NEWS | November 2007 - all articles

This page includes all articles in the November issue of NEWS. Return to summary or go to the NEWS archive.

Internships give students a leg up
College enrollments increase more than in past years
YMCA program helps multicultural youth set high educational goals
Briefs

Internships give students a leg up

As a junior in accounting with a minor in Spanish at Saint John’s University, Adam Spooner wanted an internship that would provide real-world experience in both fields. In June 2007 he arrived in Puerto Rico for a three-month stint at a Spanish-speaking accounting firm. “I showed up not knowing anyone and had to find a place to live, figure out transportation and learn a job. It was hard at first, but by the end I felt very comfortable,” he said. Spooner said the internship was “very important” and provided a window into what the profession is really like. “It confirmed that my major was the right one.”

Gustavus intern Jennifer Pallas with Kare 11's Charles Gonzalez, where she worked as a sports reporter intern.

Many students understand that internships are now the expectation. Estimates on how many participate are hard to come by since schools collect data on internships that students complete for credit but not necessarily those experiences for which they don’t receive credit. But career office staff at Minnesota private colleges agree that the numbers are growing. Students see them as a way to acquire professional skills, gain real-world experience and build their résumés. “Students now have a checklist and it includes internships,” said Cynthia Favre, career center associate director at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Carleton College student Sarah Ingebritsen is fairly typical example. She is about to start an internship with the Center for Victims of Torture in St. Paul where she will be doing research, trying to find cutting-edge and innovative techniques that activists can use to address their issues. Ingrebritsen knows she wants to work in the human rights field but is not sure what type of work or organization she prefers. “It's my hope that this internship will not only provide me with some great experience and a gold star on the résumé, but will give me a better sense of what I want to look for in a career and job once I graduate.”

An employer advantage
Employers also value internships. Intern programs provide a pipeline for future talent and organizations view these students as potential hires who are worth cultivating. Some companies start nurturing a relationship with students even before they’re ready for internships by offering leadership seminars and other activities.

Today’s employers want everything, according to Mike Hendel, associate director at the Carleton College Career Center. “They are looking for the full array of skills — critical thinking, quantitative analysis, collaboration, communication. This happens to dovetail nicely with the liberal arts education our students receive.”

In fact, a 2006 survey of employers and recent graduates found that more than 90 percent felt that colleges and universities should provide students with broad knowledge in a variety of areas as well as knowledge and skills in a specific field. And among employers’ top-ranked priorities, 73 percent said that hands-on experiences are important. “Employers put less emphasis on a student’s major than students do,” said Favre. “They want to know how they contributed, how they moved a project forward and what they learned. Internships can be a great way for students to gain these experiences.”

Helping students shape experiences
University of St. Thomas Employer Relations Specialist Jennifer Rogers said that her office likes to see younger students because “it gives us more time to work with them.” But few first and second-year students seek internships since they’re still taking foundation courses. “Most students are focused on their college experience and figuring out who they are,” said Favre.
 
For younger students who want to find internships, Hendel offers this approach: "we urge them to cobble together what they can to gain insight and experience about a particular field, even if it’s five hours a week of volunteer or internship work and the rest of their time working another job which may be a summer position they had in high school."

“We also try to help students think about how they can shape experiences,” said John Clarkson, associate director of career services at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. “It doesn’t have to be called an internship to be valuable.”

Potential employers can look at a résumé and see which experiences are likely to have resulted in skills that are transferable, according to career office staff. Students may not see this though, so career offices can help them learn how to articulate what they’ve done. "There are valuable nuances in most experiences that students often times aren't aware of," said Hendel.

Career offices provide other kinds of assistance to students too. Gustavus gives students reflective questions to answer before, during and after their internships. For example, students consider what their hopes and fears are before starting their internships and what things about an organization’s culture are important to them. After the second week, they’re asked about their perspective of the career field and what skills they hope to further develop.

An internship can not only help students discover what they like in a career but also about what they don’t want to do. “After one of our students did an international internship, he decided he wanted to find a job in Minnesota,” said Clarkson.

