The ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program: Experience, Training, Learning and Mentoring

1. The ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program: Experience, Training, Learning and Mentoring Jenna Hyatt, SMU Anthony Buono, Syracuse Susan Grant, NC State Ray Plaza, Virginia Tech Chuck Lamb, RIT Tuesday, July 19, 2005 ACUHO-I 2005 Milwaukee

2. Overview • Introductions • Overview of the Internship Program • Types of Internships • Closer look at the Core Values of the program • Viewpoints from current participants • Closer look at Summer 2005 • Historical trends since 2000 • Process and Timelines • Future Goals

3. The ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program • Started in 1977 • Has become one of the premier Internship programs available to students and institutions • Seen continued growth and record number of graduate and undergraduate applicants • Continued growth and participation by host sites • Summer process is the largest • Spring process is smaller • First international opportunities introduced in Summer 2003.

4. Type of Internships • Residence Life • Facilities • Conference Services • Family Housing • Housing Assignments • NACUFS • Other related areas

5. Core Values • The Core Values of the Internship program are exemplified by the following: Experience Training Learning Mentoring

6. EXPERIENCE • Opportunity for Interns: • Retention into Housing profession • To experience a different institution • For a real-life hands-on experience • To get academic credit • Opportunity for Hosts: • Supervise an intern • Provide a quality experience for the intern and your staff • Provide a valuable contribution to the profession

7. TRAINING • Opportunity for Interns: • To gain knowledge and perspective • To help shape processes • To help teach your hosts with your knowledge • Opportunity for Hosts: • To help train and develop a new professional • To utilize the intern to help train your staff • To learn and train each other

8. LEARNING • Opportunity for Interns: • To learn about in/outs of system • For personal growth • To explore a different area of the country/world • Opportunity for Hosts: • To learn about new ideas and ways of thinking • To help direct the learning of the intern by being intentional with internship experience

9. MENTORING • Opportunity for Interns: • To gain a mentor and develop a potential long-lasting relationship • To use your experience to become a mentor for your staff and colleagues • Opportunity for Hosts: • To be a mentor for a “shining star” • To use opportunity to create a recruitment base for future employees

10. Viewpoints • Evaluations of both interns and host sites indicate that the Internship program is making a difference • If you visit the Internship display, you can see postcards from the interns, where they also talk about their experiences • Recently, we contacted some of the interns and they shared the following:

11. Intern Viewpoints • How did the ACUHO-I Internship influence your decision to remain in the field? • This is my 2nd internship.  After spending time as an RA and a year as an RD I thought I wanted to stay in the field.  After I spend some time at another school that treated my like a true professional I knew my past experiences hadn't been coincidental and I'll never leave the field now. • I was already planning on staying in the field when I began my first internship experience, but both experiences have only solidified that decision.  I have also gained an increasing interest in the world of conference housing rather than housing/residence life, thanks to my internship experiences. • An overloaded semester of schoolwork and classes brought my energy level down and really had me questioning the direction of my future. I was looking forward to my ACUHO-I Internship at Southeast Missouri State University, but I had NO IDEA that it would boost my energy back up, recharge my passion, and make me want to dive head first back into the vast waters of student affairs.

12. Intern Viewpoints • Did the ACUHO-I Internship assist you with securing current or previous employment? • Yes, I did the internship between my first and final year of graduate school, and as graduation approached the next year I received a call from my internship site asking if I'd like to work there. This year will be my third year working full time at my internship host site. • My current employers were impressed that I had done an ACUHO-I internship, so it did help.

13. Intern Viewpoint • Did you secure skills during your internship that have emerged as part of your personal “tool box”? • Some specific skills that emerged during my internship were passion for the position, excitement for different levels aspect of students affairs (not only Residential Life), and acceptance in my own ability and level of competency. • I was able to better develop my ability to work with people who are different than I am.  There were a number of different working styles at the office in which I did my internship, and I was able to successfully learn how to work with everyone. • I believe that as a new professional, the experience of supervising and managing groups has added to my "tool box."  I also feel that I am learning to be more of a logical, long-term thinker which will hopefully be traits I can continue to employ in the future.

14. Intern Viewpoints • Would you recommend the ACUHO-I internship to emerging professionals/students in higher education programs? • Certainly!  I believe a student affairs professional, especially one whois interested in Residence Life/Housing, should pursue an ACUHO-Iinternship.  Not only do you get more experience working inHousing/Residence Life, but you also broaden your perspective by working at another institution.  It is a great springboard to start your job search as well. •  I would highly recommend the ACUHO-I internship to anyone considering a career in higher education programs. Having the opportunity to get inside another university’s policies and procedures, to work under so many talented staff members, and to try your hand at something you would otherwise not be able to do—and NOT have a long-term commitment—is the best opportunity to test the waters and see if this field is really what you want or not.

