Senior Internship Manual

School of Community Resource & Development

College of Public Programs

ArizonaStateUniversity

Stacey Freeman

American Humanics Sr. Program Coordinator

E-mail:

(602) 496-0188

(602) 496-0952 fax

Table of Contents

General Information 3

Catalog Description3

Student Eligibility Requirements3

Scope & Purpose of Course3

Internship Philosophy4

Internship Goals & Objectives4

Benefits to Students5

Benefits to Host Organizations5

Text5

Methods of Evaluation (Grading)5

School of Community Resources & Development Policies & Procedures6

Basic Guidelines for Internship6

Nonprofit Organization Eligibility Requirements7

American Humanics National Nonprofit Partners7

American Humanics Collaborating Professional Organizations7

Titles & Definitions of Key Plays8

Roles & Responsibilities of Key Players8

Internship Supervisor8

Host Organization Representation8

Field Supervisor9

Student Intern9

Communication between the American Humanics Program

at ArizonaStateUniversity & the Host Organization10

Course Requirements10

Preparation for Placement10

Three Phases of Securing an Internship10

Cover Letter11

Suggested Resume Format13

Professional Image14

Thank You Notes14

Internship Week #115

Educational Contract Planning Meeting15

Internship Week 2-515

Weekly Report Format16

Internship Performance Assessment Mid-Term Review17

Internship Performance Assessment Final Review17

Final Report17

Graduation & Certification17

Appendices

A: Due Dates for Internship Reports & Other Requirements18

B: NLM 463 (AH) Student Application19

C: Internship Budget Worksheet21

D: Nonprofit Partner Survey22

E: Intern Interview Form23

F: Affiliation Agreement24 G: Educational Contract 27

H: Sample Weekly Report29

I: Performance Assessment: Midterm Review of Internship32

J: Performance Assessment: Final Review of Internship39

K: AH Certification Competencies Checklist46

Enclosures

Application for American Humanics Certification

General Information

Course Number:NLM 463 (AH)

Title:Senior Internship

Semester Hours:12 Semester Hours (600 contact hours)

Term Offered:Fall, Spring, Summer

Instructor:Stacey Freeman

Catalog Description

Supervised guided experience in selected agencies.

Student Eligibility Requirements

NLM 463, the Senior Internship (AH) is taken during the student’s last semester of study. It consists of receiving a total overview of the type of employment that the student will be seeking upon graduation. This is accomplished through involvement in a number of specific guided experiences in a qualifying 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization over a 12 to 15 week period. Prior to registering for NLM 463, the Senior Internship (AH), a student must:

  • be an American Humanics Certificate seeking student enrolled in the American Humanics

Program at ArizonaStateUniversity,

  • have successfully completed all American Humanics required coursework, (receiving a minimum

of “C” in each class) including: NLM 220- Intro. Nonprofit, NLM 300-Fund

Raising/Philanthropy, NLM 310-Volunteer Management, NLM 320-Professional Development Workshop (4 semesters), NLM 420-AH Management Institute, NLM 430- Managing Nonprofit Org’s,

  • have a senior class standing (88 or more credit hours),
  • have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and
  • have on file documented verification of a minimum of 200 hours of Professional Leadership

Experience. This work experience may be voluntary or paid and must include a variety of

leadership responsibilities within the nonprofit sector. NOTE: No more than 50 hours may

be credited toward the 200 for any one activity or organization.

