The University has received one of five $3,000 Call to Serve grants from the Partnership for Public Service to promote working in government service.
“This grant will help students understand that working for the federal government is not only an exciting career path, but also a valuable way to make a difference in the future of our country,” said Robin Hattori, program director at WUSTL’s Gephardt Institute for Public Service.
“The grant gives us the means to educate students on exciting opportunities that use their skills, and share knowledge on loan forgiveness and fellowship programs that can make these jobs compare favorably to those in the private sector. WUSTL, as part of a small cohort of universities taking part in this project, has demonstrated serious commitment to addressing our public sector’s need for talent,” she said.
The grant, part of the federal government’s Making the Difference campaign, will help fund a speaker’s bureau on campus; bring in two representatives to do a “train the trainer” presentation in coaching students on federal job searches; and provide access to data and job contacts.
“This grant promotes opportunities across all agencies around the nation and the world,” Hattori said. “Examples might include attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, accountant for the Congressional Budget Office, engineer for the Department of Transportation or manager for the Social Security Administration, to name a few.”
Other schools receiving grants are Brown University; California State University, Sacramento; University at Albany, State University of New York; and Western Michigan University.
The Making the Difference campaign is the culmination of two years of research the Partnership gleaned during the Call to Serve Recruitment Initiative — a Congressional-funded project with the Office of Personnel Management to identify cost-effective and sustainable ways to promote federal service on campuses. The Call to Serve network consists of more than 600 schools and 74 federal agencies.