15. Intern Viewpoints • Other comments: • It amazes me how fast you become part of a Residential Life "family" even when no one knows you and you come from 2200 miles away. At Virginia Tech I was welcomed in as soon as I got here and it has made my two week adventure here amazing, I am looking forward to my last six weeks. •  I don’t think I could have chosen a better way to spend two months of my “summer vacation.” I’m putting in around 40 hours a week, loving every minute of it, and learning every second of it. • The program has also provided me with a number of networkingopportunities.  Many people in the field of higher education haverespect for the program and look positively on people who have beenACUHO-I Interns.

16. Current Look at Summer 2005 • 330 candidates applied • 168 candidates selected by host sites • 181 different positions • 118 different host sites • Numbers reflect all-time records for the program

17. Preface to figures • Data is from the last six years beginning with Summer 2000 • More intentional approach to keep track of figures for historical and accountability purposes

18. Candidate Gender Breakdown

19. Candidate Gender Summary • This slide demonstrates the differences between male and female numbers. It is also indicative of the Student Affairs field in terms of more females. • We have seen the male numbers slowly increase over the past six years. This is a positive sign.

20. Candidate Education Level

21. Candidate Education Level Summary • As the previous slide shows, the numbers of undergraduate candidates continues to increase. • In 2002, undergraduates outnumbered graduate candidates for the first time. • In 2005, the numbers of graduate and undergraduate candidates were almost equal.

22. Candidate Regional Breakdown

23. Candidate Regional Summary • The Top 5 Home regions for candidates: 1. GLACUHO 2. SEAHO 3. UMR-ACUHO 4. MACUHO 5. NEACUHO This correlates to regions with strong CSP programs and frequent participation of institutions in the Internship program

24. Host Site Comparison

25. Host Site Summary • If you look at a direct comparison from Summer 2000 and Summer 2005, here are the percentages: • # of Distinct Host Sites have increased by 18% • # of Positions have increased by 81% • # of Positions filled have increased by 68% • # Unfilled/cancelled have decreased by 87%

26. Which Regions Are Hosting? # of schools participating

27. Host Site Region Summary • The top three participating regions over the past six years have been: 1. SEAHO (avg. 25.2 institutions) 2. NEACUHO (avg. 21.5 institutions) 3. GLACUHO (avg. 17 institutions) The other regions have been steady but numbers are much lower when compared to the Top 3.

28. Process • Start thinking about compensation and getting package approved within the budget cycle • The complete the application and submit electronically • Need to include by due date intern job description, expectations, and information about the institution • Need to be prepared to set aside time for application review and phone interviews. Please review the applicable dates • Need to be prepared to supervise and mentor an intern

29. Process • Compensation Requirements: • Room and board AND • At least minimum wage stipend • Most packages are similar with median about $7.50/hr. High is $10/hr for 40hr/wk. • If no board plan due to summer, then need to supplement stipend (in order to be competitive)

30. Traditional Summer Timeline • Early Fall: information sent out regarding application deadline • Process is done electronically • Application deadline in early December • Process of reviewing and contacting candidates begins in January • Phone Interviews in January/early February • Offers made in early/mid February • Interns start mid-May through late July/August (flexible)

31. Spring Process & Timeline • The Spring process is very similar to the Fall process but it starts much earlier. • Information is available late-July/August • Applications due in October • Review and interviews in November • Offers out before end of November • Intern starts in January through May/June (varies per institution)

32. Future Goals • Continued growth of International Internship program • Increased Marketing • Alumni Reception at ACUHO-I Conference • Collaboration with National Association of Orientation Directors (NODA) • New role in 2006 with the coordination of the ACUHO-I/NACUFS Internship program

33. Future Goals • Interns serving on the Internship Committee • Interns at the ACUHO-I Central Office • Continue to increase Regional Host Sites • Consider rewards/incentives for Host Sites • Research impact of Internship on housing as a profession

34. Questions Questions and Discussion

35. Housing Internship Committee Members Anthony Buono, Syracuse University Susan Grant, NC State Ray Plaza, Virginia Tech Joanne Black, The Washington Center Hayward Guenard, IUPUI Corey Ray, University of Idaho Jennifer Komrosky, DePaul University Franklin Ricarte, New School University, NY Brian Reed, Dartmouth University Jenna Hyatt, Southern Methodist University Carol Sacchetti, Roger Williams University Yoo Mi Choi,University of Maryland, College Park Cameron Burton, Lambuth University

36. Contact Info Jenna Hyatt Residence Life and Student Housing Southern Methodist University SMU Box 0215 Dallas, TX 75275 Phone: (214) 768-2221 Fax: (214) 768-4005 Email: jhyatt@smu.edu

37. Visit the Housing Internship Online Resource Center: http://www3.acuho-i.org/housinginternships/