Washington University students looking for a career that will help shape the future of the United States can find a wealth of information during “A Call to Service,” a series of events promoting government and public policy careers from Nov. 7-9.
The series, sponsored by the Gephardt Institute for Public Service, the Career Center, the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the Department of Political Science in Arts & Sciences, will feature a career fair, career information panel discussions and a government and public policy roundtable.
“Tremendous opportunities exist for students who have an interest in civil service and public policy,” says Amanda Moore McBride, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work and director of the Gephardt Institute. “Large numbers of baby boomers will retire from local, state and national agencies in the coming years. Public administration requires knowledge and skills from all disciplines, from political science, economics and education to engineering, law and social work.”
Series events and locations follow:
• Government and Public Policy Career Fair, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the Gargoyle, Mallinckrodt Student Center. Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students can learn about summer jobs, internships and full-time positions in public policy and in local, regional and national government. More than 25 agencies will be represented, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Senator Claire McCaskill’s office, the Social Security Administration and Citizens for Missouri’s Children.
• Justice Services at the Federal Level: Law and Social Work, 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, Goldfarb Hall, Room 359. J.D./MSWs and MSWs serve in a variety of direct practice roles in the justice system at the federal level. U.S. citizens interested in direct/clinical practice in victim services, trafficking, mitigation, legal defense and probation can learn about these diverse, well-paid career paths.
• U.S. Government Accountability Office Graduate Internships and Careers (conference call), 9-9:45 a.m. Nov. 8 in Goldfarb Hall, Room 132. U.S. citizens interested in research, policy and program evaluation at the national level will hear about an outstanding opportunity to work in consulting within the federal government. The summer, fall and spring 2008 and 2009 internships for graduate students have a deadline of early winter 2008. About 70 percent of the interns are hired upon graduation.
• Senior Policy Careers: Making an Impact at the National Level, 11 a.m. Nov. 8 in Goldfarb Hall, Room 132. University alumni talk about their career paths in government. Programs to be discussed include the Presidential Management Fellows Program, the Department of Labor MBA Fellows Program and Emerging Leaders Program — all fast track recruiting mechanisms for those with graduate degrees.
• U.S. Department of Education: A Discussion on Policy Process and Careers Impacting Education at a National Level (conference call), noon-1 p.m. Nov. 8 in Goldfarb Hall, Room 132. WUSTL alumna and former Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Maria Worthen will provide an overview of the DOE and lead a discussion on how program analysts, research analysts and policy analysts influence education issues within the purview of the department.
• Careers in Government & Public Policy Roundtable, 3:30-5 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. Learn from and ask questions of professionals working for the government or shaping public policy in this roundtable discussion.
For more information on any of these programs, contact Robin Hattori, program director at the Gephardt Institute, at 935-8628.