Be a leader. Put your passion for social justice to work inside and outside the classroom. We offer two experiential pathways to the Community Leadership Certificate. If you are interested in a one-semester internship with a rigorous and intense academic program, Community Semester is your choice. If you would like a longer, more in-depth internships with a smaller, slower paced academic requirement then AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship is for you.
Contact
Community Semester CommunitySemster@slu.cuny.edu
AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship Experiential-Learning@slu.cuny.edu
25 West 43rd Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10036
(646) 313-8300
Pathways to Success
Upon completing the Community Semester or AmeriCorps program, undergraduate students earn 16 credits and are awarded a Certificate in Community Leadership. Graduate students earn 12 credits and are awarded an Advanced Certificate in Community Leadership. These credits can be applied toward the BA in Urban and Community Studies and the MA in Urban Studies program if admitted to either program.
Community Semester
Community Semester is a full-time, intensive academic and service-learning program that provides students with an opportunity to put their passion for social justice to work. Students learn first-hand how community-based organizations fight for environmental justice, housing rights, immigrant rights, tenants’ rights, economic justice, youth engagement, neighborhood resilience, civic justice, and community empowerment by contributing to the movement themselves. Students develop leadership skills and analyze their experience in the field by studying community organizing, community development, government, and non-profit leadership. The Community Semester program subsidies your tuition and fees up to $7,000. Any amount in excess of tuition costs is issued to interns for living and other personal expenses.
Commitment
Community Semester is full-time commitment, students need to be available to spend 20 hours per week at the internship site and take 4 courses.
Community Semester Supplementary Application is to be submitted with the CUNY application(CUNYfirst application) for undergraduate or graduate Community Leadership Certificate in CUNYFirst – Supplementary Application
| Fall Semester Application Deadlines | |||
| Program | Priority* | General** | Final*** |
| Community Leadership Certificate & Community Semester | 4/1 | 5/1 | 6/1 |
For application assistance or questions please email: admissions@slu.cuny.edu
| Spring Semester Application Deadlines | |||
| Program | Priority* | General** | Final*** |
| Community Leadership Certificate & Community Semester | 10/25 | 11/15 | 12/1 |
For application assistance or questions please email: admissions@slu.cuny.edu
* Priority Deadline – will receive priority review.
** General Deadline – will be reviewed but no priority will be given.
*** Final Deadline – all applications and materials must be received by this date to be reviewed on a space-available basis, after all priority and general deadline applications.
Nominating a Student for Community Semester
If you are a CUNY professor, academic advisor, or program coordinator, advocate, or community group partner you may nominate a student who would be an ideal Community Semester program candidate. Please download and complete the Community Semester Recommendation Form
AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship
AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship is an 11-month program administered by LIST NY, which allows students to put their passion for social justice to work while serving 1700 hours in nonprofit organizations addressing our nation’s most pressing challenges. Students receive a $25,500 stipend and up $6,895 educational award. Students are simultaneously enrolled part-time in a Community Leadership certificate program (two courses per semester).
AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship Supplementary Application to be submitted with the application(CUNYfirst application) for undergraduate or graduate Community Leadership Certificate in CUNYFirst – Supplementary Application
| Spring† Semester Application Deadlines | |||
| Program | Priority* | General** | Final*** |
| Community Leadership Certificate & AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship | 10/25 | 11/15 | 12/1 |
For application assistance or questions please email: admissions@slu.cuny.edu
†AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship starts in Spring Semester and runs for 11 months.
* Priority Deadline – will receive priority review.
** General Deadline – will be reviewed but no priority will be given.
*** Final Deadline – all applications and materials must be received by this date to be reviewed on a space-available basis, after all priority and general deadline applications.
Application Requirements
Undergraduate applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. They must have completed 24 college credits before the start of either Community Semester or AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship. AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship applicants must be at least 18 years of age, be legal residents of the US or US citizens at the time of application.
Graduate applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Applicants enrolled at other CUNY campuses should request an e-permit from their home school prior to submitting their application. Please contact your academic department or advisor to begin the e-permit process. Colleges need ample time to review and approve e-permit requests. The applicant’s e-permit for each of the four courses must be submitted to SLU at least 10-days prior to the semester’s first official day.
For questions about the program requirements and application process email admissions@slu.cuny.edu
- Qualified applicants will be contacted by the Program Coordinator for an interview.
- Community Semester NYC accepts applicants for Fall and Spring semesters.
