Institute of Politics

About the Organization: Founded in 2013 by David Axelrod, the Institute of Politics, a non-partisan, extracurricular organization at the University of Chicago, aims to inspire and cultivate the next generation of political and public service leaders. Four core programs create the heart of the Institute: civic engagement opportunities that enable students to experience politics-in-action through political exploration trips, leadership training, service programs and voter engagement projects; visiting fellowships where distinguished political officials, policymakers, journalists, diplomats and others are in residence on campus during an academic quarter; political and public service internships that provide students with paid, substantive career development opportunities; and a continuous series of public events featuring leading political figures sharing their insights on key issues of the day.

The IOP House Intern program offers students the opportunity to work closely with IOP staff to facilitate operations and programming, playing a central role in supporting the IOP's many activities and initiatives. Interns gain valuable knowledge and skills in public and social service as well as in specific program areas. IOP House Internships are available to undergraduate and graduate students, are paid, and are eligible for work study.

Internship Description: The Communications intern will support the Communications team as they promote IOP around campus, Chicago and the world. Interns will help to make sure IOP programming is shared in an informative and accessible manner across digital and in-person outreach efforts.

The Communications Intern will undergo 10 hours of training during spring quarter of 2026, as the incoming intern will be trained and on boarded by both the current (outgoing) intern and Communications team at the IOP. The internship will then begin in a full-hours capacity in the fall of 2026 and continue through the end of spring quarter (June 2026).

Selected interns will be required to attend mandatory training and onboarding sessions in late September with the rest of the house intern cohort.

Duties include (and are not limited to):

• Compose weekly IOP newsletters and other email communications
• Pitch and execute social media content ideas
• Occasionally assist in capturing multimedia content at evening events, typically on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Create written and/or video spotlights of students, speakers, Pritzker Fellows, staff and IOP programs
• Design print flyers and social media graphics
• Outreach to on- and off-campus partners to assist with audience building for IOP programs
• Assist with managing the IOP’s website, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook
• Serve as front desk receptionist during IOP business hours (when in-person)

Qualifications:

• Interest in politics and public service
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong editing and organizational skills
• Interest in storytelling and multimedia content creation
• Familiarity with social media
• Ability to work with minimal oversight; self-directed and motivated
• Graphic design experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Canva and the Adobe Creative Suite
• Comfortable working with DSLR cameras

Application Materials:

• Resume
• Cover letter

Hours: 10-15 hours/week

Compensation: $16.60/hour