MANSFIELD, PA— Mansfield University junior Carolyn Mercatanti is one of 16 college students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program for the fall semester.
The political science major, with a criminal justice minor, is working in the state Senate Democratic Research Office as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).
Mercatanti is from New Hope, PA and is the daughter of Mary and Paul Mercatanti. She is a graduate of New Hope-Solebury High School.
THIS provides students with the opportunity to work in all area of state government while earning a full semester’s worth of credits. Mercatanti and the other students participating in the program attend several academic seminars during their internship semester. Each student will complete an individualized research project as part of the program’s requirements.
More than 600 students from PASSHE universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989, each gaining valuable insight into the workings of state government at the policy-making level. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the Office of the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Office of the Attorney General.
State System students interested in participating in THIS in a future semester may obtain information on the program by contacting their individual campus coordinator or their university’s cooperative or internship office, or by calling the Dixon University Center at (717) 720-4089. For more information on the program, go to passhe.edu/this
With nearly 110,000 degree-seeking students, and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs, PASSHE is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. The 14 PASSHE universities offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and Center City in Philadelphia.
For more information on PASSHE, check online at passhe.edu