KU Students Selected for State System Internships in State Government

Kutztown, PA (01/31/2019) — Aleska Gonzalez of Allentown, Pa., and Eric Schulden of Fredericksburg, Pa., have been selected for a 15-week internship program, sponsored by Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. Gonzalez is working for the Office of Public Engagement in the Office of Attorney General and Schulden is working for the state Department of Environmental Protection and Governor's Policy Office.

The two are part of 12 students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester's worth of credits. THIS invites students from each of the State System universities to participate. Students participating in the program also will attend several academic seminars during their spring semester internship. Each of the students will complete an individualized research project as part of the program's requirements.

Gonzalez is a senior public administration major, with minors in paralegal studies and political science. She is the daughter of Jeanette and Miguel Gonzalez and a 2013 graduate of William Allen High School.

Schulden is a senior political science and paralegal studies major, with a minor in international relations. He is the son of Anton and Susan Schulden and a 2015 graduate of Northern Lebanon High School.

More than 600 students from the State System universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989, each gaining valuable insight into the workings of state government at the policy-making level. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the offices of the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the attorney general.

State System students interested in participating in THIS in a future semester may obtain information on the program by contacting their individual campus coordinator or their university's cooperative or internship office, or by calling the Dixon University Center at (717) 720-4089. More information on the program also is available at: www.passhe.edu/this.

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, enrolling more than 100,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.

The State System is undertaking a System Redesign, which began last year with a top-to-bottom review of the universities and the Office of the Chancellor. As a result of that review, the Board established three priorities to guide the redesign: Ensuring student success, leveraging the universities' strengths and transforming the System's governance structure. The Board also affirmed its commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability of all 14 institutions within the System so that each may continue to serve students, its region and the Commonwealth. To view regular updates of the redesign, go to http://systemredesign.passhe.edu

The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.

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