Engaging Students at IPA
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The IPA Student Experience
A 50-Year Legacy of Shaping Students and Serving the Public
The Institute for Public Administration (IPA) is committed to making a significant and sustained contribution to the improvement of the communities the University of Delaware serves. IPA challenges its students to engage in experiential learning—the integration of theory and practice.
Known as The Delaware Model, this guiding philosophy is our academic ideal and management model, equally and fully involving faculty, professional staff, and students—both graduate and undergraduate—in public service and applied research projects that will make a difference in the lives of citizens in Delaware and beyond.
Off-CAmpus STUDENT PROGRAMS
Founded in 1982, the Legislative Fellows Program is a flagship program of the Biden School. For the students, selected through a competitive application process, the experience offers a valuable opportunity to observe and contribute to the political decision-making process. For the General Assembly, the program provides the research skills of the Fellows as well as a link to University resources.
The Judicial Fellows Program provides full-time graduate students with the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience working directly with the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) administrators and staff for the State of Delaware.
Judicial Fellows observe the court-management process, perform court-related research, offer technical support to judicial committees and subcommittees, and contribute to written reports and data analysis for the Judicial Branchs strategic planning efforts.
For the Judiciary, the program provides students who are committed to researching best practices and assisting the administrative staff to achieve process improvement.
Program Highlights
- Fellows work 20 hours/week from September 1, 2023 – May 31, 2025.
- Fellows are paid a stipend, and their mileage to Wilmington is reimbursed.
- Fellows take a three-credit seminar, State Government: Management and Policy, as part of the program.
Application Process
Judicial Fellows will be competitively selected through an application and panel interview process. Fellows will be selected based on the research skills, interests, and personal attributes needed to succeed in the AOC. International students are not eligible to apply due to visa regulations.
The Legislative Researcher Program, managed by the Institute for Public Administration in partnership with the University of Delaware's Government Relations Office, is an on-campus research program.
The Undergraduate Legislative Researcher works closely with the Government Relations Office's director and staff to provide direct, nonpartisan legislative monitoring and research assistance.
The program runs from the beginning of January to June 30, for a total of 250 hours (according to a schedule based on the student's academic courseload) with a research scholarship provided in the amount of $4,500.
Program Highlights
- Conducting nonpartisan research on and monitoring the status of legislation.
- Coordinating the University's legislative clearinghouse function. Providing analysis as well as updates.
- Helping to coordinate and develop the UD Office of Government Relations communications contact list for state government, business, and community leaders.
- Assisting in the coordination of strategic interactions with state government officials and key business and community leaders.
Application Process
The Legislative Researcher is selected through a competitive application submitted in the fall and an interview-based upon the research, writing, and personal attributes needed to succeed in UD's Government Relations Office.
To apply, visit the online application. Ask a faculty or staff member to fill out this recommendation form on your behalf.
The deadline to apply for the 2025 Legislative Researcher Program is Friday, November 1, 2024.
The Summer City Management Fellows Program is designed to attract and develop talented emerging professionals in local government. Selected University of Delaware MPA, MPP, MPH, MA, and 4+1 MPA students translate a passion for public service into practice through work placements with Delaware city/town managers.
The host municipalities have included the Town of Dover, City of Lewes, City of Rehoboth Beach, and Town of Smyrna.
Program Highlights
Through direct mentorship from a Delaware city manager and key management staff, City Management Fellows:
- Gain valuable experience in local government
- Assist with a variety of projects, assignments, and programs across the municipal organization
- Use research, writing, and analytical skills by studying an issue, recommending solutions, and drafting management reports
- Interact with municipal leadership and attend high-level meetings to gain exposure to current local government issues
- Network with members of the City Management Association of Delaware (CMAD), a state affiliate of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
Interested in learning more about the Fellows' experience? View this GIS Story Map for highlights from the 2019 UD Summer City Management Fellows.
Eligibility
Current UD 4+1 or master’s degree students with a career interest in city management.
UD ICMA Student Chapter member.
Commitment to 30 hours/week in either the (1) ten-week session from June 10 to August 16, which satisfies the MPA Internship requirement, or (2) eight-week session from July 1 to August 23.
Ability to attend mandatory orientation during the week of June 3.
Ability to commute to or live near your host municipality in the summer.
Application Process
To apply for Summer 2025, email your resume and a 2-page policy brief to Program Manager Lisa Moreland Allred by March 15, 2025.
Julia O’Hanlon and Lisa Allred will screen candidates. Selected candidates will participate in an interview with a Delaware local government manager.
research positions at ipa
Working 20 hours per week, our graduate Public Administration Fellows (PAFs) are an integral part of our staff working on funded projects on campus and in the broader community. Real-world experience and the opportunity to further their professional development provide PAFs with valuable career skills. Students often cite this experience as the best aspect of their graduate study.
Applied Research and Public Service Projects
In tandem with faculty and professional staff, PAFs work on a wide range of applied research and public service projects, ranging from policy analysis to survey research to program evaluation. They participate in and lead professional development and training workshops, prepare technical reports and briefings, and make presentations on their findings.
In addition, some of our PAFs have been selected to work off-campus at state departments and agencies through our Public Policy Fellows program. Placements have included the Delaware Department of Education, Office of Management and Budget, Office of State Planning Coordination, Wilmington Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and the Division of Public Health.
Application Process
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Complete the Graduate Public Administration Fellow Application Form.
Whether studying best practices for green-building policies, providing research and assistance on education equity issues, or researching community-based strategies that towns and cities may employ to give residents convenient, safe, everyday opportunities for physical activity, the Undergraduate Public Administration Fellows are helping to build knowledge and educate others on critical issues that will make a difference in the lives of citizens in Delaware and across the globe.
Selected through a competitive application process, Fellows work with IPA's faculty and staff members on universal issues such as land use, water resources, education, transportation, and healthcare policy. Fellows typically work ten hours each week, earning an hourly wage.
Students with backgrounds in political science, economics, geography, environmental issues, engineering, public administration, business administration, leadership, sociology, history, or education will find the Public Administration Fellows experience particularly relevant to their long-range professional goals.
Application Process
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Complete the Undergraduate Public Administration Fellow Application Form.
During the Summer Undergraduate Biden School Fellows Program, students conduct research with faculty and staff in one of the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration's affiliated research centers—the Institute for Public Administration or the Center for Community Research and Service—on public policy issues such as community revitalization, economic development, education policy, health policy, healthy communities, housing and homelessness, land-use planning, poverty, transportation, and water management.
Fellows learn about policy issues from leaders in the field, network with practitioners, and witness classroom concepts come to life through research and public service.
The Summer Undergraduate Biden School Fellows Program runs for 10 weeks for a total of 300 hours. Fellows take a required UAPP or UNIV course and receive a $4,500 fellowship.
Application Process
The application is now open for Summer 2025: Summer Undergraduate Biden School Fellows Summer 2025 Program Application.
Hands-On Learning
"The Biden School provides immeasurable opportunities to develop relationships with local and state leaders that continue to enhance professional connections decades after the classroom. The knowledge I gathered and the people I met are still relevant today serving as an executive director for a national nonprofit."
—Andrew Haines, MPA '03
Executive Director, National Public Employer Labor Relations Association
IPA's alumni share their student experience in this fifteen-minute video compilation. : https://capture.udel.edu/media/1_p3usxw5l/