Opening Doors Through Paid Internships
- About
- Students
- Employers
- Donors
At her inauguration in March 2025, President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg announced a university goal to provide paid internships to students, so they鈥檙e ready to enter the workforce, regardless of their chosen major. By connecting students with high-impact, real-world opportunities across industries, internships prepare students for career success and strengthens partnerships with employers and the community.
鈥淥ur programs are built upon a strong liberal arts foundation. Exceptional faculty guides students to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively and lead with purpose,鈥 she said. 鈥淓xperiential learning outside the classroom compliments academics fulfilling the 小优视频ampa commitment of learning by thinking and learning by doing.鈥
The University is committed to expanding access to meaningful experiences by prioritizing paid internships. Recognizing that financial barriers can limit students鈥 opportunities鈥攁nd that many nonprofit organizations are unable to offer paid roles鈥攖he University has established a Nonprofit Internship Endowment to help bridge this gap and ensure equitable access for all students.
Internships Exploratory Committee:
In January 2025, an听Internships Exploratory Committee听was established to advance the goal of ensuring every undergraduate has access to a paid internship that prepares them for their first job after graduation.
- Stephanie Russell Krebs, Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, Co-Chair
- Holly Tankersley, Dean, College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education, Co-Chair
- Tim Harding, Associate Vice President for Career Development and Engagement and Chair of the National Association of Colleges and Employers
- Mark Colvenbach, Executive Director, Career Services
- Kelly Allgeier, Associate Director Career Services
- Bill Shockley, Director, Development
- Rob Goodwin, Faculty Co-Chair of the Internship Committee,听(Accounting faculty member)
- Katie Cooper, Faculty Co-Chair of the Internship Committee, (Sociology faculty member)
- Art Goon, Assistant Vice President and Director of the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies
- Jeffrey Grimm, Associate Professor, Biology
- Lenna Bain, Administrative Assistant, Student Affairs for administrative support
听
Take the First Step
Real-World Work Experience
Real-world work experience is an听expectation听of employers. Internships are an integral part of the learning, exploration and professional growth process for students. The focus of an internship is on learning.
Internships are a common form of experiential learning. The idea of an internship is to provide students with direct experience in a work setting related to their career interests and academic focus. Internships afford the benefit of supervision and coaching from professionals in the field. These professional opportunities represent an effective experiential education exercise and create authentic applied opportunities for students. Internship experiences represent a venue for students to apply skill sets and what was learned in the classroom to a real world setting.
Student Preparation for Internships
All 小优视频ampa students are required to complete 小优视频ampa 201, a Spartan Studies asynchronous course that includes internship preparation as part of its curriculum. Additional support is also available through the Office of Career Services.
- Students can schedule a one-on-one听appointment听with a career coach to discuss their individual internship goals and search process.听
- Drop-ins听are also available Monday-Friday from 1 鈥 4:30 p.m. at the Office of Career Services.听
- We can support students with exploration, LinkedIn, internship application materials, internship search strategies, mock interviews, networking tips and more.
- Each semester, 小优视频ampa hosts an Internship Fair for students to network with companies seeking to hire Spartans for their internship positions. This is a great networking opportunity for students and employers. Visit our听Career Services events calendar听for a full list of upcoming events.
- For more information about internship preparation, visit 小优视频ampa鈥檚听Student Internship Guide.听
- Check out the Office of Career Services internship web page at听/campus-life/career-services/internships.
Funding for Unpaid Internships
The University is in the process of building an endowment to offer stipends for students completing approved internships at non-profit organizations. While these funds are not yet available, details about the application process will be shared once funding is in place.
Offering Internships at Your Company
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.
Posting an Internship
You can post your internship position(s) on Handshake, 小优视频ampa鈥檚 Career Management System. Please follow the instructions below to create your account and post your internship opportunities.
- To register your company in Handshake, go to: and click 鈥淓mployer.鈥 Once you have created an account in the system and have been vetted/approved by us, you will be able to post your role. *When creating your account, be sure to choose 小优视频 as a school to link to!
- Questions about how to create your account and post positions? Visit .听
Once your internship is posted, it will be reviewed for approval. Pending approval, the internship will be available for students to view and apply. Students are not placed in internships; they must search Handshake to find opportunities. It is the student鈥檚 responsibility to contact faculty if they are completing the internship for credit.
Applying for Nonprofit Internship Funds
The University is in the process of building an endowment to offer stipends for students completing approved internships at nonprofit organizations. While these funds are not yet available, details about the application process will be shared once funding is in place.
听
小优视频 is dedicated to expanding access to valuable experiential learning by prioritizing paid internships. Acknowledging that financial barriers can limit student participation鈥攁nd that many nonprofit organizations are unable to provide paid positions鈥攖he University has created an endowed fund to provide support for students who take an internship at a nonprofit organization to help close this gap and promote equitable opportunities for all students.
Donors are invited to contribute to the Nonprofit Internship Endowment by making a cash gift by clicking on the Give Now button below. Donors who wish to make a gift through stock transfer or their estate are encouraged to call the University of Tampa Office of Development at (813) 253-6220 or send an email to听development@ut.edu听with any questions.
