Faculty Sponsor Information

Frequently Asked Questions:

The Internship Process (Summer and Semester):

1. What is the registration process for a student who wishes to receive academic credit for an internship?
2. How much time is an intern required to work when taking an internship for credit?
3. How is a student evaluated in order to earn credit for the internship?
4. Can student interns be directly supervised by a family member?

The Career Exploration Process (January):

1. What are the requirements for a Career Exploration?
2. What is the registration process for a student who plans to enroll in a Career Exploration?

The Faculty Sponsor Position:

1. What is expected of a Faculty Sponsor?
2. How do I help students correctly complete the registration form?
3. What are the best ways for me to maintain contact with my intern?
4. What are the expectations for internship site visits?
5. What is the role of the Career Development internship director during the internship?

Internship (Summer and Semester)

Registration Process

1. Obtaining an internship Gustavus students can utilize Handshake, an online job and internship database to discover an internship. Gustavus students can explore additional internship opportunities that are organized by interest area here.
2. Completing the registration form Students who seek to earn academic credit for an internship must submit all required completed registration forms by the applicable deadline to the Internship Director (Janine Knutson) in Career Development for approval. 
3. Registration Deadlines:
   

For more information on the internship registration process, click here.

Time Requirements and Credit Information
 

Student Evaluation

Career Development requires that students complete a few short assignments throughout their Internship or Career Exploration to facilitate reflection on the experience. Students are aware that you may also assign additional work as their Faculty Sponsor.

• Reflection Questions Assigned questions will be accessed and recorded through InterviewStream (use a Gustavus email address to log in). These questions are designed to help the student reflect on the internship and learn to articulate what was learned and gained from the experience. These skills will be crucial when interviewing for future internships or jobs after graduation. 

• Informational Interviews Informational interviews should be conducted with individuals whose careers are in the industry the student is considering. Through the interview the student will learn more about the career path and the true nature of the work. Informational interviews are also great opportunities for the student to build a network.

  Click here for information on conducting an informational interview.

• Updated Resume An updated resume, including information on your internship, should be posted to the student's Handshake account. Resume information is available online or in Career Development. It is beneficial to update this resume while the experiences in and contributions to the internship are still fresh. 

• Evaluations At the end of the internship, the Site Supervisor will complete an evaluation of the student's work. It is beneficial for both the student and the Site Supervisor to review the evaluation and discuss the experience. Once completed, the evaluation will be delivered by the student or the Site Supervisor to the Gustavus Internship Director, Janine Knutson in Career Development. A copy of the evaluation should also be shared with you (Faculty Sponsor) prior to the grading process. 

Site Supervisors

The Site Supervisor will be the individual who the Gustavus student reports to at the internship site. While a student can work in a relative's office, that family member cannot be the student's Site Supervisor.

Career Exploration (January Interim)

Requirements

Career Explorations are full-time opportunities to job shadow or intern that take place over the four weeks of January. The Interim Career Exploration requires at least sophomore status in order to receive academic credit. The student must intern for 30 hours per week, and will receive one Interim academic credit for the experience. It is possible to participate in a Career Exploration at more than one site as long as the time requirement will be met between locations and it is approved by Career Development.

Registration Process

1. Identify Faculty Sponsor: Find the appropriate Faculty Sponsor who has been assigned to serve students in a particular major list of Interim Career Exploration Faculty Sponsors. 
2. Complete Registration Form: Once the student has a commitment from a site for the Career Exploration, the student should complete the Interim Career Exploration Registration Form. Completed forms will require signatures from the assigned Faculty Sponsor and by the Career Exploration Site Supervisor.
3. Return Completed Registration Form: The completed Interim Career Exploration Registration Form must be turned in to the Internship Director for approval by the registration deadline.
4. Career Exploration Approval: The Internship Director will review and approve completed registration forms and deliver them to the Registrar. The Registrar's Office will complete the Career Exploration Registration upon receipt of the approved registration form from the Internship Director.
5. Orientation: Registered Career Exploration students will be required to attend one of the mandatory Career Exploration Orientation meetings. 

Click here for more information regarding the student's registration process for an Interim Career Exploration.

Faculty Sponsor Position

Expectations of a Faculty Sponsor

The role of a Faculty Sponosor is to ensure that the internship is a valuable learning experience for the student. Faculty can do this by completing the following essential duties at key points in the Career Exploration and internship processes: 

1. Registration Form Approval:
   • For internships: discuss learning objectives and duties with student in person (by appointment), establish expectations for intellectual rigor of experience, and set high expectations for professionalism both on campus and at internship site.
   • For Career Explorations and Internships: decide whether Faculty Sponsor will complete the site visit.
2. Assignments: Most Faculty Sponsors give one or more of the following assignments: a summary paper, journal assignments, and selected readings. All academic internships and Interim Career Explorations are graded on a pass/fail basis. Faculty Sponsors are expected to submit final grades for their students to the Registrar's Office by the deadline established by the Registrar.
3. Communication:
   • For internships: scheduled, regular, consistent engagement and contact with student throughout internship.
     • Site Visit (Highly Recommended): assess appropriateness of site, quality of student’s experience, connection between student’s work, student’s major, and academic/intellectual rigor of student’s experience; demonstrate concern for student’s development; personify Gustavus for Site Supervisor.
   • Review of Site Supervisor Evaluation/Exit Interview:
     • For internships: meet with student in person to discuss overall experience and assess whether student met his/her learning objectives; identify next steps for student regarding courses or additional internships.

Additional Expectations: For a complete list of the faculty's expectations for faculty members who serve as Faculty Sponsors, please refer to the Faculty Sponsor Vision Statement.

Helping with the Registration Form

Click here to view the sections of the registration form where students generally have the most questions. 

Maintaining Contact with an Intern

As a Faculty Sponsor, it is expected that you maintain contact with your student intern and, if practical, complete an internship site visit with the student and the student's Site Supervisor at the student's internship site. Before the student begins the internship, you and the student should meet to discuss a primary method of contact. Students should expect to communicate with you throughout the internship process, and you should plan to contact the student intern periodically. The student's contact information should be listed on the student's registration form. You may also email Janine Knutson at jknutso6@gustavus.edu for additional contact information.

Internship Site Visits

Faculty Sponsors are strongly encouraged to complete an internship site visit with each student and the student's Site Supervisor at the student's internship site whenever possible. Site visits can be done at any time during the internship or Interim Career Exploration. Career Development will reimburse Faculty Sponsors for mileage at the IRS rate, and for parking expenses.

Career Development Contact

Janine Knutson         jknutso6@gustavus.edu        507-933-7509  

The role of Career Development is to assist the student at key points in the internship or Career Exploration process:

1. Search: Provide advice and assistance with resume and cover letter writing, manage the identification of prospective employers (including maintenance of the Handshake database), and assist with interview preparation.
2. Registration: Provide reliable information by the most accessible means available, work in harmony with the Registrar’s Office, enforce registration deadlines and requirements firmly, consistently, and fairly.
3. Orientation: Provide reliable information and encouragement to enable students to commence their Career Explorations or internships with confidence, and set high expectations for professionalism both on campus and at internship site.
4. Employer Relations: Promote Gustavus to employers, cultivate and maintain relationships with employer partners, risk management, site evaluation, and troubleshooting.

You are encouraged to contact Career Development at any time if you have questions or concerns.

Updated 6/14/16 JK