Recognizing that off-campus academic experiences are ways in which the students can extend and enrich their liberal arts education, Wittenberg offers a variety of special off-campus opportunities. Participation in one or more of these programs leads students to an understanding of what is meant by the phrase “the power of experience.”
Community Service
Believing students should gain an understanding of the role, responsibility, and challenge of service in community life, Wittenberg requires completion of thirty hours of community service for graduation.
In one semester before their senior year, students must register and complete all service requirements for Community Service 100, a non-credit class. Community Service 100 provides students with the opportunity to serve others, to connect the Wittenberg and Springfield communities, and to reflect on the service experience.
The Community Service Office coordinates the service requirement at Wittenberg and serves as a liaison between the students and community sites.
Internships
Whether a student chooses a full-time internship during a period spent away from campus or a part-time internship near campus during the academic year, the experience provides an opportunity to combine theory learned in the classroom with real-world practice. It can be especially beneficial in the current job market, in which many organizations seek new college graduates who have experience or who can show evidence of superior internship performance.
Academic departments offer credit-bearing internships that are supervised by a faculty member in the department. The faculty member can help a student devise a plan for an internship experience that not only builds upon the student’s academic preparation but also relates to the student’s skill development and career interests. Resources in the Career Center Library include directories of internship opportunities in the United States and abroad, and copies of internship agreement forms submitted by former students. There is also a Web site on internships.
Local internship sites for Wittenberg students have included WHIO-TV in Dayton, Clark County Soil and Water Conservation, Mercy Medical Center, the Springfield City Manager’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Springfield Museum of Art and American Express Financial Advisers.
Off-campus internship opportunities have included research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md, participation in the Wittenberg University Washington Semester program, the Student Conservation Association, and in a program that is unique among undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences colleges, urban studies summer field placements with a city government. See “Academic Policies and Procedures” for details.
Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM)
WittCAM is a student-managed center that offers faculty-directed programs designed to develop and enhance student analytical and project management skills. It sponsors speakers and seminars, and coordinates the Department of Management’s portfolio program and Web site. WittCAM coordinates management internships, as well as opportunities for students to serve as management consultants while earning graduation credit in center-sponsored consulting programs. Opportunities are available in small and large businesses , not-for-profit organizations, and social service and government agencies.
WittCAM’s consulting programs are open to qualified students from all departments and programs, and are offered during the regular academic year. These consulting programs include:
Management Internships offer student placement within local and regional firms as well as organizations located a significant distance from campus. Internships for management academic credit are available during the regular academic year and summer to qualified students who have completed the prerequisite 300-level management course(s).
Students interested in participating in any of the above programs can obtain more information, or apply, at the WittCAM office, 312 Carnegie Hall. Phone: (937) 327-7910; FAX (937) 327-6143; E-mail: wittcam@wittenberg.edu, or at the WittCAM webpage.
Washington Semester Program
Wittenberg’s Washington Semester Program is offered in collaboration with the Lutheran College Washington Semester (LCWS) and includes both classes and internships. Students have interned in the White House and various Executive Departments, Congressional offices and lobbying firms, News organizations, the Smithsonian, and various interest groups and DC social service offices. Through this, students gain real-life work experience dealing with issues that are local, national, and international in scope. Many of these internships have led to jobs for Wittenberg students after graduation.
During the fall and spring programs, students earn a full semester of academic credit through their internship, two classes, and completing the Dean’s requirements (a summer residency program is available that offers only the internship). The internship is four full days a week. Courses are taught in the evenings in the complex where students live. Special events and field trips (part of the Dean’s requirements) are typically on Wednesdays. Housing is provided in 13 fully-furnished penthouse condominiums (owned and operated by the Consortium) in Rossyln, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. Access to internships and other activities is convenient; the metro is only a five minute walk from the condominiums.
The Washington Semester Program is a residency program, which means that students are considered to be enrolled at Wittenberg while in Washington. This means that students received letter grades in their courses that count toward their GPA. Tuition is paid directly to Wittenberg and all financial aid applies. Room, however, is paid to LCWS and students must provide their own food.
Wittenberg Summer Programs
Wittenberg regularly offers summer opportunities in both domestic and foreign locations, directed by our own faculty members. In recent years, these have included the following:
Bahamas Field Program:
A comparative study of biological communities, San Salvador Island (Bahamas).
