Internships - Quad Cities Campus - Western Illinois University

Quad Cities Campus

Internship Partnerships in the Quad Cities area

An internship can be an excellent way for students in the arts and sciences to develop additional skills, gain work experience in new contexts, and apply classroom lessons within a professional environment. For a growing number of students, our internship partnerships with various Quad Cities area organizations are providing fascinating learning opportunities, very attractive résumé material, and windows to careers that might have otherwise remained distant. There are many worthwhile articles about the value of internships, but here is one example from The Chronicle of Higher Education .

The Quad Cities area internships below are open to applicants from both WIU-QC and WIU-Macomb. Please contact your advisor and/or Dr. Everett Hamner (e-hamner@wiu.edu) with additional questions. Please note especially that various academic programs at WIU have their own requirements and application forms for seeking academic credit from internships.

One last thought: it is critical that an internship be a three-way partnership between a student, the host institution, and the university. If a student has any doubt about the fairness or appropriateness of work expectations or conditions in a given internship, it is important that they initiate a discussion with their university mentor as soon as possible. Federal regulations for internships applicable under The Fair Labor Standards Act are available here at the U.S. Department of Labor website.

Organizations with established internship programs ready to take applications for specific positions in Spring and Summer 2014

WQPT: Development and Communications Intern
- Application deadline: generally rolling, but Spring 2014 applications should be submitted by November 8 (deadline extended to Nov 22!)
- Key activities: interviewing, writing, marketing, fundraising, project management
- Location: WIU-QC 60^th St. campus, Moline
- Hours: flexible, but minimum 4 hours/week
- Required skills/qualifications: knowledge of Microsoft Office software, preference for openness to working with children (background check may be required), preference for video/web capabilities
- Please consult additional internship description and application pages

Putnam Museum: Grant-writing Intern
- Application deadline: rolling, but Spring 2014 applications should be submitted by November 11.
- Key activities: writing, editing, marketing, institutional representation at professional events
- Location: Davenport
- Hours: flexible, but minimum 4 hours/week
- Required skills/qualifications: knowledge of Microsoft Office software, exceptionally strong written communication skills, individual initiative
- Applications consist of cover letter and résumé addressed to Betsy Matt Turner, Special Assistant to the President for Mission Advancement, Putnam Museum, 1717 W. 12^th St., Davenport, IA 52804; turner@putnam.org

NEW Putnam Museum: Education Intern
- Application deadline: rolling, but Spring 2014 applications should be submitted asap (beyond Nov 22, call to assure position still open)
- Key activities: This is a professional position supporting interpretation and presentations for the museum visitor and program support for the education department. The Education Intern will use informal education techniques to assist in delivering interpretations and demonstrations that engage and excite visitors of a variety of ages in multiple settings. Utilizing research capabilities, public speaking and presentation skills as well as knowledge of exhibitions, history and STEM concepts, the Intern will support programming throughout the museum. The Education Intern is flexible, enjoys variety, and will assist with other duties involved in reaching Strategic Goals set for the museum’s Education department.
- Location: Davenport
- Hours: flexible
- Required skills/qualifications: see activities.
- Applications consist of a cover letter and résumé addressed to Nichole Myles, Vice President of Education, Putnam Museum, 1717 W. 12^th St., Davenport, IA 52804; myles@putnam.org

Congressional Office of Cheri Bustos (U.S. House of Representatives)
- Application deadline: rolling, but a definite opening exists for a Spring 2014 intern from WIU-QC; apply asap
- Key activities: writing letters to constituents; reading local and national newspapers and other media; answering telephone calls; specific project assignments; occasional meetings with Congresswoman Bustos
- Location: Rock Island office and QC area
- Hours: very flexible, but 10 hours/week minimum
- Required skills/qualifications: strong writing skills, customer (constituent) service abilities, professionalism
- Resumé, cover letter, and interview required of all applicants: please address these to Lucie VanHecke, Constituent Advocate, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), 100 19^th St., Suite 101, Rock Island, IL 61201; lucie.vanhecke@mail.house.gov . Also, please see NEW internship description.

Child Abuse Council of the Quad Cities: Sexual Abuse Prevention Curriculum Facilitator
- Application deadline: rolling, but one applicant needed immediately to begin training in December and begin in-schools program in January
- Key activities: “Talking about Touching” presentations in elementary school classrooms (about appropriate and inappropriate physical interaction)
- Location: Rock Island mainly, but also other QC areas
- Hours: flexible, but 4-15 hrs/wk most common
- Required skills/qualifications: openness to working with children (federal background check required), mobility (driving between schools)
- Please consult additional internship description page (with application instructions)

Rock Island Argus-Dispatch Internships (4 paid positions, summer only)
- Application deadline: February 15, but most applications are submitted during winter holidays; this is a paid summer-only internship for which the paper plans well in advance
- Key activities: two internships are as reporters, one is in photo/multi-media, and one is on the copy/design desk. Interns are expected to function as regular staff members, although they may need more guidance and direction than regular staff. This is not an internship where students should expect to shadow someone else; they are expected to make daily independent contributions.
- Location: main office of The Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus in downtown Moline
- Hours: generally 9 to 5, but some nights and weekends
- Required skills/qualifications: excellent writing, editing, and/or graphic design skills; past reporting experience is very helpful (most applicants have at least some)
- Cover letter, résumés, and clips of published work should be sent to Roger Ruthhart, Managing Editor, Rock Island Argus-Dispatch, 1720 Fifth Ave., Moline, IL 61265; rruthhart@qconline.com; (309) 736-3517. Pay for these internships is subject to annual review, but is currently $8.40/hour.

Illinois Legislative Staff Internship (paid post-bachelor’s degree 1-year position)
- Application deadline: March 1, 2014
- Key activities: provide research support, analyze budgets, write and edit newsletters
- Location: Springfield
- Hours: full-time between August 16, 2014 and June 30, 2015, but with time for graduate studies (and 9 credits included)
- Required skills/qualifications: must graduate with Bachelor’s degree by Aug. 16, 2014; minimum 3.0 gpa
- For more info and application materials, see http://ilsip.uis.edu

Organizations interested in discussing future internships with qualified WIU-QC students

Moline Public Library
- Application deadline: rolling (will discuss possibilities with individual students)
- Key activities: development of public engagement programs; children & youth sections have particular needs
- Location: Moline
- Hours: flexible
- Required skills/qualifications: full internships in adult and young adult services are usually limited to students currently pursuing or soon beginning a Master’s of Library Science program; that degree plan is less important for student interns in children’s section
- Students with interests in library internships or related opportunities in librarianship should contact Lisa Powell Williams, Adult Services Coordinator, 3210 41^st St., Moline, IL 61265; lwilliams@molinelibrary.org.

Bethany for Children and Families
- Application deadline: rolling (will discuss possibilities with individual students)
- Key activities: assistance with grantwriting
- Location: Moline, Davenport
- Hours: flexible
- Required skills/qualifications: professional/technical writing skills, interest in learning about and enabling social services
- Interested students should contact Jenny Hager, Vice President of Marketing and Development, 1830 6^th Ave., Moline, IL 61265; jhager@bethany-qc.org