The U.S. Department of Education announced today that it will offer summer internships to as many as 10 outstanding undergraduate and graduate students under the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars Program. Applications must be postmarked no later than Jan. 21.

Scholars will be assigned to the Office of the Secretary and immediate offices of the assistant secretaries of education at the Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, they will assist in a variety of key education projects to give them exposure to the development of government and public policy in a cabinet-level agency.

"This program is a fitting tribute to Dr. King and his efforts to encourage young people to pursue education as a means to improve their lives and promote equal opportunity for all," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "These outstanding students will have a unique chance to come to Washington and observe government and education policy firsthand."

Selected students will be designated as Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars and receive temporary federal appointments for an eight-week period, June 13-Aug. 5. The time period may be extended for an additional four weeks on a case-by-case basis. Scholars will be hired at grades GS-4, 5, 7, or 9 (corresponding pay range of $11.82 to $20.04 per hour), depending on qualifications and education level completed.

Scholars will assist with a variety of projects related to critical education programs and initiatives, doing analysis, policy development, legal and other work designed to provide developmental experiences and exposure to government and public policy.

The program is open to continuing juniors and seniors as well as graduate students who are enrolled on a full-time basis in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program and who have plans to register for the fall semester. Graduating baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral students who are not enrolled and continuing their education in the academic semester following the summer internship are not considered "continuing students" and are not eligible.

Students from any field of study in good academic standing with a minimum grade point average of 3.3 are welcome to apply.

The announcement will be posted through Jan. 21 on the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars Web site (http://www.ed.gov/programs/mlk/), the U. S. Office of Personnel Management's USAJobs Web site (www.usajobs.opm.gov), and Studentjobs.gov (www.studentjobs.gov).

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the program by March 30. Students desiring to be Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars will be required to submit:

• A resume or OF-612 application form (http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of612.pdf)
• Proof of continuing enrollment (transcript or letter from the registrar)
• Proof of good academic standing (transcript)
• Two academic references (name, title, contact information)
• Brief essay (500 words) on the link between education policy and the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as expressed in the following quotation: "And a man has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his own individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." (Martin Luther King Jr., "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life," in A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran, New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1998); and
• A one-page cover letter on why the student wishes to be a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar and what he or she has accomplished or plans to accomplish that embraces Dr. King's philosophies.

For more information, visit www.ed.gov.

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