A new partnership between Penn State Cooperative Extension and The Schreyer Honors College at Penn State will create internships enabling Schreyer Scholars to apply their learning outside the classroom in communities throughout Pennsylvania.

The program, which begins this summer, matches honors students with extension agents throughout the Commonwealth to work on community projects, according to Ted Alter, associate vice president for outreach, director of cooperative extension and associate dean in the college.

“Schreyer Scholars are very special students,” Alter says. “They are extraordinarily bright and capable, and they have a strong interest in applying their scholarship in real-world settings. Our goal is to ensure that each internship gives them a substantive intellectual and practical experience.”

“I am a strong believer in outreach and community involvement,” says Cheryl Achterberg, dean of The Schreyer Honors College. “I have participated myself in such activities throughout my professional career and also benefited as a child from others’ outreach efforts.”

Extension will match internship opportunities with the interests and abilities of Schreyer Scholars, who will then work with agents, community leaders, and faculty. The partnership benefits everyone involved, notes Josephine Carubia, coordinator of student programs and service learning for The Schreyer Honors College. The partners have committed $10,000 each to provide students with stipends. “This financial commitment makes it possible for more students to consider applying,” Carubia says.