Assignment 1: The Scavenger Hunt

Angeleana Torres

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Therefore, with students aspiring to internships and employers desir- ing candidates with experience, the importance of locating and devel- oping experiential learning opportunities continues.

The collaborative programming among three higher education in- stitutions in Columbia, Missouri exemplifies just such an effort. Co- lumbia is a city of almost 100,000 people. The University of Missouri- Columbia (UMC) is a public Research I university with an enrollment of 16,784 undergraduates, 4,441 graduates, and 1,088 professional students (Office of the Chancellor, 1995). Stephens college, the second oldest private women's college in the nation, has an enrollment of 800 undergraduate students (Stephens College, 1997). Columbia College is a private institution serving a total of 850 undergraduate and grad- uate students (Add Sheet Online, 1997). Each college offers career services in a different format.

At UMC, a Career Services Council represents and coordinates a number of decentralized career services operations. These operations include the university Career Center as well as career services offices existing within individual academic units (Agriculture, Business, Ed- ucation, Engineering, Human Environmental Sciences, Journalism, Multicultural Affairs and Law). The Council works to develop local student employment opportunities and provides cross-referral ser- vices to students attempting to take advantange of all applicable ca- reer services on campus. By contrast, Stephens College and Columbia College each have one small career services office. These "one person" units work closely with faculty to gather information about local op- portunities and distribute the information to students.

In the spring of 1997, representatives from each of the schools' ca- reer services offices united in order to promote internship utilization in the community. We began by brainstorming events and seminars that would be informative for employers interested in college interns. Because the Columbia Area Chamber of Commerce boasts a member- ship of over 1400, with major employers in the fields of education, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing and retailing, we knew there were many opportunities to tap for student employment. Our plan- ning group initiated action by making a presentation and gaining the support of the Town and Gown Committee of the Columbia Area Chamber of Commerce. Charged with facilitating campus and com- munity connections through activities and events, this committee appreciated the idea of the "gown" educating the "town" about intern- ships. Hence, the committee allowed the universities to take advan-

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tage of existing business-relations networks in order to promote infor- mational programs.

The information that follows details the programs that we imple- mented in Columbia, Missouri. My goal is to provide a model so that other universities might modify the ideas and pursue similar pro- gramming in their areas.

Model Program Series

Initial Seminar: "Introduction to Internships"

The purpose of this initial seminar was to provide a basic introduc- tion and overview of internships and co-ops to employers interested in utilizing interns in their organizations. The program included a pre- sentation, a panel of interns and site supervisors discussing their ex- periences, and a question and answer period. A packet of informa- tional materials was also provided to attendees. The agenda for this initial seminar was as follows:

Welcome and Introductions (3-5 minutes) Presentation (15 minutes) Panel Discussion (45 minutes: four people at

10 minutes each) Question/Answer Session (30 minutes)

Topics of discussion about internships and co-ops included defini- tions, similarities, differences, time involved, benefits to businesses, and services provided by university career services offices. (An ex- panded outline of this content is available upon request from the au- thor.) The majority of the seminar focused on the panelists. We felt that they could speak most enthusiastically about internships and would also be the most credible sources of information for the audi- ence.

We advertised this seminar by placing ads in the Chamber of Com- merce newsletter and distributing flyers through the Chamber of Commerce Office. Further, all local non-profit organizations, whether Chamber members or not, were sent an announcement. Having the support of the Town and Grown Committee helped us to develop cred-

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ibility and interest within the community for this newly developed seminar.

Career services professionals obtained panelists though their own networks. All panelists were provided with a list of possible questions in advance of the seminar (this list is available upon request from the author). These questions were used as a guideline for the discussion. They also allowed the panelists to gather their thoughts around the points we wanted to highlight, and prepare personal messages in a way that made the most efficient use of time. A graduate assistant facilitated the panel discussion and also made sure to incorporate au- dience questions and target issues that seemed most salient.

The packet of information that was distributed to all attendees in- cluded contact lists of career services professionals within the three institutions, degree program offerings at each of the schools, intern- ship intake forms, descriptive internship brochures from the various career services offices, sample learning agreements, and a brochure outlining the benefits, expectations and responsibilities of all parties involved in the internship arrangement.

