Internship through Park University Communication Department United States Census Bureau at the Kansas City Regional Office.

Goals of Internship: Communication internships are designed to benefit both students and employers. Students receive practical experience in a communication-related career, while employers benefit from their skills and assistance, and may evaluate first-hand possible future employees. In this internship the intern’s goal is to improve communication within the Kansas City region of the U.S. Census Bureau. As interns, students may assist in the production of press releases and public communication such as speeches or web pages. Students may evaluate training programs and assist in their development or develop communication audits that would assist the Census Bureau to identify communication problems between areas and suggest potential solutions.

Interns would work 15-20 hours per week (for a 3-credit class) starting in Partnerships and other areas as designated by the Census Bureau. Interns could rotate through different areas of the Census for a second semester. Students qualifying for the internship program are expected to meet high standards of personal conduct and professional ethics, as well as to maintain attention to punctuality, deadlines and cooperation with others. In short, students are expected to work hard and become an asset to the organization they are serving. Students must be at the junior, senior or graduate level. This is an unpaid internship.
For grading purposes, students must complete a weekly log of their activities and write a summary of their overall assessment of the experience. Their weekly log and summary will be reviewed by the Deputy Director for any security issues. Both of these are due on the last official day of classes (not the last day of Final Exams). Additionally, Park will request a supervisor/mentor to fill out a short form evaluating the student’s performance.

If the Census Bureau has a problem with an intern, they will 1) immediately discuss with the intern any concerns they have about his/her performance, and if possible, to allow the student to correct the deficiency; and 2) report the problem to the Deputy Director at the Kansas City Region Census Bureau. If deficiencies are not addressed to the employer’s satisfaction, the student may be removed from the internship. Employers who dismiss an intern must let the Communication Department at Park know about this decision immediately. Students who receive an unsatisfactory grade (C or lower) in an internship will not be allowed to enroll in an internship again in the future.