final stipends report

STIPENDS PROGRAM

Stanford in GovernmentFebruary 2015 Haas Center for Public Service

Program Evaluationand Strategic Plan

A Student-Led Affiliate of the Haas Center for Public Servicesig.stanford.edu

Stanford in Government

FSI

CDDRL

SLSCISAC

Connecting students with policy.

Stanford in GovernmentA Student-Led Affiliate of the Haas Center for Public Service

Stanford in Government | Haas Center for Public Service | 562 Salvatierra Walk, Stanford, CA 94305

For more than 50 years, Stanford in Government (SIG) has served as Stanford University’s nonpartisan, student-led organization devoted to creating a culture of civic and political engagement on campus. SIG believes that direct public service plays an important role in communities, but that institutional reform fundamentally changes communities, structures and systems.

To inspire students to help enact change at the level of public policy, SIG funds more than 60 policy fellowships each year at public service organizations, runs civic engagement education initiatives, and connects students with opportunities to engage with policymaking.

Stanford in Government was founded in 1963 as the Stanford in Washington program, and in 1985 became a founding program of the Haas Center for Public Service. For the last 30 years, SIG has been a key part of the Haas Center’s public policy pathway for public service and offers programming and internships through local, state, national, and international opportunities in government.

In keeping with the University’s founding principles, the SIG community ensures that Stanford students continue to contribute to government service. SIG also reflects Stanford’s hallmark entrepreneurial spirit with its entirely student-run programming—a characteristic that sets it apart from similar organizations at peer institutions.

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STANFORD IN GOVERNMENT

About the Program

“I had the opportunity to get a feel for policy analysis by attending hearings and briefings. I also wrote memos for legislative assistants who incorporated my analysis into their work. The office environment was incredible... Without a SIG stipend, I would have been unable to pursue this opportunity.”

-Alex Cheng, ’17, Office of U.S. Representative Tim Walz (D-MN), Washington, DC, summer 2014.


STIPENDS

The SIG Stipends Program strives to inspire stu-dents to pursue opportunities in public service by eliminating obstacles to civic engagement. By funding unpaid policy opportunities and provid-ing internship resources and faculty mentoring on how to enter and navigate the policy world, the SIG Stipends Program promotes greater access to public policy and government for all Stanford undergraduates, especially those who barriers to entrance: students on financial need, non-policy majors, and underclassmen

Every qualified, prepared Stanford undergradu-ate student who wants to can participate in at least one policy-related initiative during his or her undergraduate education.

Policy internships educate, challenge, and in-fluence students’ futures. But they are dispro-portionately unpaid. The SIG Stipends Program bridges the gap between an enriching experi-ence in public service and an unpaid summer internship. The program invests in Stanford students who, in Jane Lathrop Stanford’s words, “will become thereby of greater service to the public.”

After a three-year pilot program, the SIG Sti-pends Program is a critical component of SIG’s work. The Program has enabled 46 students to pursue summer policy internships at high-profile governmental and nonprofit organizations in 13 countries and 22 cities. For many students, a policy internship funded by SIG stipends is their first out-of-the-classroom experience with the policymaking process.

Placement offices give glowing reviews of sti-pend recipients, and students often cite their summer experience as profoundly influential.

The SIG Stipends Program will continue to have an impact on the Stanford campus and policy organizations. It will ◊ Promote policy exposure among Stanford

students,◊ Eliminate barriers to entry into the policy

world,◊ Cultivate an identity of civic engagement◊ Encourage interdisciplinary thinking,◊ Foster open discourse and awareness of a

spectrum of policy issues, and◊ Expand student perspectives academically,

socially, and culturally.

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SIG STIPENDS PROGRAM OVERVIEW


Photo: Sanjana Parikh, ’15, (right) and Diana C. Banks, ’04, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, summer 2014.

Mission

Vision

Stanford in Government’s

Stipends Program

VISION

PAST SUCCESS

Every qualified, prepared Stanford undergraduate student who wants to can participate in at least one policy-related initiative during his or her undergraduate education

countries and...

Stipends awarded since 2012

Applications received since 2012

In a 2011 survey of 500 undergraduates, 41% said they would have chosen a summer public policy

internship if funding had been available.

• U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, Justice & Treasury• USAID in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia• Swaziland Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy• United Nations Office of CIVICUS in New York City.

