Two WKU American Humanics Students Selected For National Internship Award

December 11, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Two Western Kentucky University American Humanics (Nonprofit Administration) students have been selected for a national internship award.
           
Jessica Tinnell, a Louisville broadcasting major, and Sara Smith, a Louisville communication studies major, have received the Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program (NextGen) Award. This American Humanics, Inc. national initiative is funded through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This national award provides each recipient with a $4,500 nonprofit internship stipend to help support them while participating in a 300-hour nonprofit internship required for the American Humanics national certification and the WKU American Humanics (Nonprofit Administration) minor (see www.wku.edu/AH).
           
Tinnell and Smith were chosen from a national pool of students applicants. Tinnell will intern with Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green and Smith will intern with the United Way of Southern Kentucky. They, along with 12 other WKU students, will attend the upcoming national American Humanics Management Institute Jan 3-6 in Kansas City, Mo.
           
Dr. Raymond Poff, executive director of WKU’s American Humanics program, said: “We are very excited for Sara and Jessica to receive these prestigious awards. It is a wonderful accomplishment for them and our program. We have been honored this year to have six WKU students selected for this national award. These students exemplify the primary goal of WKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan: ‘Students will engage with communities other than their own in purposeful learning activities that explicitly address their capacity and responsibility to contribute to community and society.’ These internship experiences will provide wonderful opportunities to serve society while facilitating professional development for these students.”
           
The purpose of the NextGen Program is to provide a competitive stipend to eligible American Humanics students completing internships for American Humanics certification. The NextGen Leaders Program is funded by a $5 million, multi-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and requires recipient participation in a longitudinal study. This research program is designed to investigate the effects of competitive internship stipends on the recruitment and retention of skilled entry-level professionals entering the nonprofit sector.
           
The WKU American Humanics (Nonprofit Administration) program is housed in the Department of Physical Education and Recreation within the College of Health and Human Services. American Humanics is a national alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofit organizations that prepares and certifies college students for professional careers in youth and human service agencies. 
           
American Humanics is affiliated with colleges and universities nationwide including WKU, and partners with national nonprofit organizations including the American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts of America, Girls Inc., Girl Scouts of the USA, Humane Society, Junior Achievement, March of Dimes, National 4-H Council, YMCA, and the United Way.

---WKU American Humanics 2nd Annual Community Partnership Request for Proposals can be downloaded at www.wku.edu/AH with proposals due by 5 p.m., Feb. 29, 2008.

---WKU American Humanics 1st Nonprofit Excellence Award Reception, L & N Depot, April 1, 2008, 5:30 p.m. Nomination forms can be downloaded at www.wku.edu/AH with nominations due by 5 p.m., Feb. 1, 2008.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Raymond Poff at (270) 745-2498.