Employers sought to host interns

A collaboration between Western Michigan University and Michigan's other research universities is recruiting businesses to host interns.

Start-up companies and small- or medium-size Michigan businesses of less than 500 employees are being encouraged to become part of the new Small Company Internship Award program before Jan. 31.

Each of the six participating schools receives $25,000 to help student interns work on projects relevant to their course of study and of benefit to the company. Employers receive a 50 percent match from the statewide university network. Employers may participate with up to two of the schools in the network and have two interns from each school.

The WMU Michigan Corporate Relations Network office will select 10 to 12 companies to participate in the program. Companies that focus on innovative work in the science, technology, engineering and math fields will be given preference. However, students may come from any academic program.

The internship program will expose students to a variety of  companies within Michigan, says Dr. Kay Palan, dean of the Haworth College of Business at WMU.  And employers will have the opportunity to see the resources WMU students can provide.

The five other public universities in Michigan that make up the network are: Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan’s campuses in Ann Arbor and Dearborn. It is the first statewide university network in the country to provide a critical new tool for business growth and attraction.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Cheryl Roland, Western Michigan University