SESP Students Run Northwestern’s Public Interest Program Northwestern’s Public Interest Program (NUPIP) is the only student-run fellowship program of its kind in the nation, and it’s coordinated by four SESP students. The program places Northwestern graduates in public interest jobs throughout the Chicago area for one year, with the goal of introducing these fellows to nonprofit organizations with missions promoting systemic social change.Seniors Kelly Kirkpatrick and Sam Schiller, together with junior Maddie Orenstein and sophomore Stephanie Arias, coordinate the three-year-old program. The students recruit organizations and applicants, publicize the program and communicate with fellows. “There’s so much that’s exciting about growing it on our own and keeping it grassroots,” notes Orenstein. Numerous SESP students have been selected as fellows, described by Orenstein as “change agents.” For 2008-09, SESP alumnae Molly Day (BS07), Melanie Kahl (BS08) and Rachel Patten (BS06) are NUPIP fellows. Day is working with campusCatalyst, the nonprofit organization she founded to prepare college students for volunteering; Kahl is with the Office of New Schools at Chicago Public Schools; and Patten is at the Adler Planetarium. NUPIP was founded in 2005 by SESP alumni Jon Marino and Lauren Parnell (both BS06), along with School of Communication professor Paul Arntson and SESP faculty member John Kretzmann. “So many SESP graduates have learned that they want to make a positive difference in Evanston and Chicago and beyond — NUPIP offers about 15 each year the opportunity to participate in meaningful work for the public good,” says Kretzmann.  The program fills a critical post-college need for Northwestern students, including many SESP students, who are looking for a way to both explore the public interest sector and remain committed to learning and being civically engaged. “We want to be able to make a difference in our community and jump into the world together,” Orenstein remarks. “Northwestern is such an asset.” Additionally, weekly seminars and alumni mentorship are important components of NUPIP. At the seminars, experts address relevant topics and fellows discuss common challenges and satisfactions of working for the social good. Alumni mentors work with fellows in their various fields of interest. NUPIP was modeled after a program at Princeton University, and Northwestern graduates now join Princeton and University of Chicago graduates in the weekly seminars. “The real draw of the NUPIP program was the dynamic community of which I would be able to be a part,” says Day about her new fellowship. “Being around inspiring people always encourages me to dream a bit bigger and try just a little harder, so I’m excited to join NUPIP!” Chicago nonprofit organizations in the program range from the Tax Assistance Program and the Interfaith Youth Core to the Center for Neighborhood Technology, but all have a mission of creating systemic change. Through a selective process, fellows are chosen and matched with organizations. In the future, plans for NUPIP include expanding to other cities and creating a review board of alumni fellows. "Northwestern alumni are essential to the survival and continued growth of NUPIP. This program provides alumni with an opportunity to give back to the Northwestern community, as well as engage in the broader public interest community," says Kirkpatrick. Northwestern alumni interested in supporting NUPIP by helping to find site placements for fellows, mentoring a fellow or assisting NUPIP expand to other cities across the nation can find information at www.northwestern.edu/nupip or e-mail the program at nupip@northwestern.edu. Top photo: NUPIP co-founder Jon Marino (far left, BS06), who was a fellow at the Chicago Public Schools Service Learning Initiative planning service learning projects, is shown on a trip with students in Colorado. Bottom photo: Senior Kelly Kirkpatrick (right), one of the four student coordinators of NUPIP, attends a reception for fellows with Susan Olson, SESP assistant dean of student affairs. by Marilyn Sherman Updated July 8, 2008  E-mail this story
|
Questions/comments