46 131

1341%

22

cities worldwide.

Stipend recipientshave worked in...

Stipend recipients have worked at...

RECIPIENTS

I interned at the Public Defender’s Service (PDS) for the District of Columbia last summer. Working at PDS for 12 weeks was an invaluable experience; without the stipend, it would have been financially unviable.

— Jamie Kim, ’15U.S. Department of State

I was an intern at the Depart-ment of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office....It was a great experience and an ideal opportunity for a science or engineering major looking to gain exposure to policy.

— Darren Handoko,’16U.S. Department of Energy

“

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“

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She readily masters challenging new material and works well in a team framework. Three of her energy policy team were gradu-ate students in economics and Khiana worked effectively with each of them.

— The Climate Instituteon Khiana Lowe, ’16

“

”

Majors represented

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3Stanford in Government | Haas Center for Public Service | 562 Salvatierra Walk, Stanford, CA 94305

SIG STIPENDS PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Mission

Vision

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STIPENDS BY THE NUMBERS


Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

21 applicants, 11 recipients – 9% freshmen, 91% financial aid, 64% non-policy majors



Stipends as a Path to Policy

100% of recipients surveyed said their experiences increased their interest in public policy.

100% of recipients surveyed said their experiences encouraged them to get more involved in their chosen policy issue.

67% of recipients surveyed said their experiences increased their interest in a policy-related career option.

100%

100%

67%

Proportion of respondents that still pursued public service opportunities.66%

To prepare for its 50th anniversary in 2013, SIG assessed its fellowship program and the chang-ing needs of Stanford’s economically and aca-demically diverse undergraduate student body.

In a survey of 500 undergraduates, SIG learned that 41% of respondents would have chosen summer public policy internships if funding had been available. Through the Haas Center, SIG was granted permission from the university to raise funds from SIG alumni and friends to launch the SIG Stipends Program in summer 2012. In the three years since, SIG has support-ed 46 stipends for students to advance public policy efforts in 13 countries and 22 cities.

As student interest in public service continues to grow on campus, demand for the SIG Stipends Program has also skyrocketed, with a 300% increase in applicants since its inception.

In a January 2015 survey of rejected summer 2014 stipend applicants, SIG learned that 66% of respondents still pursued public policy or pub-lic service opportunities without stipends. This

speaks to the sheer determination and passion for service of SIG Stipend applicants. Yet of the group who still pursued public service, many did so at great personal cost. 45% of these students paid for their expenses out of pocket.

Even as program demand continues to grow, SIG is constantly evaluating and improving the SIG Stipends Program to make sure it meets the needs of students. Our recipient roundtables and interviews with accepted and rejected partici-pants speaks to this commitment.


THE STIPEND PROGRAM’S GROWING DEMAND

Of those who still pursued public service, paid for their costs out of pocket

45%

“I took out a personal loan to finance my

summer.”

“I still worked there, but got a

part-time tutoring job and lived at home to cover

costs.”

“Working a second job, night

shifts...”

Promotion (Fall and Winter Quarters)

• Students are invited to SIG’s “coffee chats” to speak with and receive guidance from past SIG stipend recipients.

• Students can access SIG’s internship da-tabase to investigate potential internships.

Application and Acceptance (Spring Quarter)

• The application asks for the student’s interest in the internship, the internship’s relation to public policy, the student’s financial need, and a personal statement. Students must provide a letter of recom-mendation, transcript, and a placement questionnaire.

• Students are selected as stipend recipi-ents based on the strength of their ap-plication and the policy relevance of their internship. Criteria include the student’s year, financial need, major, and demon-strated interest in public policy.

Internship Preparation (Spring Quarter)

• Students attend orientation, complete

an emergency form and other paper-work, and meet with a faculty mentor and Haas Center staff to receive their funding award.

Internship Experience (Summer Quarter) • In addition to the full-time internships,

students have opportunities to hear policymakers, attend networking events, bond as a cohort, and meet alumni in their placement city.

Post-Internship (Summer and Fall Quarters)

• Students complete a post-internship sur-vey to assess impact and student satis-faction.

• Students complete a reflective steward-ship letter for donors.

• Students participate in a SIG stipends roundtable to provide suggestions on how to improve the program.

• Students attend SIG outreach events to engage more Stanford students.

