§ 4141a. — Foreign Service Internship Program.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 22USC4141a]
TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE
CHAPTER 52--FOREIGN SERVICE
SUBCHAPTER XI-A--FOREIGN SERVICE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Sec. 4141a. Foreign Service Internship Program
(a) Establishment
In consultation with the heads of other agencies utilizing the
Foreign Service system, the Secretary of State shall establish a Foreign
Service internship program to carry out the objectives of this
subchapter in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter.
(b) Foreign Service Internship Program
The program shall introduce interns to the practice of diplomacy and
the unique rewards of the Foreign Service. The program shall consist of
three successive summer internships of not less than eight weeks
duration in each year to be completed over the course of not more than
four years. Special emphasis shall be given to preparing the intern for
the Foreign Service examination process. In each year not less than 10
interns shall enter the program.
(c) Eligibility to participate
(1) Students enrolled full-time in institutions of higher education
from groups which are underrepresented in the Foreign Service in terms
of the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Foreign Service and for whom
equal opportunity and affirmative action recruitment efforts have not
been successful in achieving balanced representation in appointments to
the Foreign Service shall be eligible to be interns in programs under
this subchapter.
(2) An intern shall have successfully completed not less than one
academic year of study at an institution of higher education to be
admitted to the program. In each succeeding year of participation an
intern shall have completed an additional year of undergraduate or
graduate study and shall maintain an exemplary record of academic
achievement.
(3) In selecting interns, the Secretary shall consider only the
ablest students of superior ability selected on the basis of
demonstrated achievement and exceptional promise whose academic records
reflect the requisite standards of performance necessary for the Foreign
Service.
(d) Summer internships
(1) The primary focus of the first internship shall be the study of
international relations, the functions of the Department of State and
other agencies which utilize the Foreign Service system, and the nature
of the Foreign Service. The internship shall be held in Washington,
District of Columbia, at the Department of State. As appropriate, the
Secretary shall utilize the personnel and facilities of the George P.
Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center.
(2) The second internship shall be, principally, an assignment to a
specific bureau of the Department of State. Emphasis shall be on
providing insight into the economic and political functional areas.
(3) The third internship shall be an assignment to a United States
mission abroad in the political or economic area.
(4) The first and second internships may include a detail to the
Congress.
(e) Administration
The Secretary of State shall determine the academic requirements,
other selection criteria, and standards for successful completion of
each internship period. The Secretary shall be responsible for the
design, implementation, and operation of the program.
(f) Mentors
Each intern shall be assigned a career Foreign Service officer as a
mentor. The mentor shall act as a counselor and advisor throughout each
summer internship and as a personal Foreign Service contact throughout
the period of participation in the program. In the assignment of
mentors, the Secretary shall give preference to Foreign Service officers
who volunteer for such assignment and who may be role models for the
interns.
(g) Compensation
Interns shall be compensated at a rate determined by the Secretary
which shall not be less than the compensation of comparable summer
interns at the Department of State. As determined by the Secretary, for
the purposes of travel, housing, health insurance, and other appropriate
benefits, interns shall be considered employees of the Foreign Service
during each internship period.
(h) Study of Foreign Service examination
The Secretary of State shall study the feasibility of administering
the Foreign Service examination in separate segments over several years.
Not later than 180 days after February 16, 1990, the Secretary shall
submit a report summarizing the findings of such a study to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(Pub. L. 96-465, title I, Sec. 1202, as added Pub. L. 101-246, title I,
Sec. 149(b), Feb. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 40; amended Pub. L. 107-132,
Sec. 1(b), Jan. 16, 2002, 115 Stat. 2412.)
Codification
February 16, 1990, referred to in subsec. (h), was in the original
``the date of the enactment of this Act'', which was translated as
meaning the date of enactment of Pub. L. 101-246, which enacted this
subchapter, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
Amendments
2002--Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 107-132 substituted ``George P. Shultz
National Foreign Affairs Training Center'' for ``Foreign Service
Institute''.
Change of Name
Committee on Foreign Affairs of House of Representatives treated as
referring to Committee on International Relations of House of
Representatives by section 1(a) of Pub. L. 104-14, set out as a note
preceding section 21 of Title 2, The Congress.
