The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program places interested and motivated SI graduate students and undergraduate Informatics students, during the week of Spring Break, in professional work environments in the public sector where they can pursue the following:

• Provide a service to an organization, institution, or community
• Gain practical job experience
• Develop leadership skills as information professionals
• Learn new skills
• Create professional partnerships
• Pursue their fields of interest

Students are placed in non-profit, cultural, governmental, and educational institutions in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and Washington D.C.

The School of Information, along with alumni and corporate donors, and student-driven fundraising efforts, supports the travel and lodging costs for participants. Students provide a $25 application fee and are asked to cover personal dining expenses and local transportation, if necessary, from their lodging to their host organization. Masters students and Informatics students are invited to apply to participate. Participating students do not receive course credit for this experience.

In order to learn more about the types of projects that students work on and the organizations in which they work, visit the most recent ASB website.

If you are interested in participating as a student, ASB information sessions are held annually in November and early January. The application period occurs in mid-January.

University of Michigan students interested in the general Alternative Spring Break program should visit the Ginsberg Center's SERVE webpage.