• Placement organizations complete a placement survey.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS FOR STUDENTS


“The program provided me with concrete international development experiences and allowed me to work directly with policymakers. The SIG stipend helped make all this possible.”

-Logan Richard, ’15, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC, summer 2013.

Next

Fal

l

Completes internship preparation steps: a stipends orientation, an internship Learning Plan, and consultations with faculty members and Haas Center staff

Engages in the informal coffee-chat mentorship with past stipends recipients and gains the knowledge, resources, and confidence neces-sary to apply for policy internships

Sum

mer

Secures an internship and determines eligibility for the SIG Stipends Program

Completes the written application and has an internship supervisor submit the placement organization questionnaire

Deadline 1: February

Deadline 2: April

Is selected for a stipend

Receives funding and has the opportunity to gain an invaluable experience in policy

Sprin

g

Uses SIG's internship database to find policy-relevant internships

Fall

& W

inte

r

Participates in post-internship reflections and a roundtable session to improve the program and mobilize outreach

Since the late 1960s, SIG has funded students to pursue prearranged summer internships through the SIG Fellowships Program. Unlike the SIG Fellowships Program, the SIG Stipends Program requires students to find their own policy internships and then request funding after the internship placement is confirmed.


What is the difference between the SIG Fellowships Program and the SIG Stipends Program?

A Student’s Year in Stipends

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Have secured a policy-relevant internship

Possess a demonstrated passion for public policy

Will gain meaningful exposure to policy during their experience

Face barriers to otherwise experiencing public policy work: students on financial need, non-policy majors, and underclassmen”

Targeted Applicants

What does a policy-related summer experience mean?

The recipient must be directly involved in the development and implementation of policy through work at governmental agencies, federal or local legislatures, international policymaking organizations, think tanks, media, or non-governmental organizations. Funding is not provided for direct service, research that does not affect policy, or nonprofit work that does not directly relate to policy.

The SIG Stipends Program was designed to foster a supportive environment for Stanford stu-dents to gain experience in public policy, while addressing obstacles they face. The program:

◊ Helpsstudentsovercomefinancialbarriersto service: By providing funding and taking financial need into consideration during the selection process, the SIG Stipends Program eliminates the financial barrier of unpaid policy internships for students who could not accept an internship without financial sup-port.

◊ Introduces students from nontraditional majors to policy: Students from disciplines outside of political science, public policy, economics, and international relations of-ten have an interest in public policy but are less competitve for SIG fellowships. The SIG Stipends Program provides a competitive fi-nancial edge to public-sector internships and reduces the incentive for students to intern solely in the private sector.

◊ Engages younger students (freshmen and sophomores) with limited exposure to policy: Many students are simply unaware of how to search for policy internships. In addition to providing funding, SIG provides invaluable resources and advice for students looking to get policy exposure. The SIG Stipends Program’s intentional preference for underclassmen – coupled with these re-sources and support networks – can bolster student confidence and motivation to seek policy internships.

◊ Supports students with a sincere interest inpublicpolicyasitintersectswiththeirfieldofstudy: Above everything else, the SIG Stipends Program looks for applicants committed to making change in public policy, whatever their passion. Summer internships with the SIG Stipends Program change per-spectives and lead to new ways of engaging civically and democratically.

WHY STIPENDS?


“I would never be able to afford to work an unpaid internship in New York City without financial aid. Without the stipend, I would have taken a paid internship in the environment or energy sector or worked at the local aquarium.”

-Ashley Overbeek, ’17, United Nations Office of CIVICUS, New York, NY, summer 2014.

As Stanford University’s oldest nonpartisan po-litical organization devoted to connecting stu-dents to public service opportunities, SIG is best positioned to support the SIG Stipends Program.

◊ For Students, By Students: Student-run programming is a strong illustration of Stan-ford’s hallmark entrepreneurialism, and the SIG Stipends Program supports this ethos of student leadership. Moreover, as Stanford students, SIG members can best understand the pressures associated with applying for internships and the need to tailor the program to suit current students.

◊ Experience: SIG has more than four decades of experience running student public policy internships, having facilitated thousands of summer public policy experiences. This track record highlights SIG’s ability, with guidance from the Haas Center, to successfully support Stanford students at various policy organiza-tions around the world.

◊ Institutional Knowledge: SIG has worked steadily for five years to envision, structure, and implement the program and has accumu-lated extensive knowledge about how to suc-cessfully manage it. SIG continually assesses and reevaluates the program to make sure it remains relevant and exciting for students.

