Fall & Winter Internships - Metropolitan Planning Council (Chicago)

Who: For more than 80 years, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has made the Chicago region a better place to live and work by partnering with businesses, communities and governments to address the area's toughest planning and development challenges. MPC works to solve today's urgent problems while consistently thinking ahead to prepare the region for the needs of tomorrow. 

What: The Metropolitan Planning Council is seeking applicants for their Fall and Winter 2018 Research Assistant, Marketing/Communications and Development Intern positions. These are unpaid positions, but many past Research Assistants and Interns have successfully secured external fellowship funding, work-study funding or school credit. More information on each of these positions is outlined below:

Internship - Oak Park Residence Corporation

Who: The Oak Park Residence Corporation (OPRC) is a community-based, non-profit housing development and management corporation. Its primary mission is to promote Oak Park as a racially diverse and economically balanced community by providing quality rental housing at an affordable price. OPRC carries out its mission principally by acquiring older apartment buildings, rehabilitating them into assets that contribute to their neighborhoods, and providing quality management services. Established in 1966, OPRC currently owns or manages over 1,000 units of rental housing.

What: We are seeking an intern to assist us in gathering, mapping, and analyzing data on the changing housing markets in Oak Park and the greater Chicago region. The intern will analyze submarkets where OPRC currently operates and where it may in the future, map our buildings against a variety of socio-economic indicators, conduct financial asset modeling of our buildings and prospective redevelopment and acquisition opportunities, and analyze data on OPRC tenants to examine patterns relative to the rest of the Village of Oak Park and to neighboring and comparable communities. We are seeking a graduate student with experience in conducting statistical, financial, and spatial analysis and knowledge of data sources such as the American Community Survey.

Student Chairperson - CNU Students for New Urbanism

Who: Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), CNU - IL, Students for New Urbanism (SNU) group. Students for The New Urbanism Illinois is a cross disciplinary and intercollegiate platform that bridges the gap between students and places to facilitate community.

What: CNU Illinois is looking for a student leader and board representative to get involved in the SNU group. In the past this person has organized charrettes, panels and even small projects in the urban planning realm.

Research Assistant - UIC Office for Research on Student Success

Who & What: The Office for Research on Student Success is looking for a 50% Research Assistant (tuition waiver eligible) for the fall 2018 semester, renewable for the spring and summer semesters if external funding is secured. Reporting directly to Dr. Sue Farruggia, the RA will work on undergraduate education research projects with the aim of increasing undergraduate student retention and graduation.

Community Engagement Internship - Old Town Merchants & Residents Association

Who: The Old Town Merchants and Residents Association is a 501(c)(6) community organization that functions simultaneously as a chamber of commerce and residential association in the Old Town neighborhood. OTMRA is recognized as a delegate agency of the City of Chicago and Sole Service Provider of SSA #48.

What: The Old Town Merchants and Residents Association is looking for an energetic, organized, detail-oriented team-player. The ideal candidate will be able to take direction from multiple team members, but also be proactive and work independently; all while being able to prioritize, stay organized, and keep a strong attention to detail. 

This position will come with a stipend for the four-month period starting in early September 2018 and ending on December 31, 2018. Interns will be asked to commit to a regular, mutually agreed upon schedule, for about 20 hours a week for four months. Those applying for this internship must have reliable transportation to and from our office.

Responsibilities include:

Administrative Intern - City of Highland Park

Who: The City of Highland Park, City Manager’s Office

What: The Administrative Intern assists in the general administration of local government through special projects and assignments. Responsibilities include:

