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Montgomery County Councils

Summer Fellows Program June 4 - August 10 2018

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Why should I become a Summer Fellow in Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Councils 10-week Summer Fellows Program is a unique oppo1tunity that enables graduate students between their first and second year ofstudy to gain real-world experience across multiple fields The program is a collaboration among three independent organizations-- the Montgomery County Council the Councils Office ofLegislative Oversight (OLO) and Montgomery Countys Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)

This alliance provides multiple points ofaccess to innovative leaders who are shaping the future ofMontgomery County in new and exciting ways It also enables participants to build an experience that is specifically tailored to their field ofstudy

Summer Fellows will work directly with decision-makers on ongoing projects policy analyses and self-selected research projects Participants can expect to interact d irectly with elected officials senior management staffand depending on placement

local civic organizations advocacy groups and business leaders The Council anticipates hiring seven Summer Fellows for the summer of 2018 (three to work directly for the Council two for OLO and two for MCEDC)

A VIDEO DESCRIBING THE PROGRAM CAN BE FOUND AT httpslltinyurlcomlmcsfvideo

Montgomery Countys Summer Program was an incredibly organized way for students like me to get our feet wet in local policy creation and implementation Between its intelligent mentors and energetic

programming I could not have asked for a better summer opportunity - David Friedland student at Harvard Kennedy School ofGovernment and participant in the 2017 program

Montgomery County Montgomery County is one of the most diverse and well-educated counties in the US and is home to Fo1tune 500 corporations such as Marriott International Discovery Communications and Lockheed Martin It is also the epicenter for biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic Region with the nations third largest biotechnology cluster Many federal agencies are also located in the County including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH)

Education is also a central focus for policy makers The Council approved a $246 billion Fiscal Year 2017 Operating Budget for the Montgomery County Public Schools to educate more than 159000 students Johns Hopkins University The Universities at Shady Grove and Montgomery College all have campuses in Montgomery County

As part of the Washington metropolitan area Montgomery County Maryland has one of the nations most progressive governments Many programs and local laws originally implemented in Montgomery County have served as models for other jurisd ictions

What will I be working on Summer Fellows placed with the Council will both work on issues before the Council while it is in session (through early August) and have an independent research project Summer Fellows may be asked to prepare an analysis ofa policy issue on the Councils agenda work directly with a Councilmember to address an issue he or she is interested in andor make presentations to Councilmembers or senior staft

Why should I become a Summer Fellow in Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Councils 10-week Summer Fellows Program is a unique oppo1tunity that enables graduate students between their first and second year ofstudy to gain real-world experience across multiple fields The program is a collaboration among three independent organizations-- the Montgomery County Council the Councils Office ofLegislative Oversight (OLO) and Montgomery Countys Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)

This alliance provides multiple points ofaccess to innovative leaders who are shaping the future ofMontgomery County in new and exciting ways It also enables participants to build an experience that is specifically tailored to their field ofstudy

Summer Fellows will work directly with decision-makers on ongoing projects policy analyses and self-selected research projects Participants can expect to interact d irectly with elected officials senior management staffand depending on placement

local civic organizations advocacy groups and business leaders The Council anticipates hiring seven Summer Fellows for the summer of 2018 (three to work directly for the Council two for OLO and two for MCEDC)

A VIDEO DESCRIBING THE PROGRAM CAN BE FOUND AT httpslltinyurlcomlmcsfvideo

Montgomery Countys Summer Program was an incredibly organized way for students like me to get our feet wet in local policy creation and implementation Between its intelligent mentors and energetic

programming I could not have asked for a better summer opportunity - David Friedland student at Harvard Kennedy School ofGovernment and participant in the 2017 program

Montgomery County Montgomery County is one of the most diverse and well-educated counties in the US and is home to Fo1tune 500 corporations such as Marriott International Discovery Communications and Lockheed Martin It is also the epicenter for biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic Region with the nations third largest biotechnology cluster Many federal agencies are also located in the County including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH)

Education is also a central focus for policy makers The Council approved a $246 billion Fiscal Year 2017 Operating Budget for the Montgomery County Public Schools to educate more than 159000 students Johns Hopkins University The Universities at Shady Grove and Montgomery College all have campuses in Montgomery County

As part of the Washington metropolitan area Montgomery County Maryland has one of the nations most progressive governments Many programs and local laws originally implemented in Montgomery County have served as models for other jurisd ictions

What will I be working on Summer Fellows placed with the Council will both work on issues before the Council while it is in session (through early August) and have an independent research project Summer Fellows may be asked to prepare an analysis ofa policy issue on the Councils agenda work directly with a Councilmember to address an issue he or she is interested in andor make presentations to Councilmembers or senior staft

Each Summer Fellow will be assigned to one ofthe Councils 6 Committees Information on the Committees can

be found at https tinyurlcommccommittees In addition Council staffwill work with each Summer Fellow to jointly identify a focused research project that will be valuable to the Fellow and the Council and when relevant meet academic requirements

Broad topic areas include education the environment fiscal policies health and human services public safety transpo1tation and land use issues Topics selected by the 2017 paiticipants include the following

~ Out of School Time (OOST) in Montgomery County Demand and Supply ~ Trends in Montgomery Countys Income Tax Volatility and Income Inequality between 2005 and 2015 ~ An Examination ofPost-Adoption Contact in Public Agency Adoptions Finalized in Montgomery County ~ A Reexamination of the MCPS Grade 2 Global Screening Process ~ Medically Assisted Opioid Substance Abuse Treatment in Montgomery County ~ Making Montgomery County the Cyber Triangle ~ Composting to Reduce Waste in Montgomery County

