College Students with Rochester Ties Learn City Issues, Contribute to Community Programs for 4th Year

A summer internship experience for college students to work, study, and get involved in the cultural and social life of Rochester ends this week with results of their projects presented at City Hall.

Eighteen students who either attend Rochester-area colleges or are natives of Rochester and study elsewhere came together for 10 weeks of assignments at community-based organizations or with local businesses. Students will discuss their experiences at noon today in City Council chambers. The public is invited.

The 2005 Urban Fellows Program is directed by Leadership Rochester and the Rochester Center for Community Leadership in the College at the University of Rochester. This year’s Urban Fellows attend the University of Rochester, Brandeis University, Genesee Community College, Harvard University, St. John Fisher College, SUNY Geneseo, University of Delaware, and University of Southern California.

Now in its fourth year, the program has expanded from internships only at not-for-profit agencies, such as Wilson Commencement Park and Cameron Church Ministries, to work at companies that connect business and entrepreneurship to community life. More agencies and businesses can become involved with future groups of Urban Fellows by contacting the Rochester Center for Community Leadership at (585) 275-4085 or by checking the Web at www.rochester.edu/college/rccl.

A unique aspect of Urban Fellows builds on the internships by allowing students to spend one day each week attending seminars on urban issues, meeting civic leaders, and getting familiar with Rochester’s neighborhoods.