SPIN - A New Alumni Involvement Opportunity

The Stanford Public Interest Network (SPIN)
- Connecting Stanford graduates with meaningful work in the public interest. -
The SPIN program operates with funding provided by Stanford Associates

ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT: The SPIN program was founded by a group of engaged and dedicated alumni in public service and it continues to be driven by alumni whose energy and expertise directly benefit students in the program, as well as the larger arena of organizations working to effect positive social change. Alumni can help the SPIN program in several capacities: - Identify nonprofit organizations to serve as SPIN Partner Organizations; - Serve as a member of the Selection Committee that screens student applications and conducts the first round of interviews for placements; - Become a mentor for a 2008-2009 SPIN Fellow who is working in your area of expertise; - Volunteer to participate as a speaker or workshop leader in the professional development series during 2008-2009. TO GET INVOLVED: Please contact Abby Conover, SPIN Coordinator, at aconover@stanford.edu or (650) 723-8375.

Program Overview
Mission Statement
Guiding Principles
SPIN Fellowship Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:
The Stanford Public Interest Network (SPIN) is an initiative driven by a group of alumni in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City administered through the Haas Center for Public Service in collaboration with the Stanford Alumni Association and Career Development Center. SPIN is a member of The Alumni Network, a national collaborative associated with Princeton Project 55 (http://project55.org).

Originally founded in 2003 and re-launched in 2007, SPIN aims to build a network of Stanford alumni working in the public interest and to operate a fellowship program that places recent Stanford graduates in full-time paid positions in nonprofit organizations and government agencies. (Organizations pay Fellows a $30k stipend plus full health benefits.) The purpose of the fellowship program is three-fold: to recruit talented students to work in public service, to engage alumni working in and committed to public service, and to assist public interest organizations in finding qualified staff.

MISSION STATEMENT:
SPIN strives to raise awareness of the public interest and careers in public service among Stanford undergraduates and alumni. The organization works to expand the definition of the public interest and its relevance to alumni lives after Stanford by establishing fellowships for Stanford graduates and serving as a network for alumni and students interested in public service.

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
SPIN was founded and continues to operate on the following premises:

• Stanford provides its graduates with quality education, applicable skills, and access to a network of successful alumni.
• These resources leave Stanford alumni well positioned to address the many systemic problems affecting society at every level and give them the civic responsibility to do so.
• A Stanford network should exist among its graduates to support and encourage commitment to the public interest.

SPIN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:
SPIN places graduating seniors and coterms in substantive year-long paid positions with dynamic organizations in the Bay Area and New York City working in the public interest, thereby providing a recognizable entry point to employment in the public and independent sectors. During the fellowship year, SPIN Fellows are matched with an alumni mentor and participate in a seminar style professional development program designed to provide a cohort model to support Fellows and aid their personal and professional growth.