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Public Service Opportunities and Resources
The Institute for Public Service at MSU Denver envisions a nation of engaged and contributing individuals committed to public service and to promoting the values and principles of our American Democratic Republic.
GovReady: Launch Your Career in Public Service
Check out GovReady from our partners at the Volcker Alliance.
Discover 250+ government internships and fellowships at the federal, state, and local level. Find the right opportunity to start your journey in public service.
MSU Denver Partner Programs
The Urban Leadership Program (ULP) was established in 2009 as a unique leadership experience at MSU Denver. Scholars participate in coursework, experiential learning components, and mentorship throughout their time in the program. Each student receives a scholarship in addition to training and networking opportunities designed to grow understanding of self, others, and society.
Whether you have questions about ideal pre-law coursework, the law school application process, LSAT preparation, or help with the application letter and the decision of where to go when you are accepted, we are here to help. The Department of Political Science offers advising for all MSU Denver students interested in law school, regardless of your major or minor. While our Political Science Major/Minor and Legal Studies Minor remain popular options for many, they are not required.
The MSU Denver Model United Nations Program began in 1999 after Dr. Moeller joined the Political Science Department as a faculty member. The program establishes annual teams of students who attend a conference representing various countries in order to replicate the United Nations and its activities through delegate endeavor. Students act as representatives of designated state actors within the framework of the conference. While not always the case, most MSU Denver MUN Teams attend the Model United Nations of the Far West Conference held annually in San Francisco California.
Our mission is to learn about the lower court system by going through a simulated trial. Students will build cases using legal arguments and simulate a trial through the AMTA competition.
MSU Denver Debate has gained local, national and national recognition for its cultural exchange opportunities.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. John Rief
Student Government: The Student Advocacy Council (SG: TSAC) is a board of student leaders at MSU Denver that are committed to the advancement and advocacy of students. Council members utilize all means necessary for the incorporation of students into the university experience and are the governing body that shares responsibility with the administration to bring about changes.
The Earn and Learn program was designed to address equity barriers within experiential learning. This program provides funding support to both undergraduate and graduate students who are in need of financial assistance to participate in unpaid, off- campus internship opportunities.
In the P2W! program, MSU Denver Psychology majors and Human Development and Family Studies majors spend a day at a local workplace. Students follow professionals during the workday to learn first-hand what their job and workplace environment is really like. Students complete a comprehensive non-credit earning course, spanning the academic year, which includes over 20 professional development activities.
Student ambassadors, with the help of the Auraria Voter Engagement Committee, are ready and willing to visit classrooms in MSU Denver, CU Denver, and CCD to educate students on the importance of being civically engaged and what to do to become an informed voter during this election season. During a classroom visit, VESAs will speak for 5-10 minutes before class about the upcoming elections, how to register to vote and update your registration, how to understand the ballot, and other ways to be civically engaged.
Public Service Community Partner Programs
The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service supports students who have a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities, and can demonstrate an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.
The CLLARO Capitol Fellowship Program provides public policy training to college students–typically the first in their families to attend college–and places them in paid internships with state legislators and other public officials and policy advocates during the Colorado legislative session.
The GFA fellowship is a competitive two-year program that propels emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds into key positions in government to address our nation’s biggest challenges. Full-time work. Full-time salaries.
Giving young leaders an opportunity to grow and learn how to lead is critical to the long-term success of Colorado’s organizations. In 1991, El Pomar’s Fellowship Program was created for recent college graduates and early career professionals to support the pipeline of leaders in our state. As a two-year program, Fellows work full-time for the Foundation, spending their time supporting programs and grant making work while participating in a comprehensive professional development curriculum.
Are you ready to make a meaningful impact on the initiatives that support the current and future missions of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) while gaining valuable professional experience and advancing your career? The National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program (NNSA-MSIIP) offers paid internships designed for talented undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) pursuing degrees in science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and other disciplines that that align with NNSA’s missions.
Managed by the Partnership for Public Service, the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program helps bring young talent to government and offers students the opportunity to apply their educational training to work at a federal agency. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students from across all academic disciplines are welcome to apply.
David L. Boren is the principal author of the legislation that created the National Security Education Program and the Boren Awards, the scholarships and fellowships that bear his name. In arguing in the U.S. Senate for passage of NSEP, Boren expressed his view that the U.S. needed a large increase in experts in the languages and cultures of nations which were underrepresented in the number of U.S. students studying there.
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long program that recognizes and supports student public problem solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor based on their potential for public leadership and their work with communities.
We are the collective voice of 350 state colleges, universities, and systems united by our shared commitment to make affordable, high-quality education available to students of all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities. Our members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development.
The Colorado Science & Technology Policy Program (STPP) Summer Scholars is a nonpartisan professional development program for current Colorado STEM students interested in state-level public policy. Summer Scholars spend eight weeks learning about science and technology policy through seminars and site visits, culminating in a capstone policy research project and presentation at the Colorado State Capitol.
Summer Scholars work with legislative sponsors, Senator Cleave Simpson and Representative Sean Camacho, throughout the summer to develop their policy proposals.
