Dr. Reiss Announces Exclusive NATO Internship

CHESTERTOWN, MD—A Washington College student with an impressive resume and a passion for foreign affairs may spend next summer in Belgium working with NATO, thanks to a new internship announced recently by College president Mitchell Reiss. Based at the U.S Mission to NATO in Brussels, the Washington College intern would work with one of four mission offices: the Office of Public Affairs, the Armament Cooperation Division, the Office of the Political Advisor, or the Office of the U.S./EU Defense Advisor.

Washington College becomes one of only a few U.S. colleges to offer the exclusive NATO summer experience. The number of interns accepted each year depends on the amount of meaningful work available and how many offices are willing to supervise interns.

NATO, a defense alliance created in 1949 as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, now includes 26 European countries, the United States and Canada. Dr. Reiss describes the NATO internship as an “extraordinary opportunity to do valuable work in one of the most interesting places in the world. This internship offers exposure to military affairs, diplomacy, European politics, trans-Atlantic relations, and the stature of the U.S. in Europe.” The students are given high levels of responsibility, from monitoring press wires to compiling research to writing briefs for the ambassador and other senior officials.

To qualify for the eight-week experience, a student must be a U.S. citizen, obtain a security clearance and meet stringent academic and character qualifications. “We’ll be looking for a student with a deep interest in international relations, a high caliber of academic performance, proven maturity and a commitment to public service,” says Dr. Reiss. “Language skills are certainly a benefit as well.”

Washington College’s Assistant Dean for Academic Resources, Kathy Sack, is coordinating the application process for the new internship along with the Career Development Center. Because of the extra time needed for security clearance, applications for the summer of 2011 are due September 15. An information session on this opportunity and new U.S. State Department internships, both domestic and abroad, will be held on Wednesday, September 1 at 3:30 p.m. in the Casey Academic Center Forum Room. For more information on the U.S. Mission to NATO, visit http://nato.usmission.gov. For information on this new internship, please contact Dr. Sack (ksack2@washcoll.edu, phone 410-778-7213) or the Career Center (410-778-7890). You also can learn more from the College website: http://internships.washcoll.edu/natointernship.php.