The Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) is a not-for-profit that has been supporting efforts to increase diversity in public service for 39 years.
The PPIA Junior Summer Institute (JSI) Fellowship Program is a rigorous academic graduate-level preparation program for undergraduate juniors committed to public service careers. The program was started to address the lack of diversity across the spectrum of professional public service, including government, nonprofits, public policy institutions, and international organizations. The purpose of the JSI Fellowship is to prepare students to obtain a Master’s or joint degree, in public policy, public administration, international affairs, or a related field.
This fully-funded opportunity equips fellows with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in graduate school and ultimately, in influential roles serving the public good. Once a student has successfully completed their JSI, they join an alumni network of more than 4,000 leaders. In addition to the opportunities that this network provides for mentoring and career development, our alumni network has the opportunity to receive financial support for their graduate school education if they attend one of the programs in their Graduate School Consortium.
The JSI curriculum includes economics, statistics, domestic/international policy issues and leadership topics, all designed to sharpen the students’ quantitative, analytic and communication skills. Extracurricular activities are included as well. These skills are vital for admission into the top graduate programs in public and international affairs. The successful completion of a summer institute is a requirement for PPIA Fellows to qualify for graduate school benefits.
Students who are selected for the Junior Summer Institute cohort will study on the campus of one of their five participating universities:
Carnegie Mellon University – Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
Princeton University – Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
University of California, Berkeley – Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
University of Michigan – Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
University of Minnesota – Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs