Griffith University has been selected as one of 8 Australian Universities to participate in the "Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program"

Students can apply for an 8-week internship/work placement within a US congressional office, where interns work directly with a Congressman/Congresswoman and are accorded unique access to the US political system. The internship takes place during January February 2007, and Griffith will assist with the cost of airfare and accommodation.

UCWIP interns are accorded unique access to the US political system and institutions across their eight-week, full-time internships in January/February. In-office experiences and training will vary widely according to the needs of the congressional hosts. Administrative functions, constituent liaison, and legislative research and support have been among the touchstones of past internships. Offices typically encourage interns to attend hearings, briefings and press conferences both on and off Capitol Hill. UCWIP has also organized briefings at the US State Department and the Australian Embassy; a roundtable with National Journal's senior congressional reporter; access to political dinners, evening events; a day-trip to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania; and a day-trip to the origins of the American republic in Philadelphia's Independence Hall, Congress Hall and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. In 2005, UCWIP became a charter member of the National Center on Citizenship, a service and civic engagement network being constructed in the United State.

A core principle of the program is to match good people with good people in good places. A total of 56 students have been successfully matched across the first 7 years. Internship prospects are offered in Democratic and Republican offices; personal offices and committee staffs; the House and the Senate. Matched students have come from many academic disciplines including international relations, politics, law, political communications, economics, science, and American studies. From the beginning, the substantial success of the program has been owed to innumerable individual commitments towards enhancing American-Australian relationships. In the last 7 years, 8 statements in the Congressional Record along with publicity in both countries have confirmed the importance and value of this concept.

The program commenced in 1999, when the first of such educational and professional internship opportunities was created and tailored for Australian university students in Washington, DC. Personalized experiences and individual care have been hallmarks starting with those very first years, in which a handful of students from a single Australian institution were recruited and matched for mostly congressional internships. By 2003, the demand in Washington, DC for expansion and greater diversity led to the transformation of this effort into the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program. UCWIP will expand once again commencing with the 2007 Program from 7 to 8 participating Australian universities. The practice since 2003 of matching 12 students annually, exclusively to individual congressional offices, will remain unchanged.

This program was created in Washington, DC by Eric K. Federing, who directs UCWIP pro bono. Federing was a senior congressional advisor for a dozen years, serving as communications director for Rep. Norm Mineta of California (currently U.S. Secretary of Transportation), the House Transportation Committee, and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Federing is now Director, Business Public Policy, Government Affairs for KPMG LLP, the global audit, tax and advisory services firm. In 2004, Federing received a KPMG Chairman's Award for Excellence in Volunteerism in Washington, DC in recognition of UCWIP. While still a congressional staffer, Federing lectured on American government, politics and news media at numerous universities, business groups, and think tanks across Australia from 1992 to 1998, inclusive. In the U.S., he is a Board member of the National Conference on Citizenship, a congressionally-chartered non-profit organization.

For further information, contact Suzanne Geraghty, Manager, Study Abroad & Exchange at s.geraghty@griffith.edu.au