Beyond internships
As great as internships can be, career office staff point out that there are plenty of opportunities students can take advantage of on campus. Assuming leadership positions in student organizations, working in campus offices and participating in professional organizations or conferences are just a few of the possibilities.

Each year, the Minnesota Private Colleges Career Consortium sponsors a “Pathways” event where students can meet alumni working in fields where they have an interest. Events rotate among arts, communication and science careers; the 2008 event will be on March 13 and focus on bioscience careers. Career office staff say that they work hard to tap their alumni since they can often provide contacts for internships and jobs.

Students can also be productive on semester breaks, Hendel notes. “Little things, like shadowing an alumnus for a day can help guide students. The more students inform themselves and act intentionally, the more they can control what happens.”

Students who’ve done internships and other enrichment activities find that it pays off when the time comes to look for a job. Employers have high expectations and expect that students know how to answer questions. "Companies may schedule 13 30 minute on-campus interviews in a day," said Hendel. “Students who have spent time preparing for the interview process are those who advance to the second round.”

According to Rogers, “at the Minnesota Private Colleges Job & Internship Fair, employers always say that our students are the best and most-prepared.” “It helps that we all have such good material to work with,” laughs Hendel.

College enrollments increase more than in past years

Minnesota’s private colleges educate 17 percent of all college students in our state. When considering only undergraduates enrolled at four-year institutions, the percentage grows to 34 percent.

The Annual Enrollment Report from the Minnesota Private College Research Foundation shows that in fall 2007 Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) institutions enrolled 58,598 students — an increase of 2.7 percent in headcount enrollments (the average yearly increase over the past decade is 1.8 percent). This compares to a 4.5 percent increase at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and 0.5 percent increase at the University of Minnesota.

MPCC institutions saw an increase of 2.0 percent in full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollments — a measure which standardizes all students, both part-time and full-time, to a full time student, and indicates the quantity of educational services provided across program types and degree areas.

Entering students come to college campuses either as new freshmen or as transfers from other colleges. MPCC institutions enrolled 11,764 new students in fall 2007, about the same number as fall 2006. Those who are new freshmen (77 percent) increased by 1.8 percent while transfer enrollments decreased by 5.5 percent.

The share of undergraduates enrolled in non-traditional programs has remained flat over the most recent 10-year period. Non-traditional programs include weekend colleges, cohort or group-based degree-completion programs and off-campus options. These non-traditional students comprised 7.7 percent of our undergraduate FTEs in fall 2007 as compared to 8.2 percent in fall 1998, though year to year change is more volatile.

Minnesota’s private colleges are diverse
Enrollments of students of color and foreign students are also on the increase. In fall 2007, 6,047 students of color and 1,595 foreign students enrolled at one of our 17 private colleges. More than three-quarters of the students of color are Minnesota residents. Enrolling minority students is crucial for our state, since their numbers are forecasted to increase in the coming years while white students will decrease.

Enrollments of undergraduate students of color increased from 2,679 to 4,636 over the past 10 years — a growth of 73 percent as compared to nine percent for white undergraduates. The greatest increases were seen among African American (+102 percent) and Hispanic undergraduates (+81 percent). Graduate students of color on our campuses have doubled over the past decade from 732 students in fall 1997 to 1,411 in fall 2007.
 
Enrollment of students of color by institution generally reflects our states’ regional demographics. Institutions located in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul typically enroll more students of color (15 percent) as compared to their non-metro counterparts (9 percent). Among the eight private colleges located in the metro area, however, students of color ranged from 8 percent to 20 percent of total enrollments.
 
Minnesota private colleges also enroll more than half of all foreign undergraduates (1,130) choosing Minnesota for higher education and 465 foreign graduate students.

An integral part of higher education in Minnesota
Sustained enrollment or growth of enrollment is an indicator of educational health in Minnesota. Minnesota’s private colleges, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) and the University of Minnesota system have a synergistic relationship. For example, Minnesota’s private colleges provide about one-third of the graduates that enroll in graduate programs at the University of Minnesota. It takes the combined efforts of all our higher education institutions to produce the number of educated workers Minnesota needs to remain economically competitive within our country and the world.

