UNW awarded $150,000 Great Lakes Career Ready Internship Grant

Students to receive wages for their work at previously unpaid internships

ST.PAUL, MN (09/12/2014)(readMedia)-- University of Northwestern – St. Paul and its Academic Internship Program were awarded $150,000 through the 2014-2015 Great Lakes Career Ready Internship Grant on August 7, 2014.

The grant will fund paid internships for 76 Northwestern students with financial need from the College of Arts & Humanities, and selected majors from the College of Behavioral & Natural Sciences. While students in majors with traditionally unpaid internship opportunities have faced choosing between career experience and income, now they will be paid for industry relevant work.

Students awarded internship funding will receive professional development to bolster their transition into a career, according to Linda Ashworth, assistant director of experiential education at the Center for Calling & Career.

"One exciting aspect of this grant is the collaboration it fosters between on-campus departments and with local businesses, government agencies and non-profits," said Ashworth, "Northwestern is focusing on helping local businesses develop internship programs that could be self-sustaining beyond the grant period."

Applications for internships this fall opened on Friday August 22, 2014, and grant dollars will be distributed later in spring and summer for internships during those semesters. Ashworth, along with Dayna Taylor, manager of corporate and foundation relations, wrote and pursued the grant, awarded by Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation.

The Northwestern grant is part of a larger Great Lakes program that awarded $5.2 million in new grants to 40 colleges and universities in four states, with grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000.

University of Northwestern – St. Paul (formerly Northwestern College) is a nondenominational Christian university in St. Paul, Minn. With a biblical worldview integrated into all programs, UNW provides a unique educational experience for students who want to combine faith and education. UNW offers 70+ areas of undergraduate study, six master's degrees, and online and early college programs. Northwestern Media, a ministry of the university, operates 15 Christian radio stations throughout the Midwest with a total listenership of more than one million listeners. Visit unwsp.edu for more information.