Campus lands $150,000 to support student internships
September 15, 2014
A new grant will make dozens of paid internships available to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students.
The campus recently received a $150,000 Career Ready Internship grant from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. The grant will support new internships, starting this fall.
"This is a unique opportunity to provide valuable work experience for students and also provide support for local entrepreneurs, businesses and campus outreach units," said Denise Ehlen, director of business outreach for the College of Business and Economics.
A total of 61 paid internship and work opportunities will be available to eligible juniors and seniors through the end of summer 2015, with the first 15 positions beginning in the fall semester. About two thirds of the positions will be with local for-profit businesses, with the balance of the positions on campus.
The program -- the Innovation Corps -- aims to remove barriers that prevent some students from obtaining important experience. Ehlen said students can take advantage of the program without the financial considerations of an unpaid internship or the transportation challenges of an internship in Milwaukee or Kenosha.
"This grant allows us to provide students with access to truly meaningful local work experience and project-based learning," she said. Ehlen and her team are working with the Financial Aid Office to identify and contact students who are eligible as demonstrated by financial need.
She said entrepreneurial employers are eager to participate. "For small businesses and new ventures, these funds are a real difference-maker," she said. "Talented student interns will help them launch and/or grow their business."
UW-Whitewater will provide some mentorship training to employers to help ensure success of the students and the program.
Ryan Pingel, College of Business and Economics outreach program manager, said the Innovation Corps will provide students with a unique experience that will better prepare them for the workforce.
"Ultimately, it's going to make them more competitive," Pingel said. "Some of the companies that students will work with will be new startup ventures. For students to be able to say that they helped launch a company is pretty powerful and impressive on a resume," Pingel said.
Seth Meisel, associate dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, said students sometimes have a difficult time articulating what they learned in the classroom. These meaningful internships will help.
"Part of the program is to help students see the skills that they have acquired, through these applied experiences," he said.
In this round of funding, Great Lakes provided a total of 40 Career Ready grants to universities in four states.
Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates helps millions of students pay for college and repay their student loans. Through Community Investments, Great Lakes leads initiatives and funds programs that help students from traditionally underserved backgrounds start and complete a two- or four-year degree or other credential. For additional information, visit community.mygreatlakes.org.