Internship Program
What is the Internship Program?
Goals of the Internship Program
History of the Internship Program
Resources and Support for Interns
How Does the Internship ProgramWork?
What is the Internship Program?
- Bridging theory
and practice;
- Integrating academic learning with “real-life” employment;
- Practical and realistic hands-on training;
- A ten-week experience (working full-time) and two courses
(prior to and post the experience);
- A total of 8-credits;
- A requirement of all second-year students;
- Experiential learning based on the philosophies of service-learning; and
- A Sterling tradition since 1981.
Goals of the Internship Program
- Introduce students to an environmental
organization and the everyday realities of the organization’s
work.
- Develop an understanding of the host
organization’s mission,
decision-making structures and strategies, budgetary process,
and natural resource inputs and output.
- Craft individual learning objectives for the experience.
- Acquire photo-documentation skills.
- Gain professional writing skills.
- Create life-long career development tools in the form of
a career portfolio.
- Successfully conduct a job search.
- Improve or gain public speaking and presentational skills.
- Develop and challenge a sense of professionalism and work
ethic and philosophies.
History of the Internship Program
Since the internship pilot program in 1981, hundreds of Sterling College
internship placements have been made across the U.S. and abroad
in several countries. Hosting organizations have given their
enthusiastic support, as internships continue to be a highlight
of the second-year
curriculum for students.
In June of 1992, Sterling College
was awarded a multi-year, matching grant through the United States
Department of Education to expand
the Internship Program. Students have been employed at agencies
involved with resource management at the federal, state, and
municipal levels, with non-profit organizations involved with environmental
education, advocacy and research, a variety of agricultural farms
and organizations, and numerous outdoor education companies.
How Does the Internship Program Work?
The Internship Program takes place in three courses over three semesters. The first course, Work Search, is scheduled during the Spring semester of the student's first year. The second course, Practicum in Environmental Stewarship I (the actual internship), takes place in the summer or fall of the student's second year. The third course, Writing and Communications, concludes the program when the student returns to the campus.
The Internship Program is administered by the Career Resource Center (CRC) staff, and includes teaching the Work Search and Writing and Communications courses, contracting with supervising organizations/hosts, monitoring students while they are on internships, and scheduling internship site visits. The Internship Program is housed in the Career Resource Center on the second floor of Dunbar Hall.
Many internships earn students a stipend and offer room and board options. This income can be matched by a tuition credit through the Work Program.
Resources and Support for Interns
Internship Database: The Internship Database is a great tool to use to begin the internship search process. The CRC staff maintains the database of over 3,000 environmental internships. Users can customize their search for internships on the database by geographic region, field of work, type of work, and/or compensation.
Faculty Site Visit: A highlight for many interns is a visit from "home." In most cases, mid-way through the internship, a representative from Sterling College will visit the intern on-location. This visit is an opportunity for interns to "show off" their services and what they are learning. Site Visits occure to ensure that interns are making satisfactory progress toward their learning objectives. It is also a time for employers, interns, and faculty or staff members to discuss the overall successes of the work experiences for the interns and organizations.
Intern Web Center: With the use of technology, interns have another connection to "home" through the Intern Web Center. The Intern Web Center offers access to paperwork, forms, helpful hints and tips, and contact information for fellow students on internship.
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Project—SARP
