A new internship program in Washington, D.C., will provide faculty at U.S. colleges and universities with an extraordinary opportunity to broaden their professional experiences in a government agency, organization, or business. The Institute for Experiential Learning (IEL) launched this new educational endeavor, the Faculty Fellows Internship Program, in cooperation with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). According to Mary Ryan, executive director of IEL, the program "provides opportunities that faculty rarely see. It gives them a fresh new learning experience but also helps them to develop an applied foundation for what they teach."

The Institute for Experiential Learning is no stranger to academic internships in Washington D.C. For the past 10 years, IEL has conducted internships and classes for hundreds of students. Their placements have included an array of high profile offices and organizations, including the White House, congressional offices, the Smithsonian, National Institutes of Health, the Pentagon, numerous embassies, Amnesty International, United Way, MCI, Board of Trade, USA Today, and United Press International, among many others. Faculty placements will be conducted on the basis of a faculty member's goals and objectives, according to Ryan, "that is, we work with them individually to carefully articulate their own interests." As a result, she states, "faculty will be able to investigate applied areas of knowledge, develop new skills, and explore a variety of systems and policies in their own fields."

The program will remain small, accepting no more than 20 fellows each fall and spring semester. Faculty Fellows will participate full time, four days a week in their placement organization and will spend one day per week in a seminar or other enrichment activity in the D.C. area. The ideal applicant is a faculty member on sabbatical with appropriate salary and travel support from their institution. Fellows will receive $5,000 toward housing costs.

Application forms and additional information are available from IEL. Requests for information can be made through Mary Ryan at: mary@ielnet.org or call 202-833-8580.

—Preparing Future Faculty National Office
AAC&U and the Council of Graduate Schools (Questions to pff@aacu.nw.dc.us)