General Information
The Penn Program for Public Service (PPPS) Summer Internship is an 11-week multi-faceted summer program that immerses approximately 10-12 undergraduates in real-world problem solving in the West Philadelphia-Penn community. At the core of the internship is an action-oriented, Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) seminar, "Faculty-Student Collaborative Action Seminar in Urban University-Community Relations: Penn and West Philadelphia as a Case Study in Progress," led by the director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at Penn, Dr. Ira Harkavy. Each undergraduate in the seminar works collaboratively to help solve a strategic "ill-structured" problem of his or her choosing in West Philadelphia by:
- Actively participating in the seminar;
- Conducting individual and group research centered on pressing problems affecting Penn and the West Philadelphia community; and
- Working 30+ hours a week as an intern in a university-assisted community school program.
PPPS is considered equivalent to a full-time job and students will not be permitted to take additional classes or work outside of the internship. Interns will receive:
- One free course credit (Graded course that fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the US foundational approach for the College of Arts and Sciences)
- Payment at $12.50/hr (taxable) -- If you are eligible for summer federal work-study funding, we highly encourage you to apply for a summer work-study award through Student Financial Aid Services. If selected for PPPS, we will then apply your work-study award to this internship.
- Free housing -- Interns must live in the housing provided by the program as a key part of the experience is cultivating a live-learning community!
Application Details
First, complete quick 2-min intake form here with basic personal information.This is to indicate your interest in applying. Next, submit the following as PDFs here.
- Resume
- Transcript (does not need to be official) - first-year students, please submit both a high school transcript and your Penn transcript
- 2-3 page double spaced statement considering the following:
- Who are you? What experiences, particularly community involvement, have shaped who you are today? What issues are important to you? What experience and/or skills do you have that will help you conduct research on pressing problems affecting Penn and the West Philadelphia community? What do you hope to gain from participating in the Penn Program for Public Service Summer Internship?
Your application is considered complete only after you have submitted these materials along with the intake form.
NOTE - please label each document with your first and last name as follows: [Last Name]_[First Name]_[resume/transcript/statement].pdf
After submission, your files will be anonymized by PPPS staff coordinator and reviewed by ABCS faculty, Netter Center staff, and former PPPS interns.
Details:
Research Offering Type
Internship
Location
USA
Undergraduate School
College, Engineering, Nursing, Wharton
Source
Penn
Contact Information
For more information, contact nettercenter@upenn.edu.