Additional information on the Council can be found at httpstinyurlcommccouncil

Summer Fellows placed with OLO will be assigned to one or two in-depth OLO reseaimiddotch projects Although project availability is often not knovvn until the springsummer time frame best effo1ts will be made to match Summer Fellows with projects based on specific skill sets interests and project needs One ofthe potential projects will require someone professionally proficient in Spanish Each Summer Fellow will work directly with OLO staffto complete the project

Typical project experiences gained may include managing client expectations and deadlines observing field intervievvs with vaimiddotious County depaitments and agencies engaging in qualitative and quantitative reseaimiddotch paiticipating in briefings for elected officials and assisting OLO staffwith producing repo1t deliverables The completed OLO repo1t will be published and released by the Council The Summer Fellow will be listed as having assisted vvith the repo1t Summer Fellows vvill have the oppo1tunity to present their findings to Councilmembers either as an interim

update or as a final presentation with OLO staffat a Council meeting Past OLO repo1ts can be viewed on httpstinyurlcommcoloreports

Summer Fellows placed with the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation will provide assistance with ongoing MCEDC work and identify an individual reseaimiddotch project that will focus on key issues related to business vitality or the economic analysis ofkey industriesclusters in Montgomery County MCEDC anticipates selecting two Summer Fellows and will work with each one to develop a project that can meet both MCEDC and academic purposes MON T GOMERY couNTY

ECONOM I C DEVELO P MEN T CORPORAT I ON M ARYL AN D

Summer Fellows will also assist MCEDC with normal business such as attending networking events held by chambers ofcommerce or trade groups assisting vvith industry focus groups meeting with businesses reseaimiddotching taimiddotget companies or industry trends andor analyzing industry or company specific data Final projects may include review by stakeholders or relevant expe1ts andor presentation to MCEDCs Boaimiddotd ofDirectors Additional information about MDEDC can be found at httpsthinkmococom

What tangible benefits will I reveive In addition to the real-vvorld experience and valuable connections you vvill establish through this program each Summer Fellow will receive a stipend of$7000 for the 10-week program Every effo1t also will be made to help students receive academic credit for their work when appropriate

Programming for Summer Fellows

Each vveek the Summer Fellows from all three offices collectively will participate in offsite programming enabling them to learn more about the County different agencies ofgovernment and local and regional players and issues Potential activities include meetings vvith the Montgomery County Planning Board the Board of Education and chambers ofcommerce a tou1middot of the Countys Agricultural Reserve a trip to Capitol Hill visiting Underground Railroad sites and other exhibits operated by the County and

touring areas that are the focus ofdevelopment and redevelopment Afterwork social events will enable Summer Fellows to get to know each other and network with staffmembers

Where will I be working Summer Fellows will work at the Council Office Building in Rockville Maryland (close to the Rockville Metro Station) or MCEDC offices also located in Rockville (near the Twinbrook Metro Station) Just 30 minutes from the heart of the nations capital Rockville offers various transpo11ation options including Metro Capital Bikeshare Uber and Lyft Some additional information on the area can be found at https visitmontgomery comrockville

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Montgomery County Rockville Town Center

When will I be working The 10-week program will strut June 4 and end August 10 2018 Summer Fellows rumiddote expected to work full-time (Monday through Friday)

What are the eligibility requirements Each Summer Fellow will be a talented graduate student in public policy planning law or related field between their first and second yerumiddot ofstudy Applicants must have completed their first yerumiddot ofgraduate school before beginning the program and must have a college GPA ofat least 3 0

How will Summer Fellows be selected Summer Fellows will be selected in a three-step process

sectte P 1 Applicants must complete an application through the Councils Summer Fellows Program page at

-==tpslltin~ com C application Applicants rumiddote asked to provide general information a copy oftheir resume and undergraduate transcript Applicants who fail to submit the requested information will be eliminated from consideration The deadline for the initial a lication is January 15 2018

Applicants selected for Step 2 will be asked to submit supplemental materials by late December 2017

The supplemental materials required are ( 1) reference letters from at least two individuals who are professors employers or community service supervisors One reference letter must be from a current or former professor (2) first semester graduate school transcript when available (3) a writing sample (preferably 5-10 pages) and ( 4) answers to the questions listed below

Questions

1 Why are you interested in becoming a Summer Fellow for Montgomery County (30-150 words) 2 What skills or attributes would enable you to succeed as a Summer Fellow (30-150 words) 3 Pick one of the follovving issues and explain how you would approach analyzing it for the Council ( 150-500 words) ~ Whether to merge the County Police Depaitment with the Depaitment ofPaimiddotks Police ~ How frequently County schools should be torn down and rebuilt ~ Whether a new transit line should be light rail or bus rapid transit ~ Whether the County should work with the private sector to revitalize underoccupied office paimiddotks ~ Whether to continue to require that all liquor stores be operated by the County ~ Whether to privatize County-run golfcourses ~ Whether to ban the use ofpesticides on lawns ~ Whether to encourage redevelopment neaimiddot light rail stations or develop programs to support the continued

operation ofexisting small businesses 4 Describe one work or school assignment that you believe would be of interest to a local government (50-250 words)

ONLY APPLICANTS SELECTED FOR STEP 2 MUST SUBMIT THESE DOCUMENTS

APPLICANTS WHO FAIL TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM CONSIDERATION

sectteP3 The most qualitied applicants will be interviewed in person or via skype Summer Fellows will be notified of their selection by the end ofFeb 2018 All documents must be submitted electronically via the Councils Summer Fellows Program page

Send questions to mcsfprogramgmailcom