1. Renewing the Commitment National Extension and Research Administrative Officers’ Conference 2012

2. EXTENSION INTERN PROGRAMS  Stacey M. Warner Kansas State University Extension Operations swarner@ksu.edu  Martha W. Thompson University of Kentucky Extension Personnel martha.thompson@uky.edu

3. Internships vs A Summer Job

4. Internship Definition  Experiential learning  Integration of knowledge and theory from classroom  Practical application in a professional setting  Students make connections in professional fields  Employers guide and evaluate talent from National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

5. From Intern to Professional  Employers converted 58.6 percent of their Class of 2011 interns into full-time hires, according to results of NACE’s 2012 Internship & Co-op Survey.  All-time high since NACE began reporting conversion rates in the early part of the century, and up from the previous high— 57.7 percent—reported in last year’s survey.

6. Journal of Extension : “The Extension internship provides a valuable learning experience for the agent and the intern. The intern receives a lesson in “real-world learning”; for many agents supervising an intern is an opportunity to update their knowledge and skills.” Wilken, C., Williams, B., Cadavieco, N., Walker, K., (Aug 2008)

7. Purpose  Interns – Link classroom and work  Host agents – Expand programming  Extension administration – Develop applicant pool

8. K-State Research and Extension Internships

9. Overview  22 years  6 to 10 interns per summer  Paid internship, no college credit  Cost shared by local office and administration  Youth development programming  30% of time on major project

10. Steps  Recruiting  Selection  Preparation  Orientation  Connection  Feedback

11. Recruiting Applicants  Career fairs  Former interns  Agents  University web sites  Advisors  Student organizations

12. Selection of Local Offices  Proposal prepared  Area director approval

13. Selection of Interns  All applicants interviewed  Interviews videotaped  Top 12 to 15 selected  Video and applicant materials sent to host agent  Agent selects top 5 choices  Offