FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    February 26, 2007

NORTHWESTERN’S SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT EXPANDING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Department of Social Sciences is expanding its current internship opportunities for students who are majoring or minoring in many of its programs.

Internships currently are available to sociology and criminal justice students. Dr. Kay Decker, chair of the Department of Social Sciences and professor of sociology, and Dr. Aaron Mason, assistant professor of political science, have worked to establish new internships for students in political science. Mason explained that there will be several options in place by the fall 2007 semester.

While internships are not a graduation requirement for most programs, they are designed to provide workplace experience to students in their area of interest. Students who plan to minor in the new public administration option will be required to complete an internship for graduation. These internships add practical knowledge to theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom.

            Mason indicated that he and Decker are working with several state agencies, including the Oklahoma Historical Society, the state legislature and the governor’s office, to develop a variety of positions.

Some departmental internships are paid positions, while others are not.  All internships in sociology, criminal justice and political science/public administration are worth three credit hours. Paid internships are available for sociology, criminal justice and psychology/substance abuse students at Bill Johnson Correctional Center.

            Decker oversees the internships in criminal justice and sociology, and Mason will oversee the political science/public administration internships.

Students who are interested in these internships must be juniors or seniors and have a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average. 

“These internships involve a structured agreement between the student, the agency and the faculty member,” Mason said. “We are very excited about these new opportunities and want to be good stewards of the relationships we develop.  We need high caliber students involved in these internships because it is a privilege for them to represent the university.”

“We will tailor the work to the schedule of both students and the agency,” Mason said. “Some may be a concentrated effort for a few weeks, and some may be a few hours per week over a longer period.”

In addition to the work schedule, the student will be required to complete a reflection paper about the experience and maintain a log of activities. Prior to starting any internship, the student will complete assignments from the text for the course and submit them to the instructor of record.

-NW-

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