The Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program

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Application Deadline

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 5pm — submit applications to Kim LeClair via email and drop off a hard copy to the Office of Academic Programs (1520 Dana).

Award

Typically around $2,500 (could be more or less) depending on number of applicants/amount of funding available. In 2008, 8 students received Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program funding.

Decisions will be made by April 1, 2009.

Purpose

This program, supported by Marshall Weinberg, was established to enhance the practical experience of graduate students in SNRE (and is not meant to support master’s projects, thesis preparation, research or similar activities of a purely academic nature).

Professional Experience Internship: The proposed internship must be relevant to the student’s professional development and have a hosting organization identified.

Eligibility

The applicant must:

  • Have a proposed internship that is relevant to the student’s professional development and have a hosting organization with a staff member that is willing to supervise the student intern.
  • Be an SNRE graduate student in good academic standing (cumulative GPA must be at least 5.0)
  • Plan to return to SNRE upon completion of the internship. Exception: you may apply for internship funding for the Spring/Summer following graduation.
  • Have an internship with a non-profit or government sector employer. Internships with private sector sponsors are usually not funded, but students are still welcome to apply. EXCEPTION: Students who are interning with a small private organization that is working on an environmental project to benefit the public good or is in partnership with a nonprofit organization. Example: A landscape architecture student interning with a local LA firm that is working on a project to redevelop a brownfield in an economically depressed area.

Application Requirements

Click here for a PDF of the application requirements.

A complete set of proposal materials must include:

  • A completed Weinberg Fellowship application (500 words total).
    Be concise and to the point. It should be written in layman’s language, no jargon, be original, and should be understandable by non-experts. — download the application template [Word Doc]
  • A proposed budget — download the budget template [XLS]
  • Letter of Support on letterhead from your sponsor organization’s internship supervisor. This letter should:
    • Name of supervisor.
    • Description of what you will be doing (what goals you will accomplish).
    • Description of how the internship will be supervised.
    • A description of how the intern, the organization, and the environment will benefit from the intern’s work
    • Exact start and end dates.
    • Indicate the amount and type of compensation (if any) student will receive – if no compensation will be given, be sure to specifically mention that it will be unpaid.
    • Click here for more information on the letter of support
  • Undergraduate and graduate transcripts (OAP will provide)
  • An up-to-date résumé (current, single-sided, one page)
  • Organization Supporting Documentation (if possible – not required) limit one page front
    and back, including:
    • Organization's mission.
    • Date the organization was founded.
    • Number of full-time employees.
    • Number of full-time employees who are professionals.
    • Annual budget.
      -Please include this information if the organization is not well-known.

PLEASE MAKE 1 COPY OF ALL PROPOSAL MATERIALS to retain for your records.

Submit a copy of the complete application and supporting materials via email to Kim LeClair (Microsoft documents preferred) and drop off a hard copy to the Office of Academic Programs (1520 Dana) by March 18, 2009 by 5pm.

Please come into OAP (1520 Dana) to see examples of past student Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program applications.

Other Important Information

Preference for the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program will be given to students who:
• would otherwise not receive funding for their professional development internship experience
• will be interning with a non-profit or governmental agency (students interning with private sector sponsors may apply, but the likelihood of obtaining funding is limited).
• have not previously received Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program funding (students may apply for Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program funding 2 years in a row, but the likelihood of obtaining funding for a second year is limited).
• will be interning for at least 280 hours (example: 8 weeks at 35 hours per week).
• are interning in the spring or summer semester
• are interning with an organization that is not related to an opus client, not related to previous or future employment, and is not related or combined with any other structured program experience that provides a student with funding.

Ineligible Internships For Weinberg Funding

• Funding cannot be used to support an internship at another University or School (cannot work with a group of faculty/staff on research – however an intern can work in a Center of Excellence associated with a University or School).
• Weinberg funding can’t be used to reimburse a previous internship.
• Funding can’t be used to support any opus (thesis, dissertation, master’s project, practicum, etc.).

Student Requirements and Additional Considerations

If you are selected for the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program, you must submit a thank you letter to Mr. Weinberg by submitting it to Kim LeClair. Instructions for what to include in the thank you letter and the thank you letter due date will be provided to those that receive this prestigious award.

Please note that if you are selected for the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program, you must use the funding for the internship that you specified in your application. If you choose to complete a different internship or do not complete your internship, you must decline/return the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program funding.

At the conclusion of the internship, you will be required to submit a 2-3 page report covering the various aspects of your internship. This report should be suitable for inclusion in an SNRE newsletter, SNRE Internship Website, and for review by the donor, Marshall Weinberg. This report should include the name of the organization where you worked, an overview of the work/research that you did, and a brief explanation of how the internship aided you in your professional development. Complete details for this report will be sent to you when you are notified of receipt of the award.

Limitations for students applying for multiple SNRE internship funding opportunities: Please note that students can apply for the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program and the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund through SNRE. If you are selected for both Sussman and Weinberg funding, you will only be allowed to accept one of the funding awards. The students who are selected for both awards will be notified of at the end of April or early May on which award they will receive. If you have any questions about this, please contact Kim LeClair.

If you are selected for the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program, your internship host will be notified of your expected start and end dates, the number of work hours you specified, and the amount of your internship stipend.  The internship host is under no obligation to provide any additional funding for the work dates/times that you specified in your proposal.  You will also be carbon copied on this email.  If the internship host decides to supplement your internship stipend, that is between you and the internship host.

Internship Host Requirements

Internship hosts are responsible for helping interns clearly define the duties expected of them, provide a work station, provide a professional setting for their interns, provide appropriate supervision, and are responsible for submitting an evaluation of the student to SNRE upon the conclusion of the internship. Internship hosts typically do not provide funding for interns. If an organization or agency has a paid internship position already figured in their budget, Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program funding cannot go toward that internship.

For Assistance

Contact Kim LeClair if you need any assistance.

Kim LeClair
kleclair@umich.edu or at 734.764.1402