The Shriver Center coordinates the Public Service Scholars programs on behalf of the State of Maryland. In 2008, legislation passed to support the Walter Sondheim, Jr. Public Service Summer Internship Scholarship Program, comprised of 4 programs which give students real world experience working in various areas of public service. Additionally, the bill allocates funds to provide the participants with stipends. These stipends allow the students to explore careers in public service, as summer opportunities in these sectors is typically unfunded.
In addition to the full-time substantive work students engage in at their host sites, they attend supplemental seminars, site visits, and work together in groups to apply the knowledge gained through the program to solve real world problems.
Beginning in 1987, the Governor’s Summer Internship Program was created to introduce students to the challenges and rewards of working within Maryland state government. This program provides the best and the brightest of Maryland’s college students with the opportunity to work full-time in state agencies while being mentored by senior level administrators, such as department secretaries and directors. Additionally, they attend biweekly seminars to explore all facets of state government, speak with key decision makers, and receive coaching by a UMBC Political Science professor on policy writing. The students work together in groups, applying the knowledge gained in the seminars and at their sites to research and prepare a policy analysis and recommendation. The program culminates in a celebration at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, where students present their policies to the Governor!
The Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program began in 2008. The program introduces undergraduate and graduate students attending Maryland institutions to the nonprofit sector. Students work full-time at not for profit organizations, gaining exposure to all of the components of these organizations, often mentored by senior level administrators. Additionally, the students attend biweekly seminars on nonprofit leadership and networking opportunities with leaders in the local nonprofit scene. They also work together in groups to apply the knowledge gained in the seminars and at their sites to create proposals to solve problems posed by area nonprofit organizations. The program culminates in a celebration where students present their proposals to various community stakeholders.
After having a successful experience with students in GSIP, the Maryland Department of Transportation decided to create their own program in 2000. The (MDOT) Fellows Program exposes Maryland’s college students to careers in the state sector within Maryland’s integrative transportation system. Students of all majors are placed in full-time assignments in one of MDOT’s modals, supervised by senior-level administrators. The program is administered by the Shriver Center in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation
The Public Service Law Fellowship, beginning in 2012, is offered to students attending either of Maryland’s two law schools, The University of Maryland School of Law and the University of Baltimore School of Law. These students work-full time in the public service law sector, usually within the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, or in public service and/or an organization which assists in providing legal services to low-income or under-represented individuals or groups.