begun in 1974, is a consortium effort including the following institutions: Calvin College, Central College, Dordt College, Hope College, Northwestern College, Trinity Christian College, Aquinas College, Briar Cliff University and Spring Arbor University.

*Seminars include: Arts in the City, History of Religion and Society in Urban America, Metropolitan Seminar, and Values and Vocations. Student teachers are not required to take seminars.

C. The Washington Center (TWC):

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, has been in operation in the nation’s capital since 1976, and hosts nearly 1500 students a year in semester or summer internship programs. Internship opportunities exist for students of any major, including opportunities in the arts, congress, environment, federal agencies, health/human services, international relations/foreign policy, criminal justice, law, mass communications and women’s issues. Perhaps Central’s most famous intern is Rob Zirkelbach, who interned at the White House in 2002.

Students intern 4 ½ days/week and take one academic course for credit. They can earn 15 credits for a semester and 9 for a summer experience. They also take part in a congressional breakfast series, a presidential lecture series, and are able to visit embassies and other places of interest. Students live in apartments with other TWC participants.

Applications are available at the Career Center and involve essays and faculty recommendations. There are deadlines, an application fee, and other criteria. Two students are selected by the Off Campus Programs Committee to attend TWC during the school year; there is no maximum number that can intern in the summer.

Faculty do not directly supervise the internships of students in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Staff from CS and TWC supervise all interns. Pat Joachim Kitzman, Director of the Career Center, is the current campus representative for the Chicago Semester and The Washington Center programs.

II. Honors at Central College

The Honors at Central College provides a distinct yet flexible four-year plan that encourages student creativity, intellectual engagement, and leadership. Beginning broadly, Honors at Central gradually focuses by helping students move toward greater independence, more advanced work in a discipline, and increased leadership responsibilities. First year students with an ACT score of 28, and either a high school grade point average of 3.75 or a ranking in the top five percent of their class are eligible to participate. Students who have completed one or more semesters at Central with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 may also participate in Honors at Central.

First-Year Honors courses in various disciplines offer intellectual stimulation in an interactive, seminar-style approach.

Interdisciplinary Honors Seminars provide multidisciplinary approaches to various issues or concerns which may culminate in a public presentation designed to serve the whole campus.

Honors Enriched credits in 200-400 level courses offer honors students the opportunity to work closely with a professor to pursue a topic related to the course at a more advanced level.

A Senior Honors Project, carried out within the student’s major department, culminates in a public presentation.

Students who have maintained a 3.5 grade point average and completed a Senior Honors Project will be awarded an Honors designation on their transcript.

The Faculty Honors Committee coordinates the Honors program.

III. Intersections and First Year Experience

Beginning in Fall, 2003, a common liberal arts experience for all first-year students will be
implemented. A three-hour course called Intersections will be concentrated in the first semester and individual sections of the course will be conducted as seminars. Regular Central faculty members from many departments will teach the seminars, which will have a theme with many common readings and activities. Course content will not only introduce students to significant ideas, but will also intentionally address skills in critical thinking, information literacy, and competencies. The Intersections Council supervises the First Year Experience, with a Director of Intersections coordinating the program.

IV. Exploring Program

The exploring program provides the opportunity for students to engage in classes and experience a variety of content areas before declaring a major. Throughout the first two years, students explore courses which not only fulfill the CORE requirements, but also provide insights into the various disciplines. The program provides opportunities for students to learn about various majors, their requirements and what recent graduates are doing; about themselves through interest inventories and personality testing; and about career development and opportunities in the work world. Students in the exploring program are assigned to an exploring advisor and are encouraged to enroll in The Exploring Experience, a College Division course which methodically addresses the variety of issues related to careers and preparing oneself for the future.

Faculty who have advisees or students in their classes who are undecided on a major or a career path are encouraged to point them to the exploring program.

V. Community Based Learning

The Office of Community-Based Learning facilitates experiential learning at Central College. The department supports students and faculty in the following ways:

· Provide professional development for those faculty who are interested in developing a service-learning component for a course;

· Oversee all aspects of the PLACES* Program, which facilitates the experiential (“x”) requirement of the cultural awareness requirement;

· Assist students who are seeking to satisfy the “x” requirement;

· Develop and sustain partnerships with community agencies at which students may engage in service-learning;

· Support experiential courses by documenting student service, visiting students on site, maintaining placement records;

· Plan, promote, and implement service trips that have an academic purpose

· Publicize community-service opportunities to students.

For more information, contact Cheri Doane, Director of Community-Based Learning, 204 Central Hall, x5332

*Program for Learning Awareness of Cultures in Experiential Settings

VI. Interdisciplinary Programs

Central offers several interdisciplinary majors: Environmental Studies with global environmental policy and environmental science tracks; General Studies; Information Systems; International Studies with African, West European and Latin American tracks; Linguistics; Natural Science; Social Science. Please check the College Catalog for further details on requirements and directors.

VII. Pre-Professional and Cooperative Agreement Programs

Central offers pre-professional programs in health, law, and ministry. Cooperative agreements with Washington University in St. Louis and with the University of Iowa and Iowa State University offer 3+4 or dual degree programs in pre-architecture and pre-engineering.

Each of these programs has a faculty member who advises students in the major. Consult the Central College Catalog for further details.

revised 4/4/03

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Chapter 14 – Special Academic Programs