◊ Campus Awareness: SIG’s student lead-ership ensures that the program will meet evolving student needs as well as select the best students to represent Stanford. SIG’s keen knowledge of Stanford students’ inter-

ests and commitments also allows SIG to most effectively advertise the program and communicate its intent and values.

◊ Time and Commitment: Not only is the SIG Stipends Committee able to devote attention to managing the program, but SIG members are a self-selecting group of students with passion for civic engagement, giving them an ideological connection to the SIG Stipends Program and a desire to see it flourish.

◊ SIG Brand: SIG is a well-established orga-nization with dedicated alumni advisors. Its policy focus enables it to manage a program specific to public internships.

Most importantly, testimonials from both stipend recipients and their placement organizations from Swaziland to Washington, DC, highlight the positive impact the program has had across the world. They also make evident that stipends have a powerful impact on students’ lives and compel many to pursue a career in public policy.

The SIG Stipends Program does not just make policy internships possible for students; it chang-es student perspectives on policymaking and public service. One stipend recipient said, “It changed my assumptions about what it is like to work at a nonprofit,” and provided a “challeng-ing, insightful environment.” Another recipient wrote in his final report, “I made a lot of impor-tant connections and really got a chance to dive into an area that I was always interested in but couldn’t pursue for financial reasons.”

WHY SIG?


◊ Continue coffee chats among past stipends recipients and potential applicants.

◊ Implement an “Ask SIG” service to help stu-dents navigate the process.

◊ Create a comprehensive archive of past placement organizations and their contact information.

◊ Institutionalize student and faculty mentor-ship of stipend applicants and recipients, while adding official faculty mentors for se-lected recipients.

◊ Encourage more faculty to become involved in highlighting the importance of supporting policy internships.

◊ Increase the number of SIG Stipends award-ed by 50% to 30 stipends per year.

◊ Collaborate with the Haas Center for Public Service “Cardinal Quarter” Initiative to offer more stipend opportunities and guidance for students. Serve as a foundational program for the Cardinal Quarter’s public policy pathway.

◊ Achieve the “100 Ways to Engage” bench-mark. This goal aims to partner with other Stanford organizations and departments (such as the Freeman Spogli Institute for In-ternational Studies or the Public Policy Pro-gram) and to expand SIG’s summer fellow-ships and stipends awards, allowing for 100 funded policy-related summer opportunities.

◊ Expand faculty mentorship opportunities and host a virtual conference with peer organi-zations at different universities to promote potential internship opportunities to Stanford students.

◊ Achieve the SIG Stipends Program’s vision of having every qualified, prepared Stanford un-dergraduate student who wants to can par-ticipate in at least one policy-related initiative during his or her undergraduate education.

“Participating in the SIG Stipends Program was instrumental in increasing my knowledge of the professional world, especially public policy. Walking away from this experience, I feel significantly more confident about entering the public sector. The SIG Stipends Program is unmatched and phenomenal.”

-Maddie Hawkinson, ’17, Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology, Denver, CO, summer 2014.

FUTURE VISION


2015-2017 2017-2020

2020 and Beyond

PAST STIPEND RECIPIENTS


Name Year Major Internship Location

Alex Cheng Freshman Undeclared Office of U.S. Representative Tim Walz (D-MN), Wash-ington, DC

Ryan Duncan Freshman Economics Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Richmond, VA

Jacqueline Fielder Sophomore Public Policy Oglala Sioux Tribe Office of Economic Development, Pine Ridge, SD

Jason Galisatus Junior Political Science Press Office of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Washington, DC

Maddie Hawkinson Freshman Management Science & Engineering

Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technol-ogy, Denver, CO

Benjamin Holston Junior Political Science Office of U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Wash-ington, DC

Jamie Kim Junior Political Science Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC

Khiana Lowe Sophomore Civil & Environmental Engineering

The Climate Institute, Washington, DC

Mariama Mallah Sophomore Public Policy U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC

Ruben Mayer-Hirshfeld Sophomore International Relations Pauta Politica, Mexico City, Mexico

Margreth Mpossi Junior Biology Public Service Commission Tanzania, Morogoro, Tanzania

Lucas Oswald Senior Earth Systems Chilean Ministry of the Environment, Santiago, Chile

