How to Affiliate

How to Affiliate

The president or chief academic officer of the institution sends a completed Institutional Affiliation Agreement. Alternatively, the president or chief academic officer may send a letter to the President of The Washington Center. If a letter is used as the agreement instrument, it should address the following:

1. The name of the designated campus liaison.
   
   
2. The number and type of credits that will be awarded for successful completion of programs.
   
   
3. The institutional contact who should receive the invoice for program and housing fees for both internship and seminar participants.
   

A formal contract may also be submitted if the institution requires it for billing purposes. The purpose of these written agreements is to provide basic guidelines for student participation that respect the academic standards and financial resources of each institution. Billing, credit and liaison arrangements may be modified by the college or university at any time by notifying The Washington Center.

The Affiliation is a no-cost, revocable agreement and arrangements vary considerably among affiliated colleges and universities. Questions may be addressed to Senior Vice President Joseph Johnston, Ph.D at 202-238-7948 or jjohnston@twc.edu.

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The Campus Liaison

The campus liaison plays a key role in the success of an institution's participation with The Washington Center. The liaison is responsible for distributing informational materials to publicize and promote Washington Center programs to students. The liaison will also approve all applicants through a signature on program applications. In evaluating students, the liaison may grant credit directly or work with faculty in different departments. Washington Center liaisons have positions such as the vice president for academic affairs, assistant to the provost, director of the honors program, associate dean of arts and science, director of internships or cooperative education, director of career planning and placement or professor of political science. The liaison should be accessible to all students regardless of major and familiar with independent study options. All internship applications and seminar registration forms must bear the liaison's signature. The Washington Center's evaluations of participating students are sent directly to the campus liaison. Depending on the size and organization of the institution, more than one liaison—or a liaison and one or more other designated contacts—may be appropriate. The Washington Center should be informed when more than one individual is designated.

When the liaison is part of an academic department, participation tends to be highest among students in that department. If the liaison is in an office such as Career Services, access to students in all majors may be greater, but granting credit may be more difficult. Choosing the right campus liaison is an important factor in the success of your students' Washington experience. When making your decision, please take into consideration the ability to publicize and administer an off-campus program, accessibility to students, options for granting credit, and especially enthusiasm for experiential education activities. The decision rests with the institution and may be changed at any time by notifying The Washington Center.

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Credit Arrangements

The Washington Center has academic requirements for student participation in our programs and provides evaluations of student performance, but it does not directly grant credit. The Washington Center provides specialized, professional staff to place, supervise and evaluate students. The institution, however, retains full academic control, including the prerogative to determine prerequisites, the amount and type of credits to be awarded, pass/fail or letter grades and reporting requirements. The affiliation agreement should specify credit arrangements and eligibility requirements for both the internship and academic seminar programs.

 Internship Program
Typically, colleges and universities award 12 to 15 credit hours for successful completion of a fifteen-week semester and 9 to 12 credit hours for the ten-week quarter or term. While the credit may be awarded through a single course number or multiple courses, many institutions delineate credit as outlined below:

1. The full-time(minimum 35 hours per week) internship: 6-12 credits recommended, depending upon the length of the term (10 weeks in the summer term or 15 weeks in the fall or spring term) and any additional campus requirements. Evaluation is based upon submission of student portfolio documents, agency supervisor evaluations (midterm and final) and evaluations by the student's Washington Center program manager (initial and end). The student's agency supervisor recommends a grade and The Washington Center program supervisor gives an overall evaluation of the student's work (including the portfolio) and recommends a final internship grade.

1. The WashingtonCenter evening course required of all interns: 3 credits. This course, taught by a qualified instructor at the master's level o r higher, requires a combination of regular attendance, active class participation, written work (research paper, essays, examinations, etc.) and class projects. Students are given a list of courses prior to arrival and indicate their choice of courses. Classes meet up to 3 hours each week and are held in Washington Center offices or other convenient locations.

1. The Washington Forum (required half-day academic programming): 1-3 credits. This includes student attendance at the Presidential Lecture Series, Congressional Speakers Series, Embassy Visit Program, briefings, tours, workshops and other activities. The purpose of The Washington Forum is to help all students better understand the world of the nation's capital—its peoples and institutions, its political processes, the issues debated and the policies forged there—and the potential impact of these endeavors on the students' future professional lives. Since evaluation of Washington Forum activities is included as part of the student's internship portfolio, some schools fold this evaluation into the total number of credits for the internship program (see number 1 above).

Suggestions for Additional Credits
For any institution sending students to The Washington Center during the academic year, the main goal should be to put together a package of credits equal to at least the number of credits that will allow the students to retain full-time status and thus receive full financial aid and other considerations. To accomplish this, some institutions “layer” an additional requirement on top of those of The Washington Center.

Examples of requirements that might earn students additional credit include:

• Research paper: 3-6 credits, depending upon length, research required, and other academic considerations. The research paper is graded by a designated individual at the student's home institution. Institutions that require a long paper may require their students to take the Washington Center's regularly-offered Research Seminar Course in place of or in addition to the usual required internship course.

• Academic journal: 3 credits. This is usually a structured writing assignment that involves regular submissions according to a predetermined schedule or submission at the end of the internship to the appropriate institutional contact.

• Case study: 1-3 credits. This is an in-depth examination of an organization and its response to a problem, crisis or organizational change. Students may be required to conduct informational interviews or examine original documentation in order to complete the analysis.

Academic Seminars
Academic seminars are short-term participatory learning programs that involve major speakers, site visits, small group discussion sessions, workshops and other planned activities allowing students to explore specific topics under the guidance of qualified faculty. Some programs have additional components, such as fieldwork assignments and mentor-for-a-day activities. Students are required to attend and participate in seminar sessions, complete reading requirements, complete a structured academic journal and prepare an essay.

Currently, The Washington Center offers a two-week academic seminar each January and students may enroll in both weeks or a single week. In the past few years, The Washington Center has been presenting seminars called Inside Washington that focus on politics, the presidency, the Congress and the media. During presidential election years, we usually run a series of seminars that focus on the presidential race in January, followed by programs on-site at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, culminating with a special January program on the presidential inauguration. Enrollments in the January Seminars and Convention Programs are separate. A recent series of summer seminars entitled Camp David III has exposed participants to Arab-Israeli peace negotiations and the broader issue of conflict resolution.

Most institutions award academic credit for successful completion of an academic seminar as follows:

• 1 week seminar: 1-2 credits
  
  
• 2 week seminar: 2-4 credits
  

Academic credit is awarded by most institutions based on the evaluation provided by The Washington Center as well as the student's completion of any additional requirements that the institution deems appropriate (e.g., a research paper). Students from semester schools sometimes register for these credits in the fall or spring semester preceding or following the academic seminar. The Washington Center does not require students to enroll for academic credit for our seminars. However, with the considerable work involved, most students would like to at least have the option if they desire the credit.

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Billing and Fee Arrangements

There are three costs to consider in determining fee arrangements for students participating in Washington Center programs:

• Tuition or administrative fees charged by the college or university
  
  
• Washington Center program fees
  
  
• Washington Center housing fees
  

As you decide which model best fits your institution, please keep in mind the financial assistance ramifications of who is billed—the student or the institution. Students on financial assistance may benefit from the arrangement in which the institution is billed, because a better record of the full expenses incurred is available to the financial aid office.

Institutions are reminded that Washington Center summer term fees, fees for the quarters and fees for the academic seminars differ from the semester fees set out above (they are all listed in the 2006 viewbook).

Private Institutions

Most private institutions pay The Washington Center's program fees while charging the student regular college/university tuition for the term or semester. At some institutions, where tuition far exceeds The Washington Center's program fees, the institution pays both the program and housing fees.

The examples that follow assume the following costs:

College or University Tuition: $10,000 per semester
Washington Center 2006 semester program fee: $ 5,435
Washington Center 2006 semester housing fee: $ 4,175

Example 1:
The private institution charges the student for x credit hours of tuition and forwards the program fee to The Washington Center. The institution retains the balance, in this case, $4,565. The institution also collects the $4,175 housing fee from the student and forwards it and the program fee to The Washington Center.