Scope and Purpose of Course

NLM 463, the Senior Internship (AH) is intended to be the capstone application of American Humanics certification competencies. Competencies are skills, knowledge, and behaviors that are observable, measurable, and critical to successful individual and corporate performance. An internship is a short-term work experience emphasizing hands-on learning. It incorporates education and professional development involving a number of specific experiences in a qualifying 501 (c) 3 youth and human service organization over a 12-16 week period. The 600 contact hours, Senior Internship (AH) is the culminating experience in the student’s academic preparation within the Arizona State University American Humanics Program and is the bridge between academia and the professional nonprofit world. It is designed as an active, student-centered learning experience, which supports the American Humanics mission of “preparing and certifying future nonprofit professionals to work with America’s youth and families”. This experience affords students the opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have acquired during the formal academic process and gain professional skills that will enhance their marketability upon graduation. It is a mutually beneficial test; a win-win situation for both the student and the host organization. The host organization benefits from the student’s expertise and abilities and the student benefits from exposure to a “real world laboratory” which allows him/herto apply theoretical knowledge and gain practical experience. The student’s professors, textbooks, libraries, advisors, and numerous support systems have given the student the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to enter the profession; however, it is up to the student to successfully demonstrate the use of these competencies during the internship.

Internship Philosophy

Many students harbor the misconception that NLM 463, the Senior Internship (AH) is merely a “pro forma” exercise, which occurs when they graduate. This is simply not so. The internship experience is designed and conducted as an intense, rigorous experience that requires substantial commitment and effort if it is to be successfully completed.

The key to a successful experience is two-fold, the first element concerns planning. To ensure that all of the various and sundry facets which constitute an internship come together in an appropriate and meaning manner, considerable pre-planning is required at every stage. Therefore it is never too soon to discuss potential internships with faculty, advisors, previous interns, and others. Most internships are planned a semester in advance.

The second element necessary for a successful internship experience may be described as “attitude.” This concept addresses not only the student’s thoughts about the experience but also the wide range of behaviors he/she exhibits in researching and choosing a site, interviewing with potential sites, executing course requirements, and the amount of flexibility he/she demonstrates regarding job requirements. All of these factors and many others form the “attitude” the student takes to an intern experience. Interns often complain that they are merely “gofers” and assigned to menial tasks. It is unrealistic to expect to go into a work situation about which the student knows little and be treated as a senior executive. Interns are expected to “learn the ropes” from the ground up, and this often entails many of the less desirable aspects of jobs. In many instances the field supervisor probably accomplished the same tasks that the intern will be assigned to and believes that they are a necessary step in the student’s educational process.

The old often-used saying “you will get out of it what you put into it” is particularly apropos for internships. An internship is the student’s opportunity to excel, to demonstrate his/her ability to synthesize and apply those things the student has spent the last four or five years mastering. The student should exercise this opportunity in a professional manner that will bring credit not only to the student, but also to the teachers, advisors, and university who have placed their faith and confidence in him/her.

Internship Goals and Objectives

Provide the student the opportunity to:

  • Apply classroom knowledge to the laboratory of the work world to test theories, concepts and philosophies,
  • Test skills in management, supervision and leadership,
  • Develop valuable contacts in the field by networking with nonprofit professionals,
  • Analyze his or her commitment to the nonprofit youth and human service field while it is still relatively easy to change. (This primary ingredient of the overall AH program ensures competent entry-level professionals who are fully aware of the demands of their profession.),
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the American Humanics Program Certification Competencies,
  • Identify technical and/or theoretical competencies that need further development,
  • Develop motivation and self-confidence,
  • Observe and develop the values/ethics of the youth and human service profession, and
  • Assume professional responsibilities and substantive tasks.

Benefits to Student

The internship placement of a student is important in terms of direct benefits to the student, both in the short term and in the long term. Specifically, benefits to the student include:

  • A chance to gain meaningful on-the-job experience and training in a professional working environment resulting in career advantage at graduation,
  • An ability to connect classroom theory to workplace practice and test skills in a “safety-net environment”,
  • Experiencing success, validating talents, interacting with professionals and developing a professional role,
  • An opportunity to confirm, both positive and negative, their chosen career path, and
  • Potential full-time employment.

Benefits to Host Organization

Nonprofit organizations benefit from hosting an intern in the following ways:

  • Opportunity to pre-screen potential job candidates, reducing recruiting and training costs and improving retention of professional entry level staff,
  • Opportunity for a novel or accelerated project completion that meets critical needs of the agency and the persons served,
  • Increased agency visibility,
  • Reasonable cost for services performed,
  • Support from ArizonaStateUniversity (e.g. supervision, counseling), and
  • Input into the Arizona State University American Humanics Program.

