Campus Compact and Tyson Foods Announce New Partnership with BVU and Other Colleges

STORM LAKE, IA (10/11/2017) (readMedia)-- Campus Compact announced an award from Tyson Foods that will bring together college students-including those attending Buena Vista University (BVU)-and local nonprofits. The Tyson Foods Summer Community Internship Program will provide an invaluable opportunity for select college students to gain professional experience in nonprofits while making a positive impact in local communities.

The program provides full-time college students an eight-week paid summer internship to assist community organizations and gain experience with diverse social issues. Tyson Foods is underwriting this program, which will launch in the summer of 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, and Sioux City, Storm Lake and Council Bluffs in Iowa.

"This is a wonderful way for students to develop valuable work related skills, while enabling them to use all of the knowledge they have learned inside and outside of the classroom," said Dr. Ashley Farmer-Hanson, assistant dean for student life and director of civic engagement. "This is a great opportunity to build capacity at some of our local non-profits and to support the good work they are doing in Storm Lake."

"The creation of this program offers the professionals of tomorrow a unique opportunity to build their resume, while also adding value to the critical services nonprofit organizations provide in their communities," said Garrett Dolan, senior manager, corporate social responsibility, Tyson Foods.

Campus Compact will work in partnership with colleges and universities in those communities to help young adults realize their potential while making a difference in our community. Iowa and Illinois Campus Compact affiliates will oversee and administer the program.

"Opportunities like this are great examples of how colleges and universities can partner with local nonprofits to deepen student learning and professional development while contributing to community work," said Maggie Grove, vice president for strategy and operations, Campus Compact. "This program will provide benefits both to those students selected and directly to community organizations in need of capacity support."

The application process is now open for both community organizations interested in receiving a grant to host an intern and students interested in being matched up with organizations. All nonprofits and public organizations within the designated communities are eligible to apply, however, applications are especially encouraged from those focused directly or indirectly on hunger relief, adult education, and immigrant services. Organizations will be selected based on need and capacity to provide a quality student experience.

For more information, visit www.iacampuscompact.org/what-we-do/tyson-summer-interns/.

About Buena Vista University

Since 1891, Buena Vista University has prepared students for lifelong success and blends liberal arts with real-world applications. Our traditional campus on the shores of Storm Lake hosts students in a variety of majors and pre-professional programs, including elementary, secondary, and special education; business and accounting; and biological and chemical sciences. Our 16 degree-completion locations, online, and graduate programs expand student potential with a pace and academic rigor designed for working adults and a variety of class formats that make scheduling even more convenient. With an average scholarship of more than 50 percent off of tuition, BVU is an affordable option for all students. Visit www.bvu.edu.

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world's largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it's available and raise the world's expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 114,000 team members. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1000+ colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. Campus Compact supports institutions in fulfilling their public purposes by deepening their ability to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. As the largest national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, we provide professional development to administrators and faculty to enable them to engage effectively, facilitate national partnerships connecting campuses with key issues in their local communities, build pilot programs to test and refine promising models in engaged teaching and scholarship, celebrate and cultivate student civic leadership, and convene higher education institutions and partners beyond higher education to share knowledge and develop collective capacity. Visit www.compact.org.

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