A new office dedicated to all things related to internships has opened in the Webb Center at Old Dominion University.
“We own the space from A to Z in trying to help connect students with opportunities,” said Barbara Blake Gonzalez, executive director of the centralized and streamlined Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office.
The office is also responsible for developing, maintaining and coordinating placement for internship and co-op partnerships with employers, she said.
“We are here to support existing good work, and then, we’re here to create new programming where it is needed and required,” she said.
After extensive data mining last year, the university’s 2023-2028 strategic plan, Forward-Focused: Where Innovation Meets Possibilities, was established to include internship and work-based learning opportunities, she said. ODU established a goal of having 100% of students participate in work-based learning before graduation by 2027.
Brian Payne, vice provost for academic affairs, said in a news release that ODU President Brian O. Hemphill saw the need to do things differently in order to better prepare students and serve the community.
Blake Gonzalez, formerly the chief administrative officer of the Strome College of Business’ Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, was selected to lead the initiative based on her strong research background focused on workforce development, wage and leadership gaps, brain drain and regional economic analysis.
Excited and passionate about the initiative, she said it’s a new way of thinking about how undergraduates, graduates and students who are lifelong learners and certificate seekers are connected to internships, externships, co-ops and practicums to provide work-based learning.
“We’re here to envision that pipeline for students so that when they leave their time at Old Dominion University, they have the knowledge, skills and abilities that are going to empower them to be the best that they can be,” Blake Gonzalez said.
One of those interested employers is the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.
Charlie Arroyo, administrative coordinator of the nonprofit, said the center is trying to build up its community engagement within Hampton Roads and is eager to look into the possibility of developing an internship program.
“Partnering with ODU will give us that opportunity to reach a younger generation and provide thoughtful insight to any students that come into the center,” she said.
Arroyo said the center’s focus is on public administration to start, but will eventually move into other areas.
“We want to find the right students who are passionate about nonprofits and the arts,” she said.
The Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office will also work with academic departments to expand the work-based learning curriculum and respond to community feedback seeking stronger internship partnerships.
Still in its early stages, Blake Gonzalez said the office will collaborate on best practices and start a series of internal stakeholder meetings to guide the future policy.
“We’re here to help look at barriers and figure out creative solutions so that when our students leave their time off this campus, they are prepared to go wherever they want to go,” she said. “I’ve got high hopes for what we can accomplish.”
To contact the Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office, call 757-683-JOBS or email [email protected].
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, [email protected]