Text

ArizonaStateUniversity American Humanics Program Senior Internship Manual (updated annually)

Your host organization representative and/or field supervisor may also assign you texts, handbooks, and reports.

Methods of Evaluation (Grading)

NLM 463 Senior Internship is graded on an A-E basis. A grade of “C” or better on all internship criteria must be earned to successfully complete the internship requirement for certification. The grade assigned by the Internship Supervisor is determined by the following criteria:

  1. Successfully completing the preparation for placement, including: attending the mandatory internship workshop, completing the research, mail and follow-up phases, completing all required documentation, and adhering to all required deadlines. (+/-)
  2. Educational Contract (100 points)
  3. Weekly student reports (150 points 15 reports x 10 points)
  4. Student Homepage (10)
  5. Weekly participation in NLM 463 (AH) Discussion Board. ( 30 points 3 x 10)
  6. Mid-term on-site visit by Internship Supervisor, if appropriate. (+/-).
  7. Mid-term Review of Internship as evaluated by the Host Organization Representative and/or Field Supervisor (+/-).
  8. Final Review of Internship as evaluated by the Host Organization Representative and/or Field Supervisor (100 points).
  9. On-the-job mid-term and final performance as evaluated by the Internship Supervisor (+/-).
  10. The final report, as outlined in the Arizona State University American Humanics Program Senior Internship Manual. Includes: student evaluation of internship experience, American Humanics Competencies Checklist and completion of the Application for American Humanics Certification. (100 points). This report is due the Friday following the last day of the internship. Unless prior arrangements are made, each day late will lower the grade by 10 points.
  11. Any additional assignments required by the host organization (+/-).

School of Community Resources and Development Policies and Procedures

  1. Students must meet all course prerequisites listed in the ASU general catalog. Students not possessing these prerequisites will be withdrawn from the course.
  2. An instructor may withdraw a student from the course with a mark of “W” or a grade of “E” only in cases of disruptive classroom behavior (ASU General Catalog).
  3. During the first four weeks of a semester, a student may withdraw from a course with a mark of “W”. From the fifth week to the end of the 10th week of a semester, students may withdraw with a mark of “W” from courses only in which the instructor certifies that they are passing at the time of withdrawal.
  4. The faculty in the School of Community Resources and Development assume that academic honesty will serve as the cornerstone of the academic experience. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or deception on an exam, paper, or class assignment. Plagiarism is defined as “intentionally or knowingly representing the words and/or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise” (Board of Regents Code of Conduct and Academic Dishonesty). Cheating and plagiarism may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to, a failing grade on the assignment, a failing grade in the class, or suspension/expulsion from the university.
  5. The instructor of a course has full authority to decide whether or not class attendance is required. During the second week of classes (Fall or Spring), the instructor can drop a student for non-attendance. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor before the end of the first week of classes if absences during that period cannot be avoided.
  6. Class Attendance and Participation - Students are expected to attend class regularly and participate in all class discussion. Excessive absences will result in lower course grades. If absences are excessive, but medically excused, a student will receive an “I” or “W”, depending on the circumstances. Tardiness constitutes an absence.

Please refer to the ASU General Catalog for additional information and the schedule of classes for withdrawal date deadlines.

To be attached to all syllabi

REVISED: 5/5/07

Basic Guidelines for Internship

  1. A full time 15 weeks internship is required (12 weeks for summer internships).
  2. The internship is sequenced in the curriculum to occur after successful completion of all required coursework and 200 hours of Professional Leadership Experience.
  3. The American Humanics Sr. Program Coordinator fulfills the responsibilities as the Internship Supervisor.
  4. Internships shall provide students an opportunity to have practical off-campus supervised field experience in a qualifying 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.
  5. Qualifying 501 (c) 3 nonprofit host organizations are approved by the American Humanics Sr. Program Coordinator.
  6. Field supervisors shall be full-time employees of the qualifying 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.
  7. Selected sites must enter into a formal Affiliation Agreement with ArizonaStateUniversity.

