Program Overview
The new pilot program connects businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies with exceptional and motivated Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences students seeking career opportunities and a chance to get to know and contribute to community.
Guiding Premise:
Attracting and retaining an educated and skilled workforce is a key to strengthening New York’s competitive edge and supporting its vibrant communities. The CALS NYS Internship Program supports this premise by offering Cornell students an opportunity to combine career-relevant work experience with the chance to forge meaningful connections with the communities and regions they work and live in. While CALS student interns represent a diverse array of majors and will fill a wide range of positions, the unique aspect of this program is their common involvement in a community engagement project focusing on local and regional activities to attract and retain an educated young workforce.
2012-2013 Program
This fall we will begin recruiting students for the summer 2013 internship program. Our goal is to place 9-12 students with host organizations in three-to-four regions across the Canal Corridor. In the spring semester prior to the internship, students will enroll in a one-credit orientation and preparation course. During the summer, student interns will work 40 hours per week for ten weeks in any number of skilled positions, from food science and communications to business management and land use planning. Twenty percent of their time will be devoted to the community engagement project, and will include weekly, virtual meetings with other interns in their region. In the fall semester following the summer internship, students will take a one-credit independent study course to prepare summary presentations to their internship hosts.
Contact Information
Questions may be directed to the CALS NYS Internship Program at: CALSNYSInternship@cornell.edu