Vice President for Student Affairs Professional Internship Program
Texas A&M University

Purpose:

• Provide interns with a greater exposure to and an expanded perspective of the inner workings of the University, the Office of the Vice President, and key areas outside the Division of Student Affairs
• Provide personal and professional growth opportunities and enhancements
• Provide interns the opportunity to work with and demonstrate progress toward the completion of a Division initiative or priority
• Provide shortterm (not to exceed one year) leadership to a Division priority or initiative(s)
• Provide an opportunity for professional experience that will enhance career progression to higher levels of the profession

Term:

• Duration would vary depending on the intern’s responsibilities; could be as few as 23 months or as long as one year
• Assignment can begin at any time of the year. Calls for applications occur at various times throughout the year
• Assignment is typically 10%20% time, to be negotiated between home department and intern based on circumstances, responsibilities, and proposed project

Eligible Staff:

• Full time professional staff members in the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University
• At least one year post-master’s fulltime professional experience in higher education

Title:

• Vice President for Student Affairs Professional Intern

Developmental Support:

• On-the-job development (to include exposure to Division-level and University level issues and administrators)
• Mentoring/coaching from upper level administrators
• Interns create a professional growth plan based on competencies in student affairs and university administration. (Elements to include skill sets associated with leadership, management and the administration of higher education)
• Opportunity to shadow and observe upper level administrators
• Interns receive an orientation to the VPSA to include the workings of the office, issues related to protocol, confidentiality, and expectations of upper level administrative work
• Interns enrolled in academic programs may seek to use the experience to satisfy graduate practicum or internship requirements. While this is supported by the Office of the Vice President, individuals must make arrangements to do so with the appropriate faculty.

Responsibilities:

• Focused on meaningful work with progressive responsibility
• A menu of possible focus areas will be provided by the Office of the Vice President
• Responsibilities can be a combination of shortterm and longterm activities mixed with leadership and administrative/staff work
• A standard job description will be developed by the program coordinator that allows for modifications based on individual assignments

Expectations:

• Expectations for intern, home department, coach/mentor and Office of the VPSA will be developed by the program coordinator
• Expectations, roles, and responsibilities will be documented in a formal Memorandum of Understanding prior to the internship beginning, negotiation of which will be facilitated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
• Interns should review their workload and commitments prior to application and make necessary adjustments (i.e. reduction in committee assignments, reduction of academic work)

Application and Selection Process:

• Competitive application and interview process
• A complete application consists of the following: (1) The VPSA Professional Intern Application form, (2) A Statement of Interest (see application form for details), (3) Current resume
• A screening committee will narrow the pool of applicants, conduct interviews, and recommend the most promising applicants to the Vice President for Students Affairs who makes the final decision
• The selected applicant(s) will submit a detailed plan at the onset of the internship

Implementation Requirements:

• Remuneration: Additional professional development funds (to be paid by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs) will be provided for interns
• Work Space: The Office of the VPSA will attempt to provide work space in the office for the intern
• Pilot Program: The first year of the program will be a pilot program and will include ongoing monitoring and review

Potential Areas of Focus:

In addition to working closely with a senior staff member in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and engaging in developmental activities (such as shadowing senior members of the staff, attending division and senior level meetings) interns are expected to identify a project of interest. Examples of project areas include:

• Student Affairs Financial Management
  • Advisor to Student Service Fee Advisory Board
  • Participation in annual budget preparation process
  • Salary Survey (Professional Staff Salaries)
• Division Communications Framework
  • Assessment of Ecommunications model, identification of potential template, establishment of process to sustain the project
• Student Affairs Policy Research and Analysis (for example, healthcare for uninsured students, issues associated with student rules and regulations, issues associated with compensation for graduate assistants)
• Recruitment and Matriculation of Underrepresented Populations

Selected interns could also submit proposals to work on current areas of focus. Proposals should have a divisionwide focus. Examples of appropriate areas include academic/student affairs integration, fundraising, international students, and staff development.