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State Legislative Internships

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 2010 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 2010 Legislative Session for the period January 11 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 total), plus reimbursement for one trip per month between Nashville and UT at the rate of .51/mi ($183.60 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 up to 9 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 designated 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 have 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 8, 2009. All applicants also must submit a current academic transcript.

Completed Application (same for both internship programs), current transcript, & faculty appraisal forms must be submitted to Dr. Folz no later than October 8, 2009.

For more information or questions, contact Dr. David Folz at dfolz@utk.edu or 974-0802. 1001 McCLung Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996-0410

To learn more about these internship programs, you are invited to attend an interest meeting with Ms. Donna Morgan, State Legislative Internship Coordinator on Friday September 11th, 2009 at 3:30-4:30pm in Rm. 220 of the University Center.