FORT SMITH, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS) received a gift to provide access to paid internships for students.
According to a press release, Chancellor Terisa Riley informed the UAFS Board of Trustees that Doug and Kathy Babb committed $1 million towards paid internships and apprenticeships for UAFS students.
"The Doug and Kathy Babb Premier Internship Endowment will match employer contributions so students can benefit from hands-on practice and real-world experience as they approach entering their careers," the release states.
Susan Krafft is the executive director of the Babb Center for Career Services and explained that paid internships are vital to college students, "many of whom hold jobs while they attend classes full-time, and lack the resources to take on even more responsibility."
“We have many students who cannot afford to work without pay, even if they’re getting academic credit, especially since they have to pay tuition for those credit hours,” Krafft said in the press release. “Expecting a large population of students who are first-generation and Pell grant-eligible to take an unpaid internship is just not realistic. It eliminates outstanding, smart, skilled students from even being considered for an unpaid opportunity.”
Doug Babb taught a leadership class at the College of Business and Industry. The university says he has a special affinity for his students.
“I realized that these people who were one of the first [in their family] to attend college were working their way through college … They were putting themselves through school and [had to] balance work, family, and education," Babb said.
Krafft explained that the endowment would provide two kinds of internships. Signature internships will support students who intern with the University's partners in the River Valley. Their press release states that UAFS "will match pay per hour made by the employer who might otherwise be able to offer only an unpaid position." Krafft further explains the second kind of internship will be short-term micro internships to help with projects.
The Babbs endowed is meant to help students prepare not just for the work of their careers but also for soft skills, everything from offering a firm handshake to dressing professionally, to arriving on time for work.
Krafft adds that this opportunity will help students with education as well, providing experiences in their career fields.
"Allowing a student to have experience in their field of study before they graduate translates into an enormous opportunity for them to have that gainful employment after they graduate. Students who do internships are significantly more likely to be employed in their field of study after they graduate," Krafft said.
The University explained that this endowment will strengthen the relationships between the university and employers who offer internships.
“This endowment will create an internship program through our office that will ensure students are paid for their work, regardless of their major or field of study,” Krafft said in the press release. “This will create positive working relationships with employers in our area who can use skilled students from UAFS, creating a pipeline of new talent.
“Students get real-world experience in their field of study, which is a recurring theme in our Strategic Plan and our mission,” Krafft said.
Krafft tells 5News that students interested should contact Babb Career Services and adds that the internships will start in Fall 2024.
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