Dr. Glenn C. Geiser-Getz, chair of the Communications Media Department at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, has been named resident faculty director of The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program for the 2008-09 academic year.

The program provides students from the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities the opportunity to serve an internship in the state capital, where they work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester’s worth of credits.

Nearly 500 students have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Attorney General and for the speaker of the House of Representatives. Many former interns have gone on to careers in public service, including with state government.

In addition to their internship assignments, students who participate in the program attend a weekly class that features a variety of speakers and are required to complete a research paper on a topic of special interest. The resident faculty director coordinates the classes and student research projects.

Dr. Geiser-Getz came to East Stroudsburg University in 1994 as a professor of communications studies. He has served as department chair since 2002. During the 2000-01 academic year, he served as a Fulbright Scholar in the Department of International Journalism at St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

PASSHE students interested in participating in THIS 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.

With more than 110,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 405,000 PASSHE alumni live and work 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.