Ben Trager, Andrew Hirsh & Jasmine Salton (UW-Milwaukee)
Evolving UWM University Internship Programs: A Tool for Student Development and Community Engagement
Over the previous two years, the university supported internship programs at UWM have evolved due to various factors including participation in a federal work-study experiment, developing and implementing grant-funded internships in partnership with state and local agencies, and the changing socio-economic environment of the post-COVID 19 world. We will explore how UWM internship programming has evolved, the current status of internships at the university, and our vision for what is to come. In particular we will focus on how we employ internships as tool for student development and community engagement. We will also share how our experiences as practitioners and the findings from a small study have informed our next steps. We will engage the audience in guided conversations to encourage critical thinking and translation of knowledge to their local contexts. Attendees will learn practices related internship program structure and facilitation.