For UM Alumni

University of Mississippi students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the nation’s capital beginning with the Spring 2008 semester.  The Washington Internship Experience (WIE) integrates course work and internships every fall, spring, and summer term for 15 to 20 students.  Students select internships according to their areas of interest, such as government, the media, or a national institution in a variety of fields, federal agencies, and private industries. International relations, journalism, law, engineering, public relations, business, the arts, political science, pharmacy, accountancy, and criminal justice are among the many specialties that students can pursue. The Washington Internship Experience Administrative Director will work diligently to help students arrange internships in their areas of interest.

All DC-area alumni are invited to participate in the Washington Internship Experience and can do so in a variety of ways:

Serve as an alumni mentor.
We would like to pair each student with a mentor who lives and works in the DC area. Mentors would be expected to spend time with their students and be a resource for them. For the registration form, chose one of the following: [.pdf][.doc].

Be a guest lecturer.
Each student is required to enroll in our Washington Seminar course which features guest speakers from all aspects of DC life and work.  Anyone who is interested in sharing their perspectives on policy, politics, business, art, culture, etc., is encouraged to participate in our seminar.

Attend our events.
Each semester we will host a variety of events that may be open to our alumni.

Host an event.
Invite the interns to an event that you host.

Alert us to internship possibilities or opportunities.
If you know of internship opportunities UM students should investigate, please let us know, and we will pass the information on to students through our listserv.

If you would like to be involved in the Washington Internship Experience, please contact Mary Leach, Coordinator for the Washington Internship Experience at 662-915-7847 or mleach@olemiss.edu.