Institute of Politics

Overview of the Organization:

The University of Chicago Institute of Politics (IOP) is dedicated to fostering civic engagement and public service. The Charles H. Percy Summer in Washington (SIW) Internship is a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in the heart of the nation's capital, bridging the gap between academia and practical political involvement.

Internship Summary:

Under the supervision of Mark Schauerte and Laresa Lund, this in-person internship in Washington, D.C., hosted by the University of Chicago Office of Federal Relations (OFR), spans 10 weeks beginning in June. The SIW Intern will work full-time (40 hours per week) and will have an office at the UChicago OFR, which represents the University before Congress and the Executive Branch on higher education and research university issues, while assisting IOP's programming for UChicago Summer interns.

Responsibilities:

• Managing outreach and engagement of D.C.-based alumni and contacts.
• Maintaining a database of contact information for students spending their summer in D.C.
• Assisting in finding mentors for students interning in D.C. and managing the alumni mentor/student mentee program.
• Planning a large-scale summer event in D.C.
• Planning and executing a robust set of events, panels, and speakers for the SIW program.
• Creating and managing a summer calendar of events and activities.
• Keeping literature on the Summer in Washington program up-to-date on the IOP website and in communications with the D.C. alumni community.
• Creating and publishing written and multimedia content about the SIW program for the IOP website, social media, and the D.C. alumni community.
• Developing, distributing, and analyzing post-summer surveys.
• Serving as a resource for student interns in D.C.
• Assist policy research tasks as requested by the UChicago OFR to help advance UChicago's federal interests and cooperation.
• Attend Congressional Hearings, monitor legislations and policies, and provide summaries for the UChicago OFR's government relations efforts.

Qualifications:

• Interest in politics and public service.
• Ideally, some experience organizing events or other activities (RSO, local/community, political or high school club).
• High level of comfort working with people of all ages and at all levels and from many different professional sectors.
• Ability to work independently without direct supervision and under tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a professional setting with employer partners and students.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Familiarity with Google Drive, Dropbox, and Excel.
• Familiarity with Facebook, Twitter, and other online social media platforms.
• Audio/visual and other multimedia skills are preferred but not required.

About the Supervisors:

Mark Schauerte manages the placement of undergraduate and graduate students in internships nationwide and internationally. At the IOP, Mark helps bring speakers to campus to discuss career paths, roles in politics and journalism, and skills for students to position themselves for careers in public service. He previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) for more than four years, working both in Washington, D.C., and the Chicago suburbs. Mark is also an attorney and worked as an award-winning journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chicago Lawyer Magazine.

Laresa Lund helps manage the IOP’s 300+ academic-year and summer internships, with a primary focus on the Chicago-based academic-year internship portfolio. Her areas of expertise include Chicago-based internships, resume development, cover letter writing, and networking preparation. She is also excited to help rural students, folks interested in conservation work, and those searching for AmeriCorps opportunities.

Location, Modality and Commute:

The intern will work at the University of Chicago Office of Federal Relations at 1730 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20006. The OFR team works in a hybrid mode from the office, and interns are free to schedule the best times to coordinate with the OFR team at the office. Public transportation around the office includes the Red, Blue, Orange, and Silver lines from the Farragut North and Farragut West stations. Meanwhile, the IOP team works from the IOP House at 5707 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, which means interns will work remotely for the IOP.

Start and End Date:

Summer internships will take place from June 9 to September 19, with specific dates to be determined by the employer partner and intern during the interview process. The IOP team looks favorably for interns who are able to start in early June and end in early August.