Accelerate Faculty

Alverno College received a $150,000 Career Ready Internshipgrant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation for the 2014-2015 academic year. Internships provide college students with valuable workplace skills and networking opportunities that often lead to job offers after graduation. But not all internships are paid, and many students can't afford to work for free.

As a Great Lakes grant recipient, Alverno College is building lasting partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits to develop new paid internships for students who receive financial aid. More than 100 students are expected to benefit from these opportunities this year. Money from the grant helps to cover the cost of professional attire, gas, parking and child care. Some students are even able to reduce part-time job hours in order to focus on their internships.

“Our Career Ready Internship grants provide college students real-world experience in their fields of study, and a better chance at competing for jobs after graduation,” said Richard D. George, Great Lakes' president and chief executive officer. “This program has the added benefit of developing relationships of lasting value between colleges and employers. We look forward to seeing the impact Alverno College can have on helping more students graduate ready for success in the workforce.”

“The Career Ready Internship Grant has provided Alverno students the opportunity to make internship decisions based on the merits of the internship and how it will help their careers, rather than on their immediate financial needs,” said Susan Leister, director of the internship program at Alverno College. “It equals the playing field for many students who have to consider the financial implications of an internship over those students who do not have similar financial worries.”

Great Lakes Career Ready Internship grants, totaling $5.2 million, were awarded to 40 colleges and universities across Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin for the 2014-2015 academic year. These new grants expand on a successful pilot at 19 Wisconsin colleges during 2013-2014, in which 98 percent of interns either re-enrolled the next semester or graduated. This year, a total of 2,235 students receiving financial aid who might not otherwise consider - and profit from - an internship will gain professional experience and progress toward graduation. This grant is just one way Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates works to achieve its goal of helping more students benefit from their investment in higher education, and graduate ready to reach their full potential.