Each year the Ethical Leadership Program offers up to five student summer internship grants to Ripon College students.  The objective of the internship is to be engaged in an essentially independent activity, either scholarly or experiential, that raises questions of ethics, explores solutions to ethical issues and takes action on an ethical problem. Internships vary widely from one another depending on the nature of the experience.  However, the internships always include the following:

• Focused work (either scholarly or experiential) on ethics, leadership, or ethical leadership issues
• An action that involves development of a position on an issue and a proposed resolution to an ethical issue
• A demonstrative tool to gauge effectiveness of the project in contributing to the common good

Applications are now being accepted! 

Click here to download the Summer 2010 Application!

2009 Summer Internships in Ethical Leadership

Students studied a variety of ethical dilemmas and situations in diverse areas this summer.  Below is a short description of each project.  Click on each student's name to see their final report of their work.  They will be presenting their work at the Golden Hour on November 3rd at 11:15 a.m. in Todd Wehr 104.

Elizabeth McHone: Ms. McHone studied the ethics of buying and consuming non-local food at home and on campus and its effects on the environment, local economies and our health.  She spent time educating the Ripon College community about local food issues and inciting renewed interest in local food and sustainability by working with Sodexho, local producers, social media and members of the community.

Talya Petersik: Ms. Petersik explored the ethics of limited resources available to students in schools who have cognitive delays and researching a promising new program, Fast ForWord, to improve student learning and lives and how this ties with educational rights and responsibilities.

Luke Lockhart: Mr. Lockhart spent time researching the ethical use of social networking websites and the use of bigotry, exclusion and bullying as it relates to the Ripon College student population.

Stephanie Potts: Ms. Potts explored the ways in which children with disabilities are stigmatized and the ethics of how to enact public awareness of disability. Ms. Potts created a pamphlet on autism as part of this project.  Please click here to view the pamphlet.

Phillip Mack: Mr. Mack researched the ethical concept of tolerance and how it is applicable to humans and society and examining the ways, both theoretically and practically, in which humans and communities can function in a presumably harmonious fashion despite sometimes having significant differences.

Kirsten Collins: Ms. Collins conducted a project that will raise questions concerning the adequacy of ELL services at the middle and secondary levels and proposing changes to further develop appropriate and effective services.  Ms. Collins has created key strategies for working in ELL as part of this project. Please click here to view her key strategies worksheet.

Tomissa Porath: Ms. Porath investigated the Milwaukee Public Library system's decision to issue a family card instead of an individual card causing concerns over the ethics of confidentiality and an individual right to privacy and information.

Past Student Summer Internship Topics:

Please contact the ELP for more information.