Building a Collaborative Campus

Internship Outreach Program

Heather LaPerle, M.A.
SDSU Campus Internship Coordinator

Presenter Overview
Heather LaPerle
SDSU Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees
Focus on Leadership

8 Years San Diego State University Experience

2 Years General Academic Advising
5 Years College of Business Major Advising
4 Months Campus Internship Coordinator

Presentation Overview
Attendees will learn about
SDSUs Career Services annual goals
SDSUs Career Services internship program history
Annual internship review by graduate assistant
Annual Internship Summit

SDSUs Strategic Plan and its influence on Career

Services
2013/14 Career Services internship program
New iExchange programs

SDSU Overview
Large urban university
35,000 students
83 undergraduate majors
53 majors offer an internship course
12 required
41 optional

27 majors do not offer an internships course

3 majors require service learning or fieldwork
course

Career Services Overview

Centralized Career
Services center
Aztec Career Connection
Career Resource Room
Programming
Workshops
Career Fairs
Aztec Mentor Program

On campus interviewing
Information sessions

Career Services Annual Goals

2008/09: Best Practice I
Self-Assessment, Campus Internships & Data
Management

2009/10: Campus Connections

Increase visibility via Colleges, Demonstrate Value
of SDSU Degree & Provide technologically relevant
services

2010/11: Best Practice II

Brand building, SDSU Internship Center & Launch
STEM Careers Emphasis

Career Services Annual Goals

2011/12: The Center Manages Change
Revisit Programming, Review Campus Internships
& Define Benchmark Data

2012/13: The Center Advances Employer

Connections & Services
Reorganize Department, Revisit Programming &
Assess Resource Use

Current Career Services Goals

2013/14: The Center Works to Advance
Building on Excellence
Promote student success via high impact practices
such as mentor programs and internships
Continue to engage the diverse student body of
our university
Develop strategic for effective and engaging social
media from the 2012/13 pilot mentor program
Promote thoughtful staff professional
development

Career Services Internship History

Annual Fall Semester Campus Internship
Review
Fall 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013

Conducted by Student Affairs Graduate

Assistant

Step 1: Email Contact

Step 2: Informational Interview
Step 3: Department Report
Step 4: Campus Theme Report

Informational Interview Questions

Explain the Internship Process for Students

Is it required? Is there a deadline? Prerequisites?

How competitive is the process?
Are internships paid or unpaid?
How are you notified of internships?
How do you outreach to employers?
How are internships posted?

Informational Interview Questions

Service Learning Agreement Process
Do you do site visits?

What is your system for engaging Alumni

involvement with interns and internships?
What are your current needs/challenges?
Do you have documents to share?

Department Write Up
Sample of Department
write up

Department Write Up
Sample of Department
write up

Campus Theme Report

37 departments interviewed (44%)
Common Themes & Challenges
Preparation of students prior to internship
Posting of internship opportunities & expanding
employer contacts
Service Learning Agreements
Developing and tracking of SDSU Alumni
engagement with internships

Internship Summit
Designed as a time to collaborate with
academic departments and engage
Department Internship Contacts
Campus strategic planning and internships
Highlight what we have learned through the
campus survey
Present best practices for managing internships

Two hour program offered twice in February

Meal included

2013-2018 Strategic Plan

Student Success
Initiative #2: Enhance Transformational
Educational Experience
Strengthen internship and mentoring programs to
foster students professional development by working
collaboratively with our alumni to create an alumni
network that supports lifelong success for all alumni

Research and Creative Endeavors

Community and Communication

Campus Internship Working Group

Group of 20 members from across campus
Assistant Deans
Department Internship Contacts
Student Leaders

Subcommittees

Core Terms & Practices

Service Learning Agreements/Site Questionnaires
International Internships
Outreach

Does your department and/or campus

have annual goals and/or a strategic plan?

How do you and/or your campus work

to achieve them?

2013/14 Career Services

Internship Program

Campus Internship Coordinator

Started November 2013
Three areas of focus:
Support administration of campus internship
programs
Facilitate increased involvement of the diverse
student body at the University in internships
Advocate for quality student internship
experiences with University staff, faculty and
community partners

Internship Summit Marketing

SDSU Internship
Center Google
Group post
Email from
Campus Internship
Coordinator
Invited Campus
Internship
Working Group

Internship Summit Attendance

85 Department Internship Contacts
94 SDSU Internship Center Google Group Contacts

35 Campus Partners Attended

32 Department Internship Contacts
3 Assistant Deans/Directors

24 Majors Represented (29%)

3 Specialized Programs
2 Contracts & Procurement Representatives

Career Services Staff

Internship Summit Program

Fall 13 Internship Survey Overview

Best Practices: Using Aztec Career Connection
Life Cycle of a Service Learning Agreement
Alumni Engagement
Looking Forward: Building on Excellence

Using Aztec Career Connection

Life Cycle of an SLA

New iExchange Programs

The goal of the workshop series is to provide a
time for best practices and hot topics to be
discussed by SDSU's internship community
Department Internship Contacts in
collaboration with Career Services will
exchange best practices in strengthening
internship programs to foster students
professional development

iExchange Workshop
Video of workshop

School of Journalism
and Media Studies
Department Internship
Coordinator
Career Services
Executive Director
College of Health and
Human Services
Assistant Dean

iExchange Newsletter
Summarize workshop
presentations
Highlight Internship
Community and Career
Services & NACE
resources
How to use Aztec
Career Connection
account

How could you integrate any of

these program at your campus?

Thank you for attending!

Feel free to contact me at
hlaperle@mail.sdsu.edu or
619-549-3493

Notes
San Diego State Universitys Career Services has developed
a collaborative internship outreach program that has
created a campus dialogue about internship challenges and
best practices. Career Services conducts an annual campus
internship review in order to speak with each internship
coordinator about their programs needs, challenges, and
successes. The presenter will discuss the creation and
development of the internship outreach program and
participants will participate in a discussion about the
program. Participants will learn two ways that SDSU has
created a collaborative internship outreach program and
will have one idea of how to create a collaborative program
on their campus.
Handouts: interview template, calendar of events,