• Communications: The Administrative Intern assists in communicating City policies to departments, City Council members and the general public; this may include drafting correspondence, preparing presentations and formulating new policies. This employee prepares various correspondences under the signature of the City Manager. This employee is also responsible for collaborating with department directors to compose a weekly report to the City Council. Additionally, the Administrative Intern will assist in the preparation and dissemination of press releases. The employee is also responsible for providing regular updates to the website and writing articles for the City’s monthly newsletter, the Highlander. Other communications work may include assistance with the Public Access Studio, public service announcements and procuring grants for funding. 
• Customer Service: The Administrative Intern handles inquiries from citizens regarding refuse and recycling collection, power outages, cable television, and is responsible for coordinating responses to general complaints received by the City Manager’s Office. 
• Special Events: The Administrative Intern will assist in the planning and implementation of special events including July 4th festivities, the holiday lighting ceremony, and various employee events. 
• Sustainability: The Administrative Intern will support and assist in the Sustainability Work Plan. The employee will also maintain oversight on sustainability programs such as electric charging stations, car sharing agreements and recycling partnerships with outside agencies. 
• Other Duties & Responsibilities: The Administrative Intern may provide staff support to City commissions as necessary. Special projects will be assigned to provide experience working with other City departments. 

Graduate Research Assistantship (ESL Instructor) - UIC Center for Literacy

Who: The UIC Center for Literacy - FAmily STart (FAST) Learning and Support program

What: FAST administers Adult Education and Career Transition services in high need areas in Chicago. The Center is seeking a graduate student to teach at two sites adult learners in the community (off campus) on the Southwest side of Chicago. Duties and responsibilities include:

• Teach ESL, family literacy, workforce, and computer skills to Head Start/Child Care parents and community members.
• Assess and track students' progress on IL ESL Content Standards to increase their English proficiency.
• Collaborate with Lead Teacher to develop individual education/transition plans and evaluate students' progress on their goals.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings which promote Family Start Learning Center programs, services, and program improvement initiatives.
• Bilingual Spanish and English candidates are encouraged to apply.

Graduate Research Assistant - UIC Arab American Cultural Center

Who: The Arab American Cultural Center (ARABAMC) is interested in creating awareness about Arab American cultures and histories, building community and solidarity, and promoting social justice and cultural diversity.

What: This position includes the following responsibilities:

• Supporting the research needs of the incoming director of the center which may include conducting research about the UIC campus and Arab and Muslim students and communities.
• Representing the ARABAMCC at various events/activities on campus
• Assisting in collaboration and coordination of student leadership activities, programs, and services.
• Assisting with planning ARABAMCC leadership retreats/programs.
• Working with the graduate college to identify ways to support Arab graduate students.
• Serving as a liaison between the center's students and staff

Graduate Hourly - Illinois Prevention Research Center -UIC (Closes 8/3!)

Who: Illinois Prevention Research Center (PRC), supporting policy and environmental change. The Illinois PRC conducts research to promote health, especially behaviors that improve physical activity and nutrition or reduce tobacco use. We work with communities to increase physical activity by improving access to the built environment and use of neighborhood parks. We collaborate in national networks to identify gaps in research and develop innovative approaches to improving public health that can be shared broadly with public health partners.

What: Illinois PRC seeks a Graduate Hourly with strong writing skills to support communications about federally funded public health research. The successful candidate will execute an established communications strategy, curating content and writing messages for Twitter and Facebook; maintain and update a WordPress website; write monthly/biweekly newsletter; track audience benchmarks (Web traffic and social interaction); and contribute to blogs.

Graduate Hourly - UIC Freshwater Lab

Who:The UIC Freshwater Lab is an initiative to communicate Great Lakes water issues to the general public, create tools to visualize the current state and future scenarios of water sources, engage unaffiliated groups in water planning, and train a new generation of Great Lakes leaders.

What: The UIC Freshwater Lab will have two major projects underway in Fall 2018 and seeks motivated, self-sufficient graduate students to help with research, analysis, and writing.  We will likely hire one person for each project.  However, should you possess skills that overlap or don't perfectly match the individual descriptions, then feel free in your cover letter to describe your particular strengths and how you would like to deploy them.
It is mandatory to enroll in the Fall 2018 Freshwater Lab course [PA 494, ENG 440, HIST 481] that meets on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30-6:15] in order to be apprised of the relevant topics and methods.