Funding from SUNY and ongoing efforts in the EXCEL: Experiential Courses and Engaged Learning Office will result in funding 155 internships per year –- as well as, for summer 2024, supporting dozens of current internships for qualifying applicants with existing placements, via the Internship Impact Fund.

SUNY Oswego received a total of $348,200 of recurring state budget support to directly benefit students who are pursuing unpaid credited internships at select on-campus departments and not-for-profit sites in Oswego and Onondaga Counties. 

The funding of the Internship Impact Fund was part of SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.'s system-wide goal for all SUNY students to complete at least one internship or other applied learning experience before graduation. 

That amount includes around $279,000 in annual funding every year that will go directly toward paying 155 SUNY Oswego students working in internships. 

This fund connects with SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu’s Vision 4040, to establish a pathway for campus’ ability to stabilize the degree attainment of 4,000 awards per year –- or 40,000 per decade –- by the year 2040.

"The funding was a very welcomed surprise, and it fits beautifully with the campus’ Vision 4040 plan. It will support students’ retention, graduation, and upward mobility,” said Interim Director of EXCEL Mallory Bower. “It will also help to sustain mutually beneficial partnerships between SUNY Oswego and the Central New York not-for-profit agencies that regularly host and mentor our student interns.”

Through the Experiential Courses and Engaged Learning (EXCEL) Office, the Internship Impact Fund will provide wage stipends to 155 SUNY Oswego students each year. Eligible student interns will earn up to $1,800 for approved three-credit internships that are completed in fall, winter, spring, or summer terms.

"Many of our students are experiencing significant financial need,” said Bower. “The Impact Fund stipends will directly benefit students who would have settled for unpaid internships out of necessity –- and students who would have opted out completely because of the financial burden.”

“It’s really about doing away with barriers for our students,” said Internship and Student Employment Coordinator Tina Cooper. “This provides opportunities for students who have financial barriers to find out what version of themselves would exist if finances had less of an impact on finding opportunities.”

Two areas of focus for funding internships are on-campus peer-to-peer roles impacting student success –- such as the Students Helping Oz Peers (SHOP) pantry, the Advisement Center and Counseling Services’ Counseling Outreach Peer Educators program and others –- as well as off-campus not-for-profit internships in Onondaga and Oswego Counties.

“This can really give not-for-profit organizations opportunities to think about not just traditional roles,” Bower said, noting creative partnerships with the Children’s Museum of Oswego with the Power of Produce program; SUNY Oswego’s Small Business Development Center that allows students to attain broad experiences and gain connections with local businesses and industry; or a variety of options with the Oswego YMCA.

These funds can especially support students who might have to choose between a job to pay the bills and an unpaid internship that would help their career development. For example, many non-traditional students and those in such majors as human development and wellness management –- the largest percentage of internships –- are a group that EXCEL found could benefit, Bower said.

Most immediately, SUNY Oswego students already in internships for summer 2024 might qualify for Impact Fund support. “Students who have secured an internship for this summer can apply for funding on our website if they fit the criteria,” Bower said.

Supporting career outcomes

According to a 2022 study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), college students who engage in paid internships receive more job offers and have higher starting salaries. The EXCEL Office has been working with internship site partners to offer more paid internship opportunities for students. For small not-for-profit organizations, this can be challenging.

SUNY Oswego students pursuing majors in public and human services fields are 20 percent more likely to participate in unpaid internships. These majors often require an internship for degree completion.

“I’ve watched a lot of SUNY Oswego students struggle with finding flexible employment so they can support themselves through an unpaid internship,” said Internship and Student Employment Coordinator Tina Cooper. “The Impact Fund will ease this burden and allow students to put their best selves forward. They won’t have to juggle a job and an unpaid internship at the same time.”

Current student intern Rosely Paulino said this fund has had a major impact on her. 

“I am incredibly appreciative to be among the first intern group to receive funding,” Paulino said. She noted that her internship with the university’s It’s On Oz program promotes and supports survivors, so “the work performed is already rewarding. I can now concentrate on my passion in the sector thanks to these finances, as I no longer have to worry about working to support myself while also finishing the internship's required number of hours."

In addition to the direct support for student interns, the SUNY funding will create more staff positions within the EXCEL Office. The newly created assistant coordinator of internships, and a graduate assistant for internships, will give students access to more 1:1 counseling, search support and will increase internship creation.

Other funding opportunities

EXCEL also coordinates the Feinberg Family Fund, createdby Robert Feinberg ’78 and his wife Robbi, that supports a range of professional academic-related development opportunities. 

“Students who participate in an internship or co-op can apply for up to $500 to support expenses including tuition, mileage, transportation or technology necessary for their studies,” Bower said. They also can apply for up to $250 to support conferences or professional development related to their field, or to play for required exams or certifications to enter the field.”

Other opportunities include:

  • The Jake Berg '04 ALANA Internship Scholarship, which provides support for undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need – who are involved in ALANA (African, Latino, Asian and Native American) organizations – and are participating in a credit-bearing internship
  • The James F. Rogers '76 School of Business Internship Fund, which sponsors an internship experience for current students who have shown their dedication to their studies and to working in a business career
  • The Steve Levy '87 Broadcasting Summer Internship Fund, supporting broadcasting students interested in taking internships to gain professional experience

Visit the EXCEL funding opportunities website for more information or to apply for any of these avenues.

“This effort aligns perfectly with Vision 4040 because it allows us to grow educational opportunities for students, connect students with meaningful experiences and partnerships, and gives students the opportunity to thrive through paid experiential opportunities,” Bower said.

Bower said the EXCEL team supports students in the pursuit of their personal, academic and career goals by offering meaningful experiential learning opportunities and courses. In collaboration with campus and community partners, the EXCEL office provides a central hub that gives students equitable access to meaningful experiential learning opportunities and supports their growth as professionals who are working to build a better world.

The EXCEL Office provides additional financial support for internships via scholarships and pre-established funds. Students interested in pursuing internships or project-based learning opportunities should contact EXCEL, via excel@oswego.edu.