- AmeriCorps accepts applicants only in the Spring semester.
Application Checklist
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| Graduate Students |
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The Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs
The Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs is a CUNY wide Experiential Learning Program. The program aims to bridge the gap between study and civic engagement in and outside the classroom. The Program is designed to equip its diverse student body with the skills necessary to ensure success in a dynamic public-sector environment. Students and faculty from a wide range of academic disciplines are brought together with elected officials and other practitioners to produce the Program’s unique learning experience. Students are afforded opportunities at all levels of government. They are placed in the offices of city, state, and federal legislators; in government agencies; in neighborhood and community organizations; even in international organizations. Despite this diversity of placements, each student intern comes away from his or her experience with a universal lesson: “I can make a difference!”
SLU students accepted into the Edward T. Rogowski Internship Program will enroll in a field work course (3 credits) which will help guide them throughout the internship program and where they will reflect on and unpack some of the issues they observe and deal with during their placement and connect them to larger systemic issues in our society.
Learn more and apply or email experiential-learning@slu.cuny.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
Applicants enrolled at other CUNY campuses should request an e-permit from their home school prior to submitting the application. Please contact your academic department or advisor to gain clarity on the ePermit guidelines, procedures, and deadlines. Colleges need ample time to review and approve ePermit requests. The applicant’s ePermit for each of the four courses must be submitted to SLU at least 10-days prior to the start of the semester.
As a nominated candidate, your nominee’s letter serves as your first of two required letters of recommendation. In addition to completing the supplemental application, if you are a new applicant, please refer to “How do I apply?” If you are a current CUNY student, refer to “What if I’m already a CUNY Student?“
Applications for Spring semester are due by December 9th and applications for fall semester are due by July 1st – Apply Now
Applications can only be submitted electronically and are accepted on a rolling basis. Early applications are given priority. There are a select number of placements each semester for both programs. Apply early to secure your spot.
Community Semester program subsidies your tuition and fees up to $7,000. Any amount in excess of tuition costs is issued to interns for living and other personal expenses.
AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship students receive a living stipend of $21,000 in increments throughout the duration of the program and an educational grant of up to $6,345 at the completion of the program. Because the educational grant is not released until the end of the program students are required to pay the tuition for SLU each semester.
Community Semester students work alongside a NYC community-based organization for 20 hours each week. Examples of communitybased organization include: a multi-service nonprofit, issue-based nonprofit or; city agencies or legislative offices focused on constituent services, legislation, policy and community outreach. Placements vary by semester and are contingent upon the needs of the organizations we work with.
AmeriCorps SLU Fellows are placed at nonprofit organizations in NYC who work on finding solutions to various national level challenges. Students gain an in depth experience at their placement while also being supported by the AmeriCorps network thought trainings and conferences.
With the exception of currently enrolled CUNY students, all students pay an application fee when submitting their applications ($70 for undergraduates, $75 for graduate students). Students are responsible for the tuition and fees, which are due the first day of class. Students are also responsible for their travel to and from New York City, travel to their internship site, their tuition and fees, housing, and other living expenses. Students who have concerns about managing their finances may speak with a member of our staff who can answer questions and give suggestions for sources of additional funding.
All tuition charges and fees are subject to change by action of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York without prior notice. In the event of any increase in tuition charges and fees, payments already made to the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies will be treated as partial payment, and notification will be given of the additional amount due and the time and method of payment.
Students who successfully complete Community Semester earn a total of 16 undergraduate credits or 12 graduate credits. It is their responsibility to follow the procedures of their college or university for transferring these credits. Upon acceptance to the program, it is recommended that students consult with their advisor and registrar concerning transfer credit policies. Students who participate in our programs while they are not attending a college or graduate program will need to discuss transferring credits should they be accepted into a program at a later date.
Yes, you have the option of doing either the undergraduate or graduate certificate program. However, the Advanced Certificate program will give you the option of transferring credits into our MA program or another graduate program, should you decide to pursue graduate studies.
Absolutely! In the graduate program, students earn 12 credits and if admitted to the MA in Urban Studies at SLU these credits can be transferred over. The entire MA in Urban Studies program requires 30 credits so students who complete the Advanced Certificate in Community Leadership would have earned more than 1/3 of the credits already.
Community Semester: CommunitySemster@slu.cuny.edu
AmeriCorps SLU Fellowship: Experiential-Learning@slu.cuny.edu
25 West 43rd Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10036
tel: (646) 313-8300