2nd Biannual InteRDom PRO for University Professors and Administrators is Announced for March

“InteRDom PRO: Professional Externship for Professors and Academics” in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from March 14-18, 2012.

InteRDom, the internship and academic study program of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), is
pleased to announce that it will host the second biannual “InteRDom PRO: Professional Externship for Professors and Academics” in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from March 14-18, 2012.

InteRDom PRO was launched in 2010 as an initiative aiming to introduce university representatives to the facilities, structure and services of the InteRDom program. But with the expansion of the programs and services offered by InteRDom, the internship
program now has even more to offer students and universities, including customized faculty-led field courses, short programs revolving around a range of topics from baseball to Dominican cultural industries to binational economic relations and research programs for undergraduate, Master’s and PhD candidates.
The 2012 edition of InteRDom PRO seeks to highlight the colonial heritage, cultural diversity and rapid development that characterize the Dominican Republic and
provide unique opportunities that make it a prime destination for students, professors, academics and professionals.

“I think that the Dominican Republic is a fantastic option for students looking to do work in a developing country that has a people that are so welcoming and so interested in interacting with Americans, and also has the infrastructure ready for them to actually make an impact,” said Amber Graham, 2010 InteRDom PRO
participant and Senior Assistant Director of the Career Center at the University of Rochester.

Participants in InteRDom PRO 2012 will experience an abbreviated version of InteRDom’s customized student orientation given the first week of every program.

“It is noteworthy that a student on a project here or in an internship can have a direct impact on the people that they are working with, and
also have some great mentoring from professionals in their field of choice on an international scale.”

Participants in InteRDom PRO 2012 will experience an abbreviated version of InteRDom’s customized student orientation given the first week of every program. They will also be familiarized with new and different career possibilities for their students and provided with an extensive network of new contacts that will serve to increase
both the global and professional dimensions of university programs.

Past participants also emphasized the importance of the networking aspect of the program, which facilitates the ability of participants to cultivate partnerships and connections with one another across departmental lines in order to increase the visibility of their programs.

Irmary Reyes-Santos, Ethnic Studies professor at the University of Oregon and PRO
2010 participant, commented: “I’ve met amazing colleagues from all over the US and just connected with different people, all of us are thinking about how to collaborate with each other, that never would have happened if we hadn’t been here.”

The agenda for the event includes: tours of FUNGLODE, the student residences and InteRDom’s partner universities, Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) and the Instituto
Global de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Sociales (IGlobal); presentations from FUNGLODE project managers on current projects and research currently being carried out at the Foundation; events and interactions with affiliated internship host organizations from the nonprofit, public and private sectors; and optional cultural activities including a visit to see the indigenous cave art in the Cueva de las Maravillas and a tour of the historic Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo.

Applications to participate are now being accepted.

The first edition boasted 8 participants who took part in a full 4-day agenda of activities, including the InteRDom Annual Conference and tours of program facilities, student residences and the Colonial City of Santo Domingo. It was a great success, resulting in the launching of at least 3 new university-specific short programs, agreements with an increasing number of universities
and academic partnerships that will increase the quality of the academic offering that the program provides, as well as its services to Dominican universities.

All participants in InteRDom PRO will be provided with transportation to and from the airport in Santo Domingo, accommodations and three meals a day. The participant is responsible for his or her own plane ticket. Participation is limited to current university faculty and administrators between the
ages of 21 and 65. Only one representative per university may attend. Applications to participate are now being accepted.

For more information contact Mandy Sciacchitano, InteRDom Marketing and Admissions Coordinator, at: students@interdominternships.org

The internship program, InteRDom is the premier internship and academic
study program in the Dominican Republic. It offers international students the opportunity to obtain professional experience by interning with Dominican organizations and businesses related to their fields of study, complemented by courses and seminars at local universities.