Marquette University
Press Release

Marquette awarded $354,000 to fund 170 paid internships

Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation creates paid internships for students with financial need

By - Nov 30th, 2015 12:34 pm

MILWAUKEE – Marquette University has been awarded a three-year, $354,000 Career Ready Internship Grant to create 170 new paid and for-credit internships during the 2015-2018 academic years.

The grant was funded by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation for undergraduate students in the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences with particular focus on students in Marquette’s Educational Opportunity Program.

EOP is a federally-funded academic program that assists low-income and first-generation students whose parents do not have a baccalaureate degree, to attend Marquette.

“There is so much educational value and future career importance for our students to have access to internships, but many students cannot participate in unpaid internships for a variety of financial reasons,” said Joseph Green, director of Marquette’s EOP program. “Our goal is to provide a catalyst to change this reality and make pursuing internships accessible to all students.”

The grant also provides an opportunity for Marquette and its students to further connect with the surrounding neighborhood through Near West Side Partners Inc., a non-profit organization that includes Marquette and other large employers in the area. Near West Side Partners’ mission is to revitalize and sustain the neighborhood west of Marquette’s campus as a thriving business and residential corridor.

“What an outstanding, on-target grant,” said Marquette President Michael R. Lovell. “This grant provides access to invaluable educational opportunities that will position our students on a strong path for future career success, while at the same time providing a wonderful opportunity to foster deep partnerships between Marquette and employers in our Near West Side neighborhood.”

Marquette is one of 33 colleges and universities in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio that received a combined $12 million in Great Lakes grants to make internships more equitable for their students with financial need.

“Every day, we ask our students in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences to think critically, analyze issues from multiple angles and to clearly communicate,” said Richard Holz, dean of the college. “This internship program will allow students to apply their liberal arts-based education while providing transformative educational opportunities that will make them immediately ready for their careers.”

This project will be led by Claire Dinkelman and Rosemary Stuart, who will collaborate to identify and build partnerships with local businesses and nonprofit agencies to develop new paid internships for students, in particular for first generation students. Following three months of administrative planning, employer outreach, and student recruitment, Marquette will place eligible juniors and seniors in paid internships beginning in January 2016. The Great Lakes grant period continues through May 2018.

About Great Lakes: Dedicated to making college education a reality since 1967.

Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates was established as a nonprofit group focused on a single objective: helping students nationwide prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education and student loan repayment. As a leading student loan guarantor and servicer, Great Lakes was selected by the U.S. Department of Education to provide assistance and repayment planning to more than 8 million borrowers—as well as assistance to colleges and lenders nationwide. The group’s earnings support one of the largest and most respected education philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed nearly $154 million in grant funding to promote higher education access and completion for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. For additional information, visit home.mygreatlakes.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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