Nonprofit Organization Eligibility Requirements

The Internship Supervisor must approve all NLM 463 Senior Internships. Any established 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization actively involved in providing internship experiences that is able to provide a comprehensive learning experience and enter into a formal Affiliation Agreement with Arizona State University may be approved as a host organization for the Senior Internship (AH). To be eligible to qualify as a Senior Internship Host Organization the 501 (c) 3 nonprofit must meet the following criteria:

  1. Philosophy, mission and practice methods shall be compatible to those of American Humanics.
  2. Programs, opportunities for learning, and the quality and quantity of supervision shall be adequate to meet student’s educational objectives, including access to staff/board meetings.
  3. The host organization will enter into a formal Affiliation Agreement with ArizonaStateUniversity.
  4. The host organization shall provide remuneration to the intern for seminars, workshops and other learning experiences, as well as travel reimbursements and other related expenses, as provided by the host organizations to its regular employees.
  5. The host organization is encouraged to provide stipends or other reasonable payment to interns according to their abilities and in compliance with the policies of the organization. Host organizations are not obligated to pay interns. For many students, financial support may be a factor in the decision to select an organization.
  6. The host organization shall have qualified internship supervisors.
  7. The staff shall be large enough to ensure that the basic programs are developed and maintained sufficiently without reliance on interns.

The qualifying 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization may be in-state or out-of-state, with preference given to the following:

American Humanics National Nonprofit Partners

American Red Cross

America’s Second Harvest

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Boy Scouts of America

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

CampFire Boys and Girls

Girl Scouts of the USA

Girls Incorporated

Humane Society

Junior Achievement Inc.

March of Dimes

National Urban League

The ARC of the United States

United Way of America

Volunteers of America

YMCA of the USA

American Humanics Collaborating Professional Organizations

Accounts for the Public Interest

AmeriCorps

Association of Fundraising Professionals

Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action

Association for Volunteer Administration

The Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management

Habitat for Humanity International

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

Independent Sector

NationalCenter for Nonprofit Boards

National Training institute for Community Youth Work

Nonprofit RiskManagementCenter

The Society for Nonprofit Organizations

The WashingtonCenter for Internships and Academic Seminars

United NegroCollege Fund (UNCF)

Titles and Definitions of Key Players

Internship Supervisor: The ArizonaStateUniversity American Humanics Sr. Program Coordinator.

Host Organization: The approved 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that is actively providing a comprehensive learning experience for an American Humanics student intern.

Host Organization Representative: The individual responsible for accepting and endorsing the student intern. He or she may or may not be the actual on-the-job supervisor.

Field Supervisor: The individual responsible or supervising, mentoring and evaluating the student intern on the job.

Student Intern: The ArizonaStateUniversity American Humanics Program Student

Roles and Responsibilities of Key Players

The internship functions as a three (3) way partnership between the student, the host organization (representation and field supervisor) and the internship supervisor. All parties involved in the partnership must assume defined responsibilities in order to gain the benefits from the internship program. Maximum effort on the part of all involved increases the impact and quality of the experience.

The Internship Supervisor will:

  1. Provide academic advising to assist students in planning for the internship experience.
  2. Determine the eligibility of students for internship placements.
  3. Assess potential internship settings and continually review, update and keep an established list of qualified placement sites for students.
  4. Determine the eligibility of the 501 (c) 3 nonprofit as a qualified host organization.
  5. Approve the internship placement in consultation with the student and the host organization.
  6. Develop and distribute the AH/ASU Senior Internship Manual.
  7. Assist the host organization in developing appropriate programs and materials, and in providing varied experiences needed by the student intern.
  8. Evaluate student reports and provide timely feedback to student and if appropriate the host organization representative and/or field supervisor.
  9. Hold periodic planning and evaluation conferences with the host organization, including an orientation, mid-term on-site visit, and an exit interview.
  10. Determine student’s final grade based on the Methods of Grading.

The Host Organization Representative will: