Congratulations to the Columbia College and Columbia Engineering students awarded Work Exemption Program (WEP) grants for the spring 2019 semester!
WHAT IS THE WORK EXEMPTION PROGRAM?
The Work Exemption Program (WEP) is part of Columbia University’s enhanced financial aid program for undergraduate students in Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Recipients receive a Columbia Grant to support their pursuit of unpaid internships, research projects, and community outreach, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Columbia Grant eligible students have the option of applying for an exemption from their summer work expectation (Student Contribution) or their in-school work expectation (Student Employment or Federal Work Study).
Applications required a personal statement, resume, letter of recommendation, and employer verification form.
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WHAT TYPES OF THINGS DID STUDENTS DO WITH THE GRANT?
The Work Exemption Program Committee awarded a total of nearly $140,000 in WEP grants to students. Student experiences this Spring range from research to the arts to community outreach, and even to local government.
Students will be interning, researching, and volunteering across campus, in New York City and remotely, this spring. There are a handful of students who will be volunteering with Columbia University’s Emergency Medical Services.
Nearly half of this spring’s recipients will be engaged with research opportunities on-campus. Some of the labs where students will intern this spring include Hood Visual Science Lab, the Robotics and Rehabilitation Lab, the Neurotrauma and Repair Laboratory, the Cellular Engineering Lab, and the Hobert Lab.
Other recipients will be engaged with arts/humanities internships at organizations such as the American Federation of Arts, The Children’s Museum of Art, and Poets House.
A number of recipients will be involved in community outreach and local government work through internships at the District Office of New York State Assemblyman Michael Blake, All In Together, and the Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
A CROSS-CAMPUS COLLABORATION:
The Work Exemption Program Committee, comprised of administrators representing offices across Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, met in February to determine recipients. The offices represented on the review committee include:
- Center for Career Education
- Columbia Financial Aid & Educational Financing
- Columbia College Alumni Affairs and Development
- Berick Center for Student Advising
- Columbia College Office of the Dean
- Office of Global Programs
- Columbia Engineering Office of the Dean
- Columbia Undergraduate Admissions
- Undergraduate Student Life
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WEP GRANTS
Visit our Funding page to learn more and see the variety of experiences supported by WEP grants.
