Under the leadership of the chair and five vice chairs (Programming, Fellowships and Stipends, Strategic Planning, Communications, and Operations), Stanford in Government (SIG) is organized in a committee structure. Each committee — run by a director and staffed by committee members — focuses on a defined set of goals throughout the year. The following is a guide to each of SIG’s committees.
Committees at a Glance
- Special Events
- Campus Awareness
- Public Policy Forum
- Campus and Community Partnerships
- State/Local Fellowships
- County Initiatives
- DC/National Fellowships
- International Fellowships
- Stipends
- Alumni Outreach
- Strategic Planning
- Technology
- Communication
Programming
Special Events Committee
Committee members help develop at least one event with a major speaker. CMs will help build partnerships with professors and other student groups on events, such as SIG’s yearly collaboration on the Stephen Schneider Memorial Lecture. In order to bring to campus a variety of speakers and perspectives, CMs will leverage the connections of professors and students to identify special event opportunities. Past events have included lectures with Al Gore, Kofi Annan, Olympia Snowe, Michael Hayden, and David Petraeus. CMs should be interested in building and maintaining relationships with faculty, as well as developing a strong grasp of current policy issues and a knack for regular event execution.
Policy Lunches Committee
Committee members create and implement events that engage students in focused, intimate discussions about global, national, state, and local policy with relevant experts. Historically, CMs organize policy lunches with relevant Stanford professors and visiting experts. This year, CMs will also work with Strategic Planning and Technology to create initiatives to properly measure audience demand for different content and policy topics. CMs should be interested in building and maintaining relationships with faculty, as well as developing a strong grasp of current policy issues and a knack for regular event execution.
Public Policy Forum Committee
Stanford in Government’s Public Policy Forum (PPF) is an open, accessible space for all Stanford students, regardless of involvement or prior knowledge, to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. PPF is SIG’s “eyes and ears”, always listening to the Stanford community in order to engage students on the issues that are important to them. Past events include forums on the Ferguson race riots, campus sexual assault policy, the crisis in Ukraine, the Affordable Care Act, and income inequality. Committee members plan and hold policy forum events in line with PPF’s mission, which is to encourage political dialogue and interactive civic participation on campus. Through these events, CMs will directly lead policy discussions and create a social atmosphere of engaged peers. CMs should be interested in event planning, communication, utilizing creativity, and exploring the political community at Stanford.
Fellowships & Stipends
Fellowships Committees (D.C./National Fellowships, International Fellowships, State, County, and Local Fellowships)
The SIG Fellowship Program provides highly qualified Stanford undergraduates with opportunities for substantive engagement in public policy during the summer. Each summer, SIG sponsors approximately 40 fully-funded fellowships in leading government organizations, multilateral institutions, and policy think tanks locally, nationally, and internationally. Past fellowship placements include the UN Refugee Agency in Geneva, the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and the California Department of Education.
Committee members take ownership of several fellowships, which includes reviewing evaluations of the past summer’s fellow’s experience, communicating with the office or organization, marketing the fellowship to campus, reading applications and selecting interviewees, interviewing candidates with faculty mentors, and selecting the final fellow. CMs also search for and secure new fellowship opportunities by leveraging faculty and student connections. CMs should be interested in working with global offices and connecting students with meaningful opportunities in public service.
Note: Members of a fellowship committee are not eligible to apply for a SIG Fellowship sponsored by that committee, though they are welcome to apply for SIG Fellowships sponsored by other committees or for a SIG Stipend. As an example, members of the State/Local Fellowships Committee may not apply for a State/Local Fellowship, but are welcome to apply for DC/National and International Fellowships).
Stipends Committee
The SIG Stipends Program provides mentorship and funding for students pursuing unpaid summer internships in policy. Unlike the Fellowships Program, students receiving a SIG Stipend must apply for and arrange their own internships. In the past, SIG has sponsored numerous fully-funded internships in high-profile public service organizations, like the U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, Justice, and the Treasury; the Sierra Club, the Chilean Ministry of the Environment, the Swaziland Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, and the United Nations in New York City.
Committee members run the program. CMs help fundraising efforts, promote the program to outside donors and to the Stanford administration, and build and maintain SIG’s internship database. They also publicize the Stipends Program, read applications and select interviewees, and interview candidates and select the final stipends recipients.
Note: Stipends Committee members are not eligible to apply for a SIG Stipend, though they are welcome to apply for a SIG Fellowship.
Communications
Alumni Outreach Committee
The Alumni Outreach Committee works to expand and develop SIG’s relationship with Stanford alumni involved in policy all over the world. From planning events with alumni guest speakers to connecting SIG Fellows and Stipend Recipients with alumni for summer housing, the Alumni Outreach Committee bridges the gap between alumni and students in exciting and important ways. Applicants interested in joining the Alumni Outreach Committee should be organized workers able to correspond professionally and regularly with alumni.
Marketing Committee
Committee members create all outgoing email communication related to programming, fellowships, and stipends. They work with the technology team to track analytics related to email list usage and audience responsiveness. CMs collaboratively produce a weekly Policy Events at Stanford (PEAS) email with all events SIG is running, co-sponsoring, or otherwise interested in (e.g. events and opportunities put on by CISAC, CDDRL, Hoover, and other student groups).
Social Media Committee
Committee members create content for SIG’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, often using paid advertising and analytics. In addition to posting updates and photos from most SIG programming, they market SIG events and internship opportunities and build long-term plans for SIG’s expanding social media presence. CMs also produce content for the SIG blog (https://sig.stanford.edu/blog/) to ensure that regular, well-written content appears on the website.
Graphic Design Committee
Committee members create posters and flyers for SIG events using Adobe Creative Suite and help design the annual newsletter and holiday card. CMs also design graphics for publicity materials, the website, and SIG apparel. CMs work with Communications Team to maintain a consistent visual look across SIG’s print and digital communications.
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Committee
Committee members shape a long-term vision and long-term goals for SIG. They create and implement pilot programs, advise SIG on streamlining the organization’s workflow, and think strategically about the expansion of SIG Stipends Program, Cardinal Service, and collaboration with university faculty, administrators, and departments. CMs create new ways to partner with cultural, residential, and student organizations to improve our diversity and outreach. CMs will be akin to an “in-house consultancy” for SIG and will thus evaluate SIG’s current activities and actions.
Operations
Technology Committee
Committee members work with Directors of Technology and the Vice Chair of Operations to create and implement vision for SIG’s technological future, including expansion into analyzing and visualizing political trends and data. They also develop the SIG website, sig.stanford.edu, coordinate all online application portals and online systems (currently hosted at applysummer.herokuapp.com), and manage SIG content analytics using BananaTag. They craft interactive SIG blog content and assist with SIG Newsletter logistics and are the point people for all things tech/digital for all SIG teams.