PPIC’s Summer Intern Program provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students interested in a public policy career to work in a policy research environment. Intern projects are proposed by PPIC researchers and designed around a specific set of tasks and deliverables that can be accomplished within the term of the internship.

Please complete your application by February 7, 2022. We expect to make the selection decisions for intern projects by mid-April. No phone calls, please.

Project 6: COVID-19 Stimulus Funding’s Impact on California Higher Education Finance

Project Directors

Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson

Project Summary

The coronavirus pandemic and the economic recession that it precipitated led many higher education leaders and stakeholders to predict a dire near-term fiscal outlook for the state’s colleges and universities. These predictions were particularly fueled by several major upheavals to stability in higher education systems: instruction shifted online, institutions’ revenue streams dried up, and students faced financial adversity due to high rates of job losses and sudden economic uncertainty. Now, a little over a year later, California’s public higher education systems have ample amounts of recovery funding available. Three separate federal stimulus bills from March 2020 to March 2021 directed $14 billion to California’s public higher education institutions, about half of which was earmarked to cover institutional costs with the other half passed on directly to students. However, much of this funding was intended for one-time use and institutions face statutory deadlines to spend down these funds. Specifically, we aim to address the following research questions:

• How did the state’s higher education institutions allocate these COVID-19 stimulus and recovery funds?
• How have the stimulus funds affected the cost pressures faced by higher education institutions?
• How have institutions used the funding to address growing costs for infrastructure needs and employee benefits, while also supporting enrollment growth and student success?
• How have these institutions’ priorities changed throughout the course of the pandemic?

Responsibilities

The intern working on this project will actively engage in the data collection process. The intern will contribute to the project by synthesizing available federal, state, and institutional higher education expenditure data from multiple sources. The intern will also assist in conducting interviews of stakeholders under the guidance of more experienced PPIC researchers, note-taking, then analyzing those interviews. The intern will also critically read and analytically summarize key documents that are relevant to the project’s progression. The intern will also participate in frequent research team meetings to discuss project updates and get feedback on their work. At the end of the internship program, the intern will give a presentation about their research endeavors throughout the summer..

Qualifications

An intern working on this project should have:

• Strong close reading and critical thinking skills
• Excellent writing, verbal communication, and organization skills
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Interest in California’s education policies

The ideal candidate will also have:

• Mixed-methods research experience – especially interviewing, survey design, and producing summary statistics
• Foundational knowledge of educational systems, public policy, or a related field
• Experience reading and/or analyzing research, government, or policy documents
• Interest in higher education finance, higher education policy, and/or improving equity in higher education outcomes

PPIC values the wide variety of backgrounds and experiences of our research staff, and key elements in the consideration of qualified candidates include excellence; diversity of talents, backgrounds, and viewpoints; and a strong fit with the institute’s mission, values, and priorities.

The Research Environment

Interns are offered the opportunity to participate in the collegial atmosphere of PPIC through daily interaction with all aspects of the institution. They are invited to join the research staff in their regular meetings and to attend PPIC’s outside events, including the institute’s public affairs programs and research briefings. PPIC offers access to the Institute of Governmental Sciences library at the University of California, Berkeley, allowing interns to work with many important databases, journals, and statistical datasets. The intern program also includes a discussion of California state policy by PPIC’s government affairs staff.

Each intern’s project will include an initial meeting with research staff, evaluation and feedback at the beginning and end of the project, and a briefing by the intern on the goals, findings, and significance of the project. Interns are encouraged to discuss their work throughout the course of the project, to meet with research staff to discuss careers in research, and to meet with communications staff to learn about outreach and building an audience of policymakers.

Location, Compensation, and Time on Project

The 2022 intern program will be conducted remotely, or via a hybrid setup if circumstances allow. Compensation is $22 per hour. This full-time internship will last up to eleven weeks, ideally beginning June 13, 2022.

To Apply

As part of completing this application, submit your cover letter highlighting the particular skills you bring to the project and describing how this internship would contribute to your career development, and attach your resume in PDF or MS Word format.

PPIC is committed to excellence through diversity. Our work is rooted in objective, data-driven policy analysis. We welcome and encourage applicants who reflect the full diversity of California. The expertise of our staff members is essential to the success of PPIC’s mission, and we assist career and personal growth through robust support of skill development at all levels of the organization. PPIC offers a collaborative, intellectually stimulating, impactful work environment with a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. AA / EEO / Veterans / Disabled employer.