Example 2:
The private institution collects tuition and forwards both the program fee and the housing fees to The Washington Center, retaining the difference of $390. (In this case, the student doesn't pay for housing because the tuition covers both program and housing costs.)

Example 3:
The private institution charges the student for x credit hours of tuition and forwards the program fee only to The Washington Center. The institution retains the balance, in this case, $4,565. The Washington Center bills the student separately for the housing costs.

Public Institutions

Public institutions (where tuition is typically lower than Washington Center fees) utilize a number of different options.

The examples that follow assume the following costs:

College or University Tuition: $2,500 per semester

Washington Center 2007 semester program fee: $5,435

Washington Center 2007 semester housing fee: $4,175

Example 1:
The public institution charges regular tuition and pays The Washington Center program fee, making up the difference with institutional funds, in this case $2,935. The full program fee is then forwarded to The Washington Center and the students are either billed separately fo r housing or the institution collects the tuition and housing and forwards the program and housing fees to The Washington Center.

In this case, the student pays $2,935 to the institution, the institution pays $5,435 to The Washington Center and the student is either billed directly fo r housing or the institution collects the housing fee and forwards them both to The Washington Center.

Example 2:
The public institution waives tuition and allows the student to pay The Washington Center directly for program and housing fees.

In this case, the student pays The Washington Center $5,435 and the housing costs directly.

Example 3:
The public institution waives tuition and collects the program and/or housing fees from students and forwards the amount to The Washington Center.

In this case the student pays the $5,435 plus housing costs to the institution, which forwards that amount to The Washington Center.

Financial Assistance

Since students are receiving credit from thei r home institution, students enrolled in Washington Center programs should also be able to maintain federal and state financial aid that they receive during any semester or term spent at thei r home institution. Students who are eligible to receive financial aid should consult their school's office of financial aid to consider whether the costs of an internship in Washington would qualify them for higher levels of financial assistance.Also, students who receive federal work/study funds may be eligible to continue that assistance if they receive matching funding from The WashingtonCenter, as it is a nonprofit organization.

The Washington Center offers financial assistance for students who meet certain eligibility requirements. Financial assistance awards are applied towards Washington Center housing and may come from a variety of sources that include regional scholarship funds, grants, financial assistance from the internship placement, etc. These awards toward housing are not cumulative; only the highest award from any one source will be granted and is contingent upon successful completion of all components of The Washington Center program with a grade of "C" o r higher. All components—including the internship, the portfolio, and the academic course—must be completed with a grade of "C" o r higher. Students may lose their financial assistance if they are expelled from a Washington Center program for any serious violation of The Washington Center's Code of Student Conduct.

Financial assistance policies and awards are subject to change without notice. The Washington Center makes every effort, however, to keep liaisons and prospective students apprised of current policies and awards.

Occasionally, academic seminars funded by a corporate sponsor may offer full or partial scholarships for program and/o r housing fees. Generally, however, financial assistance is not available for these shorter-term programs.

Financial assistance opportunities may be available through arrangements between The Washington Center and government agencies or other funding sources. In situations in which a student is guaranteed a financial assistance award, and one of these sources is providing the student scholarship, that funding goes first to The Washington Center to cover the amount of the guaranteed award. Any amount over that is applied next to the balance of the student's Washington Center bill. If any amount remains at that point, it is given to the student usually in two equal installments: one after the midterm and one after the end of the term once it has been determined that the student has successfully completed the program with a grade of "C" o r higher.

Liaisons and interested students should contact The Washington Center's Enrollment Office for more information about available financial assistance opportunities.

When calculating student costs for the internship program, please keep in mind that there may be a savings through reduced cost of student books (about $300-400 per semester) and by a recommended waiver of general college or university fees (usually $100-500 per semester). Also, given sufficient notice, financial aid offices may qualify students fo r higher levels of financial aid because of highe r housing costs in Washington. There is a $60 application fee, a $300 non-refundable housing reservation fee and a $250 refundable housing security deposit. Students should expect living expenses (for food, Metro, laundry, etc.) of at least $150 a week.

The Washington Center is pleased to assist interested institutions in raising additional scholarship funds specifically for their students through development and alumni offices, state or regional corporations and other resources. For further details, please contact the Office of Institutional Relations.

 

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