Columbia College is pleased to announce the Alumni Internship Fund for 2008. This funding will be available for students who have secured unpaid internships for Summer 2008. Award amounts will range from $1,000 to $3,000. The fund has been made possible thanks to the generosity of Columbia College alumni/ae who desire to foster students participation in internships. They include:

• Class of 1954 Internship Stipend Fund - to provide support for one or more rising juniors or seniors with unpaid internships; preference for an internship in government or not-for-profit industries.
• Linder (Harold F.) Summer Internship Fund - to assist College students in obtaining unpaid positions with companies where College alumni are employed. Students are not responsible for determining if alumni are present at internship sites - this responsibility will fall to the College.
• The Roger Lehecka Internship Fund - to be used for an undergraduate holding an unpaid internship; preference for juniors (rising seniors) who receive financial aid that require summer savings from a job as part of a financial aid package; preference for those with greatest financial needs with a summer opportunity that will make the greatest difference to their life plans, and with demonstrated ability to use the opportunities wisely.
• Herman Family Foundation Internship - to provide support for a College junior (rising senior) for use in the summer following the academic year to hold an unpaid summer internship in the public sector. Preference will be given to a junior (rising senior) who receives financial aid that requires summer savings from a job as part of his or her financial aid package with a preference given to a student who plans to pursue an internship overseas that is not affiliated with any religious organization.
• Other Alumni Support - to assist College students holding unpaid summer internships.

Internships are important opportunities for students to gain experience and training related to their career and academic interests. A successful internship should contain a learning component and a greater understanding of the organization and the industry within which the internship takes place. Career Counselors at the Center for Career Education recommend students participate in internships to help explore and clarify their career decisions.

The Alumni Internship Fund is specifically designed to encourage Columbia College students to accept a quality internship which would foster their career exploration and build upon their academic studies, while alleviating some of the financial burden associated with unpaid internships. The Alumni Internship Fund has limited availability and the application process is highly selective. From 2005-2007, 15-16 awards were granted each year. The fund is paid out to recipients through installments over the course of an internship.

Information Sessions

Information sessions about the Alumni Internship Fund will be conducted on the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, January 30, 2008 2:00pm
• Friday, February 29, 2008 2008 2:00pm
• Tuesday, March 11, 2008 2:00pm
• Wednesday, April 9, 2008 2:00pm

All information sessions are located in the Center for Career Education Conference Room. Information sessions will help students learn how to create a successful fund application as well as speak to last year's fund recipients to learn of their experiences with their internships and with the Alumni Internship Fund.

Requirements

Columbia College students who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• A rising junior or senior in good academic standing with at least a 3.0 G.P.A.
• A recipient of Columbia grant-based financial aid.
• Secured an unpaid internship

Columbia College students selected as an Alumni Internship Fund grant recipient, must commit to the following events:

• A Professional Development Workshop & Dinner (early May 2008)
  This "Internship Success" workshop will help students learn important skills and tips to succeed in their internships including how to initiate internship projects and responsibilities, working on a team, learning how to manage your supervisor and how to network within an internship.
• One-to-one advising appointment for students interning abroad (May 2008)
  Alumni Internship Fund recipients who will be interning abroad will receive one-to-one advising to prepare them for their opportunity abroad, including learning how to effectively navigate cross-cultural customs and communication, how to handle health or medical needs abroad, etc.
• Reception with Alumni Internship Fund donors and/or Columbia College Alumni (Fall 2008)
• Formal reflection from student and internship supervisor (end of Summer 2008 / early Fall 2008)
  Internship supervisors will fill out an evaluation for student performance at the end of their summer internship. Students will write a thank you letter / reflective essay to the Alumni Internship Fund donors and an internship evaluation at the end of their internship.

If you are unable to fully commit to all these events, please describe why you cannot commit to an event on your application in the essay section on "Commitment." You will still be considered for the program.

Applications

To apply for the program, students must provide the following:

1. Resume
2. Transcript
3. Internship job description and how you found the internship
4. An essay with four sections describing your internship, learning objectives, internship supervision, and commitment to the Alumni Internship Fund program.
5. Employer Verification - a form signed by your employer confirming the internship description, duration and hire
6. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member, teaching assistant, current or former work supervisor, Class Dean, etc.
7. Proposed Budget for the Alumni Internship Fund grant

** Please note, parts 3-7 of the application documention are all located in the Application for Summer 2008 Alumni Internship Fund document which you can download either off of this website or through the Interviewtrak posting.

Please read the Proposed Budget Guidelines if you have any questions about writing a budget.

The application will be available via Interviewtrak. To find the application, log-in to Interviewtrak and search in the drop down menu by "Resume Submission Deadline." Under the "Optional Company Name" box please type in "Alumni Internship Fund." The application is due by Friday, April 18^th 2008. Incomplete applications or applications turned in after the deadline will not be considered - there will be no exceptions. Recipients of the awards will be announced by April 28, 2008.

If you have any further questions not addressed here, please email Heather Cohen. Thank you for your interest in the Columbia College Alumni Internship Fund.