Michigan State University announces the 6th Edition of the Directory of International Internships, published in collaboration with the Office of International Studies and Programs and the Center for Educational Business and Research (CIBER) of the Eli Broad College of Business. The Directory will be released in early 2009.

In looking at the 5th edition, I am just amazed at the breadth of knowledge contained within. It starts out with explaining the international internship process, talks about finding the right internship, and then delves into educational institutions, government agencies, private organizations, and corporations that provide international internships. The Directory also is indexed both by specific topics with geographical areas, and geographical areas with specific topics. There is a list of internship sponsors, and a bibliography and web resources section.

We were lucky enough to interview Charles A. Gliozzo, Professor and consultant to the Dean, Office of International Studies and Programs, Director Emeritus, Office of Study Abroad, And Professor Emeritus, Department of History at Michigan State University. I used to work in the Office of International Studies and Programs, and greatly value the contributions that Chuck has given to the field of international education. Let's explore this directory!

WE: How did the Directory get started? There must have been tremendous demand, for you to be in the 6th edition!

CG: The first edition was published was in 1987 as a result of a co-op
grant that I received from NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
The rationale for a DIRECTORY came when I was Director of Study Abroad at
Michigan State University. My staff and I were hearing from our students
about internships and where could we obtain such information. A
preliminary exploration at that time indicted that no specfic reference
work existed to guide students in their search.

That was the motivation to initiate a Directory but it could not have been
done without the support of Jack Shingleton, Director of Career Services
and Placement, and student research. The popularity of the DIRECTORY and
the student demand to do international internships led to subsequent
editions in 1990, 1994,1998, 2003,and now the 6th edition in 2009. Every
time we have a new edition, the DIRECTORY becomes larger since there are
more and more international internships that are offered.

WE: Who uses your Directory?

CG: The utilization of the DIRECTORY is quite diversified. Study Abroad
units, Career Services and Placement offices, libraries, Offices of
International Studies and Programs, and of course students.

WE: How can international educators best utilize your Directory?

CG: As a significant informational reference guide to assist anyone who
is interested in obtaining information about international internships.

The DIRECTORY is quire comprehensive. There are three main categories of
citations that are listed form educational institutions, government
agencies, and private orgaizations. Each entry contains information under
the following headings: subject areas, number of internships, location,
duration, financial data,eligibility, stipulations,guidelines, additional
comments, contact information:address, telephone, fax, and website

The DIRECTORY also contains an introduction, information on how to use the
DIRECTORY, Acknowledgments, Essays on What is meant by an international
Internship? Advantages and disadvantages, Finding the Right Internship,
and Evaluation. To assist the user, there are sections which list
internship sponsors with pagination, and separate indexes for finding specific topics with geographical areas as well as listings for geographical areas with specific topics. The DIRECTORY also has a short bibliography and a list of website information.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

CG: There is no charge for any of the internship entries.The DIRECTORY is
copyrighted and there is a statement that the "editor does not endorse
or gives any evaluative assessement of the international internships in
this publication." For the 6th edition, we are gathering information in
collaboration with the renowned Center for Education and Business Research
(CIBER) at MSU .

WE: Thanks so much, Chuck, for your great interview! This resource is invaluable to so many people and organizations.

Now, the 6th Edition of the Directory is being finalized. If you or your institution/organization would like to be considered in the book, please contact Chuck Gliozzo (soon!) at Michigan State University's Office of International Studies and Programs at (517) 353-5589, or email him at [email protected].