William Penn University Awarded $298,431 Career Ready Internship Grant from Great Lakes
William Penn University
203 Paid Internships Will Be Exclusively Available for Students with Financial Need
Oskaloosa, IA—William Penn University has been awarded a three-year, $298,431 Career Ready Internship Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. An anticipated 203 new and existing paid internships will be available during the 2015-2018 academic years.
“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 completion and job placement rates, and employers gain a pipeline to fresh talent. It’s a win-win-win.”
William Penn University is one of 33 colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin that received a combined $12 million in Great Lakes grants to make internships more equitable for their students with financial need. WPU will collaborate with businesses and nonprofit organizations to provide the greatest number of current and future students with an educational opportunity they might not otherwise have.
“Supported by this three-year Career Ready Internship grant, WPU can partner with area private and non-profit employers to create new, paid internship opportunities that provide real world experience to students in a variety of majors,” said John Ottosson, President of William Penn University. “The Great Lakes grant also complements WPU’s long-range plan to grow programs and practices that benefit students, while sustaining those efforts into the future. A post-grant plan to sustain the development of new internships after the grant ends was part of WPU’s grant proposal.”
Following three months of administrative planning, employer outreach, and student recruitment, WPU will place eligible juniors and seniors in paid internships beginning in January 2016. The Great Lakes grant period continues through May 2018.