The Fall 2007 Enrollment Report will be shared with member campuses and be available online in December.

YMCA program helps multicultural youth set high educational goals

The ethnic make-up of our high schools is changing: By 2013, non-white racial/ethnic groups will constitute 21 percent of Minnesota’s high school graduates — a 52 percent increase in minority students and a 19 percent decrease in white students compared with 2003 levels. This statistic is creating some momentum in Minnesota to prepare greater numbers of minority students for college.

One YMCA project is making strides. The Multicultural Achievers Programs of Minneapolis are currently operating after-school enrichment programs in high schools and middle schools in 15 districts in Minneapolis and its suburbs that served 350 students last year. “Our program goal is to help youth set high educational and career goals,” said Athelgra Williams, who directs the program out of the North Community YMCA. And the results are impressive: 90 percent are applying and going to college.

A typical Achiever group has about 25 students and meets weekly or bi-weekly with Y staff members. Initially, activities focus on team building to create cohesion within the group, and then teens start to set their own goals. With the help of field trips and speakers, students learn about the possibilities for college and careers and how education can help them achieve their goals. “The program motivates students to succeed in school and gain marketable skills,” said Williams.

One aim of the Achiever program is to bring the business world to life for students. “We invited a Cub pharmacist to talk to a group and it gave them a ‘behind the scenes’ look at what she did, how much money she made and what path she took to deciding on a career,” Williams said. “It’s also a way for Black and Hispanic professionals and their companies to get involved in their community.”

Achiever groups also learn about the college process and visit different campuses — public and private — to find out about the range of choices. “Our member private schools have a long history of supporting youth development through partnerships with the YMCA,” said Phillip Miner, director of the community initiative for the Minnesota Private College Council and chair of the National Advisory Committee for the Black Achievers Program. “No other YMCA program works as intentionally as this one to offer hope, high expectations, career and college advice to this very vulnerable population of today’s youth.”

Hamline University is a long-time supporter of the Black Achievers Program and other private colleges have sponsored activities as well. Achiever groups have attended homecoming at Saint John’s University and the Building Bridges Conference held each year in March at Gustavus Adolphus College to promote change through the awareness of diversity.

“Colleges need to work with groups like this,” according to Virgil Jones, director of multicultural programs at Gustavus. “We have a responsibility to make access a reality for all kids and the Achiever programs help us do this.” The biggest impact, he said, is that students see the process of getting into college and can imagine themselves on a particular campus.

Williams recalls how 55 Achievers showed up on a recent Saturday to visit a metro-area campus. “One student told me afterward that ‘I never, ever thought of this school as an option; now I see this as possible.’ That’s the power of this program,” she said.

Multicultural Achievers Programs at the Minneapolis and St. Paul YMCAs are among approximately 180 programs across the country. Miner is now working with a newly funded Collegiate Achievers initiative at the University YMCA that targets youth in Minneapolis and is helping the St Paul Multicultural Achievers program expand services in two St. Paul high schools. “These programs inspire and prepare youth of color to obtain high school and college degrees," he said, "and our schools are committed to supporting them.”

For more information, view the YMCA National Black Achievers Program brochure PDF (363 KB)

Briefs

• Two St. Olaf College students were named 2008 Rhodes Scholars. They are among 32 U.S. recipients and are the only students from Minnesota institutions.
• Scores from the National Survey of Student Engagement are available at USA Today. Six Minnesota private colleges are among the 257 schools that participated.
• See the schedule of holiday concerts at our campuses.
• Successful, diverse alumni are featured in our 2007-08 ad campaign running in ethnic publications in Minnesota. Read about their experiences and paths to success.
• At the Minnesota National Philanthropy Day event on Nov. 15, four of the six award recipients had private college connections. They include the Genocide Intervention Network-MN at the University of St. Thomas, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (a Minnesota Private College Fund donor), Nicky Carpenter (Saint John’s University supporter and former regent) and Tim Burchill (fundraising executive and leader at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota who died last Feb.). More about the awards.