The presentation was held at the Chamber of Commerce Building on a Wednesday morning from 7:30-9:00. Members of the Chamber of Commerce newsletter staff were at the presentation to develop a fol- low-up story and to take pictures. This continued support kept the seminar visible for another month. In addition, we requested addi- tional feedback from our attendees by distributing a follow-up letter and survey.

Business Exposition 1998: "Creative Staffing Using Interns"

In January 1998, the Columbia Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business Exposition. For this event, organizations set up displays and information tables for the purpose of showcasing their products and services to other area businesses and the public. The event lasted two days, had 150 participating booths, and attracted 1400 attendees.

The career services representatives designed a College-Community Internship booth display and arranged for students and professionals from the various career services offices to assist with coverage. The purpose of the booth was to familiarize employers with the benefits, responsibilities, and expectations of using local college interns in their businesses, and to promote experiential learning opportunities for students from any or all of the campuses. Specific objectives in- cluded distributing written information; developing a contact list for

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future workshops, mailings, and potential internships; and globally assessing businesses' level of interest. We held a training session, during which we reviewed basic booth etiquette as well as how to convey the bootb's purpose and objectives. Comparisons between the UMC, Stephens College and Columbia College Internship programs were not made. This united approach helped us to avoid confusion, and to present ourselves as collaborating for the benefit of students instead of competing for opportunities. By the end of the exposition, 101 attendees had visited our booth.

An added feature of this exposition were free one-hour seminars, offered on topics that were hard to explore thoroughly in the bootb format. Organizers of the College-Community Internship booth of- fered a seminar entitled "Creative Staffing Using College Interns" once per day during the Expo. Geared to employers who were consid- ering alternative staffing for their businesses, this seminar was simi- lar in format to our initial introductory seminar described in the pre- vious section. Packets of information were distributed, and once again an evaluation form was collected at the end of the presentation.

Action-Oriented Seminar: "The Nuts and Bolts of College Internships"

Designed for employers ready to begin hiring interns, this in-depth seminar took place in March 1998. The goals were to help employers get a position posted on the three campuses, prepare for the intern's first few days of work, and understand the details involved in work- ing with the intern and faculty advisor throughout the internship. Specific topics included: writing the job description; publicizing the position; orienting interns to the workplace; implementing the aca- demic component; supervising the intern; reviewing the intern's learning objectives; and communicating with and evaluating the in- tern. To facilitate the presentation, a supervisor's handbook was de- veloped and distributed at the event (sample copies are available from the author upon request).

Our primary target "market" for this seminar included the list of visitors to our booth at the Business Exposition. In addition to mail- ing invitations and flyers to this group, we placed ads in the Colum- bia Business Times (a newspaper geared toward business owners), and placed flyers at the Columbia Area Chamber of Commerce office.

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Feedback

Feedback from the business community is still being compiled, but general observations are available. Overall, the comments from the business community are positive and indicate an appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about college internships. The intern/su- pervisor panel discussion received high ratings both times it was uti- lized and was even requested as a way to improve the in-depth "Nuts and Bolts" seminar. Employers indicated that the information packets would be helpful on an ongoing basis. Specific topics of concern were identified, including: expectations of institutions and students; super- vision; identification of potential interns; differentiation between paid and credit internships; attraction of potential interns; and utilization of interns. Two major obstacles were also noted: getting a program started and committing the time necessary to insure a positive expe- rience for the business and intern.

Overall, the College-Community Internship Program has been a success in the Columbia community. This is a "win-win" situation for all parties involved. Employers are interested in using alternative staffing patterns. Students are receptive to local opportunities for ca- reer related experience which do not require stopping-out of college. Career services professionals benefit by expanding their student em- ployment networks and community contacts. Therefore, I encourage career services professionals in all settings to consider advocating for internship experiences in their own communities.

References

Columbia College Admissions [Internet website]. (1997). Columbia, MO: Add Sheet On- line [Producer and Distributor].

MU Facts [Internet website]. (1995). Columbia, MO: Office of the Chancellor [Producer and Distributor].

Scheetz, L. P. (Ed.). (1998, Spring). Recruiting Trends 1997-98: A National Study of Job Market Trends for New College Graduates Among 498 Businesses, Industries, and Governmental Agencies. (Available from Michigan State University, Career Ser- vices and Placement, 113 Student Services Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1113.

Stephens College [Internet Website]. (1997). Columbia, MO: Stephens College [Producer and Distributor].