Now in its second year, Campus Alamance will offer 35 Elon students eight-week paid internships with local businesses and nonprofit organizations this summer.
As the job market grows more competitive, Elon University is continuing an initiative that will allow its students to gain experience while simultaneously furthering the university’s reputation as a national leader in experiential education.
The Campus Alamance program, which launched last year as Elon Interns Advance Alamance, will offer 35 paid internships with 34 local businesses and nonprofits from June 1 to July 27. The program is designed for all Elon students, regardless of major or class year.
“The intention is to build a pipeline of talent here in the Alamance area by leaning on the great students that we have at Elon, as well as our incredible partners in the Alamance County area,” said Robin Kazmarek, director of internships for Elon College, The College of Arts and Sciences, who helped organize the program.
Students will work 20 to 30 hours per week for the eight-week program and attend weekly professional development sessions hosted by Elon.
Campus Alamance will provide a mutually beneficial opportunity for local nonprofit organizations, businesses and government entities with a need for talented interns to host Elon students wanting access to valuable work experience through paid internships.
The program is a result of the diligent work done by the Student Professional Development Center and Kernodle Center for Civic Life during the last two years. The SPDC and Kernodle Center have teamed with Alamance County leaders to create a mutually beneficial program that will support Elon students and the county.
“Campus Alamance brings together ideas that students, faculty and staff shared during the development of the Boldly Elon strategic plan about the need to increase access to and financial support for internships as well as the need to be better and more connected partners with the local community,” said Jeff Stein, vice president for strategies initiatives.
The initiative also sets out to advance Elon’s experiential education prowess.
“I don’t know of many other schools in the country that are doing a program like this,” Kazmarek said. “It is continuing to further advance Elon as a leader in the experiential education field.”
The Campus Alamance initiative also addresses two significant factors for why students may forgo summer internship opportunities and seek summer employment – payment and transportation. Each student selected will receive a $2,500 stipend from the university, as the community partners have no financial obligation toward the program. Most of the community partners are within walking distance or can be reached by using public transportation.
“Another big goal is to help with removing some barriers students may experience with internships,” Kazmarek said.
Campus Alamance follows the success of the pilot last summer, which provided 14 Elon students with community internships. In the past year, the program has expanded in partners – from 13 to 34 – and has gone through a name change. The decision was to make the title of the program more memorable, but also to emphasize the collaboration and interconnectedness of the community.
“We settled on ‘Campus Alamance’ moving forward,” Kazmarek said. “The word ‘campus’ has multiple meanings. We are Elon University, and we have our campus here. But also looking at it from a broader lens and how the Alamance community and county is also a campus for engagement, learning and growth.”
The full list of available internship positions and participating organizations can be found in the Elon Job Network using the keyword “CASP.” Interested students must submit their application materials for one or more positions no later than Sunday, March 27. Partner organizations will begin reviewing resumes on Monday, March 28.