Ashley Overbeek Freshman Earth Systems United Nations Office of CIVICUS, New York, NY

Sanjana Parikh Junior International Relations U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC

Jaclyn Phi Sophomore Earth Systems Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, DC

Cara Reichard Junior Political Science U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

John Ribeiro-Broomhead Freshman Undeclared Sierra Club, Berkeley, CA

Sofia Rojasova Junior Human Biology U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC

Marika Sitz Junior Human Biology U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

Busiswa Vilakazi Senior Energy Resources Engineering

Energy Department of the Swaziland Ministry of Natu-ral Resources and Energy, Mbabane, Swaziland

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Akshai Baskaran Sophomore Chemical Engineering Office of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Wash-ington, DC

Jonathan Bentley Sophomore Management Science & Engineering

U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

Ilse Calderon Freshman Undeclared (time of Stipend)

Prairie View Economic Development Project, Prairie View, TX

Sarah Chang Junior Philosophy, Literature Transparent Fish Fund, Gansu, China

Darren Handoko Freshman Chemical Engineering U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC

Hannah Karpel Freshman Undeclared (time of Stipend)

KaeMe Foundation, Accra, Ghana

Ivan Marquez Sophomore American Studies Office of U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL), Wash-ington, DC

Alex Martinez Junior Human Biology USAID, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Katherine Pfleeger Freshman Undeclared (time of Stipend)

U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC

Logan Richard Sophomore International Relations U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

Lily Steyer Sophomore Human Biology Safe Mothers, Safe Babies, Iganga and Namutumba, Uganda

Margot Swank Junior Geophysics White House Council on Environmental Quality, Wash-ington, DC

Zak Whittington Junior Computer Science, Political Science

National Democratic Institute, Washington, DC

Isaac Yi Senior & Coterm

Management Science & Engineering

Hawaii State Energy Office, Honolulu, HI


Tenzin Atruksang Sophomore Biology Central Tibetan Administration Department of Health, Dharamsala, India

Kristian Bailey Sophomore Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity

New America Foundation, Washington, DC

Gladys Delgadillo Junior Earth Systems Bald Head Island Conservancy, Bald Head Island, NC

Natalia Eguez Sophomore Human Biology U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC

Karla Gonzalez Sophomore History Solidarity Center, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Yihwan Kim Sophomore Political Science Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-Sustainability Team, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Patrick McGuire Sophomore French Press Office of the U.S. Embassy, Beijing, China

Stefan Norgaard Freshman Public Policy Ghanaian Department of Social Welfare, Accra, Ghana

Lilly Oh Sophomore History New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York, NY

Rachel Seeman Sophomore Human Biology National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, Stan-ford, CA

Iberia Zafira Junior Earth Systems BIO Intelligence Service, Paris, France

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“While the instruction offered must be such as will qualify the students for personal success and direct usefulness in life, they should understand that it is offered in the hope and trust that they will become thereby of greater service to the public.”

-Jane Lathrop Stanford, University’s Founding GrantNovember 1, 1901

“There is momentum on campus to create a stipend system in which undergraduates could participate in an internship and be funded by Stanford. Many of our peer schools have similar programs, and Haas has some here for community service. This is a long-term initiative ... but probably one of the more enduring legacies SIG can leave to Stan-ford.”

-Danny Crichton, ’11, Vice Chair of Operations, Stanford in Government

“My Stanford in Government stipend was transformative and compelled me to consider a career in policy. I am now co-chair of the San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission.”

-Jason Galisatus, ’15, stipend recipient with Press Office of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)


vWe would like to thank the following individuals and parties for their support and strategic guidance of the SIG Stipends Program:

Stanford in Government Alumni Advisory Board

Haas Center for Public Service National Advisory Board

Haas Center for Public Service: Colleen Coffey, Larry Diamond, Megan Swezey Fogarty, Julie Kennedy, Tom Schnaubelt, and Corinne Thomas

Mentorship from Chuck Ludlam, ’67

Editing from Linda Paulson

Students who worked on this report:

Stefan Norgaard, ’15

Kimberly Tan, ’17

Ryan Frankel, ’18

Zach Sorenson, ’17

Victor Xu, ’17

Stanford in GovernmentHaas Center for Public Service

Stanford in GovernmentHaas Center for Public Service

562 Salvatierra WalkStanford, CA 94305

sig.stanford.edu

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