Paris:
History and literature
Lesotho:
Africana Studies and Habitat for Humanity
Mexico and Guatemala:
Spanish language and regional culture
Moscow Field Research Program:
Local politics and urban planning issues
Germany:
German language and culture
England:
History and literature
New Hampshire:
Municipal government internship
Wisconsin / Minnesota Northern Boundary Waters:
Field biology and geology
Affiliated Programs
Wittenberg is affiliated with programs operated by American consortia such as IES (Institute for the International Education of Students), and CIEE (Council on International Education Exchange). The university directly enrolls students in these programs. Other programs, including new ones in Latin America and Africa, are available to Wittenberg students. The following list is representative.
Perth, Australia:
A CIEE semester or year program at Murdoch University; students enroll in one
course on Australia and are also enrolled directly at Murdoch.
Vienna, Austria:
An IES semester or year program in European culture and society, the humanities,
social sciences and business; instruction in English but German studied; internships
available.
China:
A CIEE program in the People’s Republic of China for a semester or a year, depending
on language competence.
Copenhagen, Denmark:
A semester or a year program in international business, art, architecture and
general studies, also pre-health and education; language competence may be acquired
in the course of study.
Beijing, China:
An IES/IAS program emphasizing language and culture; homestays available.
London, England:
An IES semester or year program stressing
government, literature, or business.
Brittany, France:
A CIEE program for a year or a semester at the University of Haute Bretagne
in Rennes. This program emphasizes French culture and language, and can
include work in education.
Nantes, France:
An IES semester or year program with emphasis on
French and the humanities; instruction in French.
Paris, France:
An IES semester or year program with emphasis on French language and culture
but with special programs including business and work-study internships; instruction
in French.
Freiburg and Berlin, Germany:
An IES semester or year program in connection with the University of Freiburg
or the Humboldt University in Berlin; instruction is in German.
Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia:
American Council of Teachers of Russian and CIEE programs for a semester or
a year; they emphasize Russian language, culture and area studies. Instruction
in Russian.
Madrid and Salamanca, Spain:
An IES semester or year program stressing Spanish language and literature; instruction
in Spanish.
Barcelona, Spain:
An IES semester or year program stressing business communications. No prior Spanish is required.
Seville, Spain:
A CIEE semester or year program in Spanish and the
humanities at the University of Seville; instruction in Spanish.
Stockholm, Sweden:
A one-semester program in conjunction with the University of Stockholm stressing
political science and sociology; instruction in English, but Swedish is studied.
Exchange Programs
Wittenberg participates in study programs in which students here and abroad exchange places while enrolled in their home institutions.
Direct Exchanges
While participating in a direct exchange, a student pays Wittenberg tuition and fees, including room and board, and also retains all scholarships. Direct exchanges require a high level of independence and superior linguistic skills. If selected by the university and linguistically qualified, the student may enroll directly in:
International Student Exchange Program
Through Wittenberg’s membership in ISEP, students can enroll directly in more than 200 institutions in 20 different countries around the world. Direct enrollment requires a high level of independence and superior linguistic skills.
Liverpool, England:
A variety of academic areas of study for one term in
Hope College, associated with the University of Liverpool.
Osaka, Japan:
A semester or year program in East Asian language and
culture at Kansai Gaidai; homestays available.
Tokyo, Japan:
A year’s program in Asian Studies including language and
area studies is offered at Sophia University.
Internships Abroad
Students who plan well in advance may arrange internships abroad. Wittenberg students have worked in a radio station in Moscow, urban development in Guatemala, citizen action efforts in Berlin, special education in Sweden, banking in Hong Kong, international trade in Taiwan, and in the British Parliament.
Wittenberg is also one of only eleven schools in the United States to partner with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), which promotes internship opportunities for American students in Japan.
Other Study Abroad
In addition to programs which the university operates or with which it affiliates, other programs administered by U.S. colleges and universities are available to Wittenberg students depending on approval by the Faculty Committee on International Education.
Office of International Education
Wittenberg maintains a full-time office of International Education to assist students with study and travel plans, and to counsel them with integrating international dimensions with educational life goals. A minimum 2.5 grade-point average is required for study abroad.