Snelling Center for Government

Pre-requisites: Preference will be given to applicants who are in the second half of their graduate program, and who have already taken basic research methods, and coursework that focuses on public policy in their chosen field.

Graduate Credit: The Snelling Center for Government works with the MPA program at the University of Vermont. http://www.uvm.edu/cdae/mpa/

Students interested in receiving graduate credit for participation can work with the Program staff to register at their home school or sign up for PA380 at the University of Vermont [Instructor: Glenn McRae]. Students will develop a learning plan and document the process with a written product. 3 or 6 credits are available.

Policy Questions From Previous Internships:

These represent some of the issues that fellows and interns have addressed in their work at the Center.

• Analysis of health care costs and access in Vermont.
• What are effective and practical polices for extending insurance coverage to the growing population of people without health insurance in the state.
• Research on options in educational governance systems and the relationship to student achievement.
• The constitutional question of the need/desirability of 4 year terms for state wide office holders and the legislature.
• The constitutional question of Home Rule for Vermont towns and cities
• Citizen participation in energy planning.
• Review of the history and current situation regarding state ownership of energy production and transmission, and its relationship to Vermont's future energy choices.
• Research on appropriate state government strategies to support the expansion of the Creative Economy.
• Documenting the economic contribution made by nonprofit organizations and researching appropriate ways to incentify nonprofits to locate, start and expand in the state, in a parallel manner to incentives for businesses.
• The nature and future of conservation and planning in Vermont.
• How scientific research and knowledge are utilized in examining and setting environmental policy.
• The effectiveness of programs in early childhood education.

Previous Internships:

Fellows:

• Research on study for legislature on compensation of legislative, executive and judicial branch service
• Support study group on the creative economy and development of legislative initiatives
• Original Research on "Invasive Species and Forest Health in Vermont" with a series of collaboratively derived policy recommendations
• Support education governance discussion for the Department of Education and State Legislature; develop 18-month action plan
• Compile history of Snelling Center for Government's Public Policy Initiatives

Interns:

• Vermont Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations: Develop forums on the "state of the nonprofit sector;" "Understanding state fiscal policy;" and working in the State legislature to monitor the state budget and key nonprofit issues
• Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS_: background research on impacts State "Back Rent" and "Medicaid premium" programs
• VERMONT RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP: advancing public dialogue and understanding of school readiness for children
• SNELLING CENTER: Development of a State Budget Primer to educate Vermont citizens on the process of developing and passing the state budget.
• STATE ARCHIVES: Emergency planning for town records
• STATE ARCHIVES: Continuing Issue: Public ownership of power production & transmission
• STATE ARCHIVES: Continuing Issue: Act 200: Effectiveness of town planning
• VERMONT ECONOMIC PROGRESS COUNCIL: Research on economic indicators for 10-year strategic plan
• VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES: Research and facilitation of process to determine the regulation of mining wastes