State Legislative Intership
See Also: Download Application | Download Faculty Appraisal Form
UT Knoxville students who are Juniors, Seniors, Graduate or Law students are invited to apply for either of two internship programs with the Tennessee General Assembly: the Tennessee State Legislative Internship Program or the UT National Alumni Association Legislative Internship Program.
Eligibility
Applicants for either program must be registered to vote in Tennessee and be enrolled as a UTK junior, senior, graduate or law student for the spring 2008 semester.
Applicants for the Tennessee State Internship Program must have at least a 3.0
overall GPA and be enrolled in degree programs in political science, public
administration, law, history, social work, economics, sociology, journalism or related
fields.
Applicants for the UT National Alumni Internship Program may be enrolled in any degree program at UTK.
Term
Interns will be appointed for the 2008 Legislative Session for the period January 7 until May 31 or one week after the adjournment of the Legislative Session, whichever occurs first. The appointment period will not be coterminous with the semester calendar. School holidays (such as spring break) are not observed by the legislature.
Stipend
Interns receive a stipend of $350 per week paid monthly ($1400/mo; $7000), plus reimbursement for one trip per month between Nashville and UT at the rate of .46/mi ($165.60 roundtrip), plus a one-time payment of $350 for relocation and adjustment purposes.
Academic Credit
Interns register for at least 3 credit hours of PS 494 Internship & may register for
up to 6 hours of PS 494. This course is graded S/NC. Students also may register
for 3 to 12 hours of PS 492 Off- Campus Study. Requirements for this course
(graded A-F) vary with the number of credit hours. See Dr. David H. Folz for details). No activity fee is required for interns approved to register for sections of these two courses. Interns cannot receive academic credit for any course that requires attendance at regularly scheduled classes on the UT campus.
Duties
Interns will be assigned to work in legislative leadership offices and committees
(State interns) or with members of the Knox County delegation (Alumni interns)
from 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday. Duties vary from office to office, but may
include bill analysis, constituent services, computer and library research, and
general office duties.
Other Requirements
Interns are expected to attend weekly intern meetings usually held on Fridays. Examples of speakers in 2006 included Governor Phil Bredesen, Chief Justice Barker and the Constitutional Officers in Tennessee.
Interns also have an opportunity to tour various sites/facilities including the Riverbend maximum-security prison, the State Capitol, and Bicentennial Mall. Other activities include a visit to the Tennessee Supreme Court, CPR training, a mock legislative session, and competing against legislators basketball or softball games.
Application Procedures
Interested students should download and complete the Application form (3 pages) at this site, download two (2) copies of the Intern Appraisal Questionnaire & give them to two faculty members familiar with the applicants’ abilities and who can return this to Dr. David Folz by October 10, 2007. All applicants also must submit a current academic transcript.
Application (same for both internship programs), current transcript, & faculty appraisal forms must be submitted by October 10, 200.
For more information or questions, contact Dr. David Folz at dfolz@utk.edu or 974-0802.