11/7/11

St. Lawrence Awarded $250,000 Grant To Expand, Integrate Internships For Students

CANTON - St. Lawrence University has been awarded a $250,000 grant by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to help develop an integrated approach to academic advising, internships and alumni mentoring.

With the funding, the University plans to:

- Better integrate academics with both career services and alumni connections;
- Educate faculty in career advising and support encouragement to mentor students undertaking internships;
- Create more internship and experiential learning opportunities for students, beginning earlier in their academic years; and
- Increase the number of students securing internships on an annual basis to ensure that every student has at least one internship experience during their undergraduate careers.

The University plans to hire a staff leader to launch and guide the project for an initial two-year period, during which a long-term funding strategy for the position and the services will be developed.

One of the goals of the University's Strategic Map, recently approved by the Board of Trustees, is to "engage alumni more deeply to enrich University connections and expand participation and support of all kinds."

Based in Jacksonville, Florida the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a national philanthropic organization established through the generosity of the late American Industrialist, Arthur Vining Davis. From their founding, the Foundations have been strongly committed to the support of private higher education in America. Trustees have concentrated on privately governed and supported four-year, residential, liberal arts institutions which place strong emphasis on teaching and whose students choose majors primarily in the arts and sciences rather than career or vocational studies.

Career Services & Leadership Education website