The Office of the President is seeking at least one administrative intern for the 1997-98 academic year, beginning Aug. 18.

The intern(s) will help with special projects and administrative tasks, including budget planning and analysis. The internship is half-time and may last one semester or the full academic year.

Tenured faculty and P&S staff may apply. Women and ethnic minorities particularly are encouraged to apply.

The Administrative Internship Program wants to enlarge the pool of women and people of ethnic minorities qualified for administrative positions.

“If you believe that it’s a good goal to have more women and minorities in administration, then you need to give them more opportunities to gain experience,” said Charles Dobbs, executive assistant to the president.

The internship is also designed to allow interns to view administration from the perspective of their departments.

Vicky Thorland-Oster, training specialist in human resources, who served as an intern in the president’s office a few years ago, said the internship benefited her by increasing her understanding and knowledge of the university.

“It was a real learning experience from my perspective. I got a much more global perspective of the university than I had had before that,” she said.

“Most interns go in and have a choice of things,” Thorland-Oster said, but she had a specific project to work on.

During her internship, Thorland-Oster coordinated Succeeding with Students, an interactive learning opportunity to give people a greater understanding of institutions of higher education, of the funding structure, including where funds come from and where they go, and of the barriers and processes students go through during their journeys through Iowa State.

She said she also attended meetings of the president during her internship.

The number of interns selected will depend on the interests of applicants.

Dobbs said they can take more interns if they are interested in different areas and can take on different projects. For example, the current intern is working with the budgeting process.

The President’s Office contributes $2,500 for a semester or $5,000 for the academic year to cover partially the cost of replacement help in the intern’s home department to support the program. Sponsoring areas are expected to contribute the balance of the cost as needed.

Applications should include a resume and a letter from the respective supervisor or DEO supporting the application and the request to be relieved of duties half-time for the internship period.

That way, Dobbs said, arrangements can be made to fill whatever gaps the applicant will leave in his department.

Applications should be sent to President Martin Jischke, 117 Beardshea, by April 28. Dobbs said interns will be selected one or two weeks afterwards to allow time to make any necessary arrangements for things like faculty scheduled to teach fall classes.