Student teacher Taylor Maddy '24 with her students (SUNY Geneseo/Matt Burkhartt)
SUNY Geneseo is one of twelve SUNY Campuses invited to participate in a project led by Jobs for the Future, a not-for-profit organization that works to advance equitable economic benefits for all. The project aims to reduce the financial barriers students often face when completing unpaid internships and other applied learning experiences such as student teaching.
Geneseo was also awarded $100K in Empire State Development funds to help support student internship stipends. The project will be managed locally by the college's Career Design Center.
According to Jessie Stack Lombardo, director of the Career Design Center, the funding will provide stipends for unpaid internships and support a recently established campus internship program, the Career Launch Internship Collective (CLIC). "CLIC is a pilot high-impact, on-campus internship program aimed to mitigate the many barriers faced by students trying to access career-focused internships," Lombardo said.
For Fall 2024, 11 semester-long internships will be established in departments across campus, including The College of Arts and Science, Multicultural Affairs, LGBTQ+ Life, Intercollegiate Athletics, International Student Services, Office of Study Abroad, and Career Design. Students accepted into the CLIC internship program will receive a paid stipend, earn 1–3 credits, and participate in monthly professional development training to leverage students' internship experience to their broader career goals.
"Last semester, we launched the internship and living wage stipend, awarding $126K to 73 students, with incremental funding support from SUNY," Lombardo said. 'We look forward to expanding these efforts with the additional $100K in funding."
Students interested in the program can get more information and apply via the SUNY Geneseo Internship and Living Stipend Application page. Applications for fall are due by September 13.