20 March 2015, Lexington, VA — The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium (SHECP) announced today that Marymount University will host the 2015 Frueauff Opening Conference for Shepherd Interns, June 5 & 6, on its Main Campus in Arlington, Virginia.
More than 90 students from 20 different colleges and universities will participate in the conference in order to prepare for full-time summer internships working with residents of impoverished communities in the U.S., including Camden, N.J., Louisville, KY; Helena, AR; and Klagatoh, AZ.
The internships provide students with a first-hand experience about the multiple dimensions of poverty in the United States by working for eight weeks alongside individuals seeking to improve their communities. Students work with agencies that fit their intellectual and career interests in order to develop their experience and skills for future civic involvement and employment.
“The opening conference provides interns with an approach to their internship that will maximize their service, their respectful collaboration with others, and their relationship with fellow interns from many different schools and backgrounds,” according to Harlan R. Beckley, SHECP executive director and Professor of Religion Emeritus, Washington & Lee University. “It will provide them with the knowledge to ask the important questions during their internship.”
Faculty and staff from SHECP member school will give presentations and facilitate discussions to equip students to maximize their internship experience. Professors Amy Johnson, Elon University and Margaret Fincucane, John Carroll University will lead sessions on cultural, racial, and class diversity and sensitivity.
Click here for the current conference agenda.
Click here for DC area transportation options to campus and MU Shuttle Van information, and the MU Campus Map.
Beckley said that the conference will also allow Consortium interns, faculty, and staff to become acquainted with Marymount University and its mission. “It’s location near DC will allow convenient proximity for travel to work sites for the summer.”
“Marymount University is excited to host this year’s opening conference,” said Brian M. Doyle, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Director of Marymount’s Center for Ethical Concerns. “As a Catholic University we strive to combat poverty and marginalization. With our proximity to Washington, DC we see real poverty and the hope and possibility of policy development to empower all in this nation.
A comprehensive Catholic university founded in 1950, Marymount serves approximately 3,700 students from more than 40 states and 60 countries. The close-knit academic community provides a culture of engagement that fosters intellectual curiosity, service to others and a global perspective.
The Shepherd internship is a competitive process with an application and interview process at each institution. All applicants are required to have previously studied poverty issues in the classroom. Once accepted, students work with their university contact and Shepherd Internship Program to match the intern with at a works-site where they gain valuable experience and contribute to the mission of the organization.
The internship ends with a symposium and closing conference to be held August 2 & 3 at the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, both located in Lexington, Virginia. The focus of this year’s closing conference will be food, nutrition, and health for low socioeconomic children.
The Frueauff Conference is named in recognition of its principal financial supporter, the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation of Little Rock, AR.
SHECP Members are: Baylor University, Berea College, Bucknell University, Centre College, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, John Carroll University, the College of Wooster, Furman University, Hendrix College, Lynchburg College, Marymount University, Middlebury College, Millsaps College, Morgan State University, Niagara University, Virginia Military Institute, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Kentucky, University of Notre Dame, Washington and Lee University. Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas collaborates with SHECP.
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