A common complaint about modern universities is that they sequester students in the “ivory tower,” isolating them from the problems in the world outside of academia. Public service is a remedy to that problem, and a career in it allows for deeper engagement with the community than the academic world or private sector normally provide.
In fact, the University’s unofficial motto is “Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of all nations.” The University has taken great strides to encourage students to pursue careers in public service, especially through internship programs like the Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) and the Guggenheim Internships in Criminal Justice — but the University can do more.
One area for improvement is the funding scheme for internships in public service. As it stands now, the University offers few options for funded internships. For example, PICS provides grants for students and matches them with internships in public service, and the organization’s website advertises that over 800 University students have obtained internships through PICS since 1996. PICS is a wonderful program, and I believe that it should continue in its current form, but it has its limitations. PICS is particularly constrained by the small number of internships that it funds as well as their selectivity. It offered over 170 internships this year but had over 600 applicants. We all thought getting into Princeton was hard — but the real challenge was finding a funded PICS internship.
Moreover, PICS is not a Pace Center program, but rather an alumni-supported initiative in partnership with the Pace Center. As a consequence, funding for PICS comes from alumni donors, not from the full financial clout of the University. The stipends for PICS internships are better than nothing — many of the internships are in government positions and would have no pay otherwise, yet for many students the overall cost is still altogether too high to merit accepting the internship, not to mention the opportunity cost of accepting unpaid summer internships when they could be working in paid positions elsewhere.
To further its mission of public service, the University could increase its level of support for PICS and similar programs. It would understandably be difficult to find more partner organizations with which to match students, so an expansion of PICS or the Guggenheim internships would not be feasible. But the University could create a new system for internship funding similar to the current funding schemes for research. If financial need is demonstrated and the internship passes the vetting of a University organization — perhaps the Pace Center — then that organization could disburse funding to students to help cover the large, basic costs of an internship like housing and food. Such a grant program would ensure that internships in public service remain viable for the University population, including students who would otherwise eschew such positions because of the cost.
In an increasingly competitive job market, more University support for internships will also help students gain valuable work experience before graduation, further enriching the undergraduate experience. Other universities give students credit for internships completed during the semester, encouraging them to gain experience during the school year. Given Princeton’s distance from urban centers, however, such a scheme is difficult to implement. Short of taking a year off, the summer remains the only time during which to gain significant work experience.
As controversial as he may be, Woodrow Wilson, University president emeritus, Class of 1879, once said an admirably “there is no higher religion than human service.” By expanding funding opportunities for internships in public service, the University can help further that goal.
Nicholas Wu is a sophomore from Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich. He can be reached at nmwu@princeton.edu.
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