Funding
The Institute
of Political Economy
The Institute of Political Economy is a private funded organizations
that receives most of its funding from private sources. Since IPE
relies so heavily on outside organizations, grants and donations
are key to the success of IPE. The following is a general outline
of where the money flow goes.
Summary of Funded Projects
Research
Development Fund
- Acquire funds to enable support of timely and topical research opportunities
for faculty and students.
Student
Internship Program - Increase opportunities for students
to gain valuable, practical experience and knowledge by completing
an academic-quarter as an intern with local, state, or federal lawmakers,
lobbying organizations, national research organizations, think tanks,
various interest groups or Congressional committees.
General
Operating Budget - Acquire funds for general operation
which includes salaries, benefits, supplies, and equipment expenses.
Research Development Fund
During the year, faculty members and students come to IPE to discuss
new ideas or to seek recommendations for funding new, relatively
small projects. These projects often fit into IPE's mission but
there is no way for the Institute to support the research or to
further develop the ideas.
We propose establishing a research development fund which will
be used as seed money to start new projects and to fund projects
requiring a relatively small amount of money. Grants from this fund
will be available to faculty, students, and non-university researchers
whose proposed projects fit within IPE's mission.
The projects which may result from this grant cannot be predicted,
but if the proposals of the past year are indicative (and none of
these have been funded yet), there would be several innovative important
projects undertaken.
Student Internship Program
Internships are critical to increasing opportunities for students
at USU. In many cases internships offer the most valuable experiences
student will have during their collegiate career. It is not uncommon
for internships to lead to valuable career opportunities.
In addition to internships with local governments and officials,
state legislators, and Congressmen, IPE seeks internship positions
which meet the specific needs and talents of students. New internships
have been found with state and national lobby organizations, national
research organizations, think tanks, various interest groups and
Congressional committees. Currently, forty-five to fifty-five students
are awarded internships annually.
A limited number of internship positions offer stipends; however,
many do not. To provide these possibilities, IPE is seeking scholarships.
The internships are awarded for a 15 week period. Every effort
is made to match the student' interests and abilities to an internship
position where personal and academic growth have the most potential
for the student.
Until this summer, students interning in Washington, DC had to
find their own housing. It has become more and more difficult for
them to find affordable, safe housing. IPE received some temporary
funding this year for our internships program and we decided to
use it to lease three two bedroom, two bath furnished apartments
in Crystal City. We currently rent them out to USU students at a
reduced rate of $350/mo. This rate includes all utilities except
phone and cable. By providing a housing program for interns, IPE
seeks to guarantee students a convenient, economical, and safe stay
while in the nation's capital. We have obtained new internship opportunities
because we offer housing to our students. IPE is seeking ongoing
financial support for our very successful housing program.
General Operating Support
Without additional operating funds, IPE will not be able to provide
the quantity or quality of programs that are planned. Since IPE
relies primarily on financial support from sources other than the
University, the need for continued and new operating support remains
great. Operating support consists of salaries and benefits for IPE's
director, administrative assistant, secretaries, editors, and research
assistants. It also included funds for in-house research projects,
education, training, and travel, as well as office expenses for
miscellaneous equipment, computers, supplies, phones, ect.
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