New U of M plan will ensure internships for eligible students

In a move that has drawn criticism from some faculty members, The University of Memphis is guaranteeing internships to incoming freshmen.

Beginning this semester, the Internship Guarantee Program promises a career-related, paid or unpaid internship to this year's freshman class when they reach their junior or senior year.

Whether interns are paid will depend on qualifications like the strength of their GPA and the internships available within their fields of study. Students will need a 2.0 minimum GPA to be eligible for the program.

Interns could also receive college credit, if approved by the student's academic department.

Provost Ralph Faudree said the faculty has considered the idea of guaranteed internships about for years, but the program didn't take off until last year at the prompting of a University-sponsored focus group of employers. The group, which met in July 2008, stressed the need for students to have internships before they graduate.

According to the National College Association of Employers website, 73 percent of all students that found jobs after graduation had previous interning experience.

While an internship may boost a student's chances for employment, some faculty and students said they are skeptical about The University's ability to follow through with their guarantee.

"If they raise the GPA requirements, then I think they can keep their promise," said Reginald Lowery, freshman recording technology major. "With a 2.0 GPA, there will be a lot of students trying to apply for it. That's way too many students to guarantee an internship."

Lisa Huffstetler, political science instructor, said the program's success depends on The University's ability to connect the dots between students and employers.

"I hope they can follow through with it," she said. "We're going to need a huge number of internships in Memphis, and it's going to take a lot of proactive effort to reach out to organizations in the community."

Faudree said the first guaranteed internships would not be awarded for two more years, which gives The University time to work out many of the program's details, like which businesses will supply the internships.

More than 100 employers currently provide internships to U of M students, according to The U of M's internship website, but more than half the employers on the list are retailers.

The University could have difficulty finding career-related internships for all students in majors such as history, philosophy, political science, English and the sciences, some professors have said.

"I am still unclear on how this undertaking is going to be managed for every student," said history professor Jonathan Judaken. "I think that this is a noble dream and it would be great to bring to fruition, but it does sound overly ambitious that they would find an internship opportunity for every student."

Some members of The University administration disagree.

Dixie Crase, director of academic internships, said the "rich diversity" of the community would offer "multiple opportunities for internship experiences."

"The University is committed to developing and maintaining an increasing number of productive partnerships with the Memphis community schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations," she said. Beyond the ability to deliver internships, some are concerned about whether the policy is a good idea at all.

Chris Sheffield, U of M graduate and staff reporter for the Memphis Business Journal, said internships would lose their "uniqueness" if they were guaranteed to students.

"An internship is something that separates others from the pack and gives you real experience for qualified, hard-working individuals," said Sheffield, who interned locally for a communications publication.

Almost everyone agrees that the program is ambitious, though.

Destin Tucker, Memphis' coordinator of orientation and recruitment events, said an internship guarantee was rare for universities.

"It's something unique that separates The U of M from other schools in this region and beyond," Tucker said. "The Internship Guarantee Program offers plenty of opportunities for students and it is something this institution should be proud of."

Brittany Cole, sophomore psychology major, said the guarantee would motivate students to do well in school.

"The program is beneficial to incoming freshmen because it gives them a motive to maintain their grades in hopes of later getting an internship," she said. "The program provides them an incentive to be an intern, instead of them being too scared to get one on their own."