Grant of $441,000 from Great Lakes will fund internships for UWGB students
GREEN BAY — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has been awarded a three-year, $441,324 Career-Ready Internship Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation to create nearly 250 new paid internships over the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years.
The grant will be used to create paid internships for juniors and seniors who don’t receive enough financial aid to cover college costs. UW-Green Bay will work with local businesses and nonprofit agencies to identity placement opportunities for eligible students.
“Paid internships benefit students, colleges and employers,” says Richard D. George, Great Lakes President and Chief Executive Officer. “Students gain meaningful workplace skills and are more likely to earn degrees and use their internship experiences to help secure good jobs upon graduation.”
UW-Green Bay has a significant number of students who are first-generation college attendees, and many are of modest means. Great Lakes and UW-Green Bay officials note that those with financial need are often unable to accept unpaid internships because they need to earn a paycheck. By passing on internship opportunities, they miss out on valuable, real-world experience in their fields of study.
“Through the Career Ready Internship program, UW-Green Bay can enable students to achieve educational and professional goals while meeting personal and family obligations,” said Ashley Heath, associate director of the Center for Public Affairs, which is administrating the program at UW-Green Bay in collaboration with the school’s Environmental Management and Business Institute (EMBI).
UW-Green Bay is one of 33 colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin receiving a combined $12 million in Great Lakes grants to make internships more equitable for their students with financial need. This is the third Career Ready Internship grant UW-Green Bay has received from Great Lakes.
Following three months of administrative planning, employer outreach and student recruitment this fall, UW-Green Bay will place eligible juniors and seniors in paid internships beginning in January 2016. The Great Lakes grant period continues through May 2018.
How to participate as an employer:
Businesses and organizations in Northeastern Wisconsin interested in hosting UW-Green Bay student interns by way of the grant program should contact Ashley Heath of the UW-Green Bay Center for Public Affairs, at (920) 465-2608, or John Arendt, EMBI associate director, at (920) 465-2953, for more information.
About Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation:
Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates was established in 1967 as a nonprofit group focused on a single objective: helping students nationwide prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education and student loan repayment. As a leading student loan guarantor and servicer, Great Lakes has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to provide assistance and repayment planning to more than 8 million borrowers—as well as assistance to colleges and lenders nationwide. The group’s earnings support one of the largest and most respected education philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed nearly $154 million in grant funding to promote higher education access and completion for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. For additional information, visit home.mygreatlakes.org.
15-124
