Colleges, Counties Launch Statewide Internship Program

Georgia County Internship Program is now online at www.GeorgiaCountyInternships.org

More information:
Michele NeSmith, ACCG, mnesmith@accg.org, (404) 522-5022
Beth Day, bday@atlantahighered.org, ARCHE, (404) 651-2668

Atlanta, March 10, 2010 - The Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education have partnered to create the Georgia County Internship Program. This unique statewide initiative will open doors for students to explore a variety of careers in county government and help a new generation understand the importance of local government in American democracy.

Already, during the launch for summer internships, 11 counties around the state have posted over 30 positions. The internships will attract a wide range of college majors to a spectrum of county offices. Current internship opportunities include: stormwater data collection assistant and substance abuse project assistant in Gwinnett; CAD project management and policy research in DeKalb; Web site intern in Cobb; marketing and media intern in Dawson; law research assistant in Brooks; and Operation Warrant Clean-up intern in Clayton.

Counties post internships for students at a new Web site, GeorgiaCountyInternships.org. ARCHE career service directors, deans and faculty members joined with ACCG, an ARCHE community partner, to plan the program.

The ACCG-ARCHE collaboration aims not only to give students direct exposure to county careers - but also a hands-on understanding of the inner workings of local government that will make them better-informed citizens and voters.

Both ACCG Deputy Director Ross King and ARCHE President Mike Gerber credit their own college internships with directing their careers along paths that led to their current positions. King interned with the city of Americus when he was a master's student at the University of Tennessee. Gerber interned with the University of Maryland's vice president for legislative relations.

"These are great opportunities for students to see how government works," said Gerber. "And there are no better ambassadors than our students to help local officials understand the caliber of education at Georgia's private and public colleges and universities."

"We are teaching a new generation about the function of county government," King said. "As the baby boomer generation gets ready to retire, there will be a large number of positions in county government that need to be filled, so it is critical that we work to attract the best and brightest to public service in our state."

The Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) is a nonprofit instrumentality of Georgia's county governments. Formed in 1914 with 19 charter county members, today ACCG serves as the consensus building, training and legislative organization for all 159 county governments in the state. With this primary charge, ACCG works to ensure that the counties can provide the necessary leadership, services and programs to meet the health, safety and welfare needs of their citizens. Visit www.accg.org for information about ACCG and its services.

The Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE) brings together 20 of the Atlanta region's public and private colleges and universities. ARCHE builds awareness of the size, scope, impact and value of higher education and helps its members share strengths through cooperative programs such as cross registration for courses and library sharing. Founded in 1938, ARCHE's membership also includes six affiliated libraries and 13 corporate and nonprofit community partners. Visit www.atlantahighered.org for information about ARCHE, its members and its research reports.

See the Georgia County Internship Program at www.georgiacountyinternships.org.

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