Deke Bowman
Reporter
November 5, 2004
Students looking to receive an Institute for Servant Leadership internship,
designed to offer a stipend to those working for a not-for- profit organization,
face different requirements than those awarded in previous semesters.
Because of the increased number of applicants over the last year, the Institute
and the steering committee have made changes to give students the best
opportunities and place them in appropriate agencies, according to Beth
Anderson, director of ISL.
“This past year was the first year for awarding the Lilly intern stipends, and
most were given to students who did their internships this summer,” said
Milligan College President Don Jeanes. “The steering committee that awards these
stipends will be meeting in a few weeks, and we will likely evaluate the
program.”
The steering committee includes the vice presidents of the college, professor of
chemistry Dr. Richard Lura, Jeanes and Anderson.
The rubric includes questions concerning faculty approval, the quality of the
recommendation from the agency, a paragraph stating goals, a description of
financial need and whether the agency is a church or not-for-profit.
There are still aspects that need changing, such as a line asking if the
“internship placement is an innovative exploration of vocation.” Anderson said
she thinks that particular line needs to be defined.
Another line that needs changing, according to Anderson, is whether an
internship focus is on professional ministry.
“I think our job is to help students expand where they think about internship
placement,” said Anderson. While there have been students from several majors
apply, the two largest majors, business and communications, haven’t had any
students explore this opportunity.
The final area that Anderson said needs reconsideration is the line asking the
strength of the student’s academic standing, which she believes is too weighted
within the rubric.
“We like to see the GPA at 3.0 or above. However, that is not the only
determining factor, but GPA is considered in the overall picture,” said
Anderson.
The new criteria demands more accountability for the recipients after they
complete their internships. After returning to school, students will participate
in a reflective meeting to discuss the internships, the experiences and how to
improve while bringing that reality to the campus. This is in addition to checks
made by Anderson or a faculty advisor.
The criteria for the first term of applications was different than what exists
today. Only four of six applications were accepted in the first term. Two were
not accepted because they applied to be at the same location as two of those
that were accepted. Anderson said that the committee chose the best possible
candidate for the location and the situation at the time.
Ten people applied for the second term that included summer and fall
internships. Of those 10 applications, six were awarded. After awarding the
grants, Anderson created a rubric that included certain criteria pertaining to
not-for-profit internships that the committee filled out. Anderson did not
collect those but said they were a tool for the steering committee to make
decisions on who to select for the awards.
Previous interns just had to report to Anderson on an occasional basis.
“I had to keep track of my hours and state what I did for the internship and
report them periodically to Beth Anderson,” said junior Peter Thomas who created
a website for the Elizabethton Children’s Home this spring.
The stipend offers students opportunities that are often overlooked because of
financial needs. The institute’s goal is to remove the limitations of pay and
ask what a student would like to do while encountering the true vocational goals
of the applicants.
“My life was deeply impacted by the experience the stipend helped to provide,
and a significant impact was made on the church in Kenya,” said senior Travis
Weeks, who worked there for eight weeks.