Oct. 14, 2015

Contact Beth Dolder-Zieke at 608-796-3827 or bdzieke@viterbo.edu

VITERBO UNIVERSITY RECEIVES $441,758 CAREER READY INTERNSHIP GRANT

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Viterbo University will continue to increase the number of paid internship opportunities offered to students thanks to a $441,758 Career Ready Internship Grant from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation.

Viterbo had received a Career Ready Internship Grant the past two years. Based on the great success of the program, Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation has expanded the grant to cover an additional three years. A record $12 million has been awarded to 33 colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin to create paid internships.

“This is excellent news for Viterbo students and area businesses,” said Beth Dolder-Zieke, director of career services at Viterbo. “This allows students who need to work and cannot afford an unpaid internship the same great educational opportunity as their peers. Internships are a crucial part of a college education. Participants gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience, which looks great to employers.”

Businesses, especially small businesses, nonprofits and others that may not be able to afford to offer a paid internship, also benefit greatly from the talents and efforts of interns. La Crosse area businesses to host recent Viterbo interns include Catholic Charities, the Coulee Region Chill, Gundersen Health System, the La Crosse Loggers, and La Crosse Radio Group.           

“Viterbo is always happy to work with employers to help craft internship opportunities that provide the greatest benefit to both student and employer,” Dolder-Zieke said.

The Career Ready Internship program began as a $2.5 million pilot at 19 Wisconsin colleges during 2013–2014, and led to $5.2 million in grants for 40 colleges across four states in 2014–2015. Thousands of students have now participated in newly created paid internships in their fields of study, and 98 percent of these students either graduated or continued in their academic programs the following semester.

“Paid internships benefit students, colleges and employers,” said 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. Colleges will see increased graduation and job placement rates, and employers gain a pipeline to fresh talent. It’s a win-win-win.”

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