Vassar launches new internship fund

Hayley Tsukayama Staff Writer

As of this week, all students may now apply for the Summer Internship Grant (SIG) fund, which was established as the Class of 2008’s Sophomore Gift and will provide financial support for Vassar students working at unpaid summer internships.

Class President Jessika Wong ’08, who was on the Class Council last year, “wanted to give back to students and create a gift that we could see in action prior to graduation.”

Around half of the students of the Class of 2008 contributed money last spring, and funds were matched by James Rosenwald ’80 and Laura Rosenwald ’81. In total, the fund has approximately $14,000.

“I think the SIG Fund is a great opportunity for Vassar students to be able to spend the summer doing an unpaid internship that they otherwise would not have been able to,” said Wong. She added that the fund also allows students to concentrate on finding the best internship for their personal goals beyond immediate financial concerns.

Several of Vassar’s peer institutions have similar funds in place for their students. Oberlin College, Barnard College, Columbia University and the University of Minnesota all have several funds to provide for students undertaking unpaid internships, though most are donor- or alumnae/i-based.
Many colleges and universities also have funds for specific kinds of internships, such as Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Internship Grant. Most of these grants provide students with around $1,000-$1,200 for room and board expenses.

The Rosenwalds and the Class of 2008 have earned the praise and respect of many on campus for establishing the fund. Director of Career Development Mary Raymond said that the “gift absolutely touched my heart…students investing in students.”

Yet Raymond also pointed to a need for more of such programs, saying, “Many college career centers at our peer schools have set up funds such as this–usually organized by industry, funded by alumnae/i gifts, and endowed. Someday I hope Vassar will have more funded internships to offer students.”

This fall, the Class of 2008 Council deliberated over the terms and application process for the grants, making them available to the college community as of this semester.

According to the application, all requests are considered by “the Class of 2008 Summer Internship Grant (SIG) Fund Selection Committee, which includes a faculty member, a representative from the Dean of the College, and the steering committee.”

This committee will analyze applications based on their relevance to the students’ personal outlined goals and the level of financial need. In some cases, the candidate may also be interviewed.

Applications for SIG are available at http://careers.vassar.edu/downloadable and handouts and are due by March 9 at 3 p.m.