Erin Serre, a junior Political Science major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from Lilly, is working for the state Department of Public Welfare as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Serre is one of 12 students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester's worth of credits. THIS invites students from each of the State System universities to participate.
Serre, the daughter of Catherine and Raoul Serre, is a 2012 graduate of Penn Cambria High School. She and the other students participating in the program will attend several academic seminars during their fall semester internship. Each of the students also will complete an individualized research project as part of the program's requirements.
More than 500 students from the State System universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989, each gaining valuable insight into the workings of state government at the policy-making level. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the offices of the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the attorney general.
State System students interested in participating in THIS in a future semester may obtain information on the program by contacting their individual campus coordinator or their university's cooperative or internship office, or by calling the Dixon University Center at (717) 720-4089. More information on the program also is available at the THIS website.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 112,000 students. The 14 State System universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.
The universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operates branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and Center City in Philadelphia.