THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 5, 1995 TAG: 9504050488
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONYA WOODS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Rosanne Campbell, a 22-year-old senior at Old Dominion University, has worked on a house construction project and helped organize grant proposals during her internship with the Habitat for Humanity.
It's this kind of practical experience ODU hopes to provide for all its incoming freshman and transfer students through the Career Advantage Program.
The program begins in the fall for entering freshmen and will guarantee students a one-semester internship during their junior or senior years.
The university, which will enroll about 1,300 freshmen in the fall, received a $180,000 Funds for Excellence grant last year from the State Council of Higher Education to initiate the program. ODU is looking for more money to train career coordinators in searching for internships.
``The benefits of this program will help answer students' anxieties about what to do after graduation,'' ODU Provost Jo Ann M. Gora said. ``We will give each student a full array of career counseling starting in his freshman year.''
University officials say students can earn three to 12 credit hours a semester and possibly a wage. ODU's Career Management Center will help find internships. Students will have to maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5, although employers may require a higher average.
Career placement testing during students' freshman year will help them determine their specific interests. The sophomore year will serve as a planning period when students will research careers and begin creating resumes.
Internships can be tailored to students' career goals. An education major, for example, might assist probation officers with providing counseling to children, or a health sciences major could work with staff nurses at local hospitals.
Though students have the option of interning all four years or during summers, Gora said it is recommended that students begin an internship their junior year.
``Most students don't start thinking about a career until February of their senior year,'' Gora said. ``Our goal is to let students think thoroughly about the choices available to them.''
By the end of their senior year, ODU President James V. Koch said, the university hopes to connect students with jobs and make them more marketable for employers. by CNB