This piece was written by Dr. Skip Ames and Dr. Lane Boyte-Eckis.

One of the strong values of Troy University is that it is a community of caring educators and staff. On this foundation, the Sorrell College of Business prides itself on producing graduates who are Globally-Aware, Engaged with the business community, Ethical decision makers, Knowledgeable to compete, and Successful [GEEKS]. Our faculty members exercise an unwavering commitment to Teaching, Engaging, Caring, and Scholarship [TECS]. Our mission and vision have credence and merit, as evidenced by our students achieving their goals in both domestic and global markets.

One measurable way that we nurture our students’ potential is through our internship programs. As the Internship Committee for the Sorrell College of Business at Troy University’s Dothan Campus, we have been aggressively working to market each internship opportunity to every student. The majority of these internships target business majors after they have reached their junior level of undergraduate studies, as it is at this juncture in the educational journey when students fully enter their major fields of study.

While employers want to assist and train their interns, they also want interns to bring demonstrable skills to the table. As students go through their general studies and begin their core classes, they may sometimes wonder how those formative subjects support their career aspirations. They must strive to bear in mind that all of the knowledge that they are gaining makes a difference in their futures. They will certainly learn from the courses that they take at TROY, but they must always ask themselves key questions:  How is this making me a better student; how can this assist me in the future; how does this make me a better decision maker, a better employee and ultimately a better person? They must also ask themselves: What can I do to contribute to my educational experience?

Based on the success that we have seen in the past year during which we have operated our active internship program, we urge other colleges and divisions to utilize virtual resources and platforms within Troy University. The highly qualified applicants from all TROY locations have added to the enormous pool of talent from which we can offer our employers and business partners a diverse selection of students.

We currently have dozens of business partners who have hired student interns over the past year. Out of 150+ applications, we have placed 34 students in internship positions. Many firms request student interns every term in areas such as accounting, human resources, management, marketing, and information systems.

All of our internships are either paid or stipend positions with an opportunity for course credit. The process of coordinating an internship starts with an advertisement in the respective Canvas shell titled, “Job Postings and Internships,” in response to which the interested student uploads an application and résumé simultaneously. Upon receipt and review of the résumés, we schedule students for mock interviews and conduct résumé reviews in anticipation of their company visits.  By adding this extra measure of preparedness, we substantively enhance our students’ prospects for success. In this regard, the feedback from students, internship advisors, employers, and community leaders has been nothing short of amazing.

We also want to thank our partners within Troy University Career Services, Troy University Information Technologies, and Troy Online for their support.

Sorrell College Dothan Campus Internship Team: Dr. Orrin “Skip” Ames, Sorrell College Faculty; Dr. Lane Boyte-Eckis, Sorrell College Faculty; Dr. Carmen Lewis, Sorrell College Faculty; Ms. Kay Petersen, Sorrell College Staff; Ms. Savannah Roeser, Sorrell College Staff; Dr. Dewey Todd, Sorrell College Faculty; Dr. Richard Voss, Sorrell College Faculty; Dr. Barbara Minsky;  Ms. Jean Sheperd.