By Marissa Warden

Posters lined the walls of the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom advertising the projects of the 2008 Chuck Green Civic Engagement Fellows. Emcees Aaron Brown ’10 and Kristina Doan ’10 recognized their colleagues’ work in the community with a slideshow, a quick stroll down memory lane and a large spread of sandwiches and beverages.The 12 fellows took part in a seven-month fellowship, which included a spring seminar and college-funded summer internship. Led by Political Science professor Patrick Schmidt, the fellows worked with an organization of their choice in the Twin Cities to address a problem or policy and develop a feasible solution to be accomplished over the summer.

For her program, Caroline Ettinger ’08 worked with the Minnesota Judicial Branch and drug courts toward implementing a statewide review of drug courts.

“It’s a great way to pursue something you want to do that you wouldn’t have the means to do otherwise,” she said. “I was given a lot of responsibility.

“I wasn’t just an intern-more like a hyper intern.”

Chuck Green fellows maintain that they are not interns. They are paid by the school and consider the organizations they work with to be their “clients.”

Ann Baltzer ’10 worked on mental health and rehabilitation services within the Somali community.

“It was truly a partnership,” she said. ” I brought my expertise in psychology and they brought their expertise in the Somali community, and we put our heads together.”

The event was also an opportunity for prospective fellows to be introduced to the program and ask any questions. Paru Shah, assistant professor of Political Science, was announced as the 2009 facilitator.

“The fellowship allows students to create sustainable policy change and civic action,” Shah said.

She also announced the new permanent title for the program: Communities, Organizations and Political Change.

The fellows are “team leaders, players [and] innovators who work with each other in challenging situations that aren’t always easy but lead to amazing results,” Shah said.

Established in 2005, the Chuck Green Civic Engagement Fellowship is named after Macalester Political Science professor Chuck Green. Green’s former students established the Chuck Green Endowed Fund to provide each student a $4000 stipend for the summer internship.

The application deadline for the 2009 Chuck Green Fellowship is Monday, Oct. 6. The Political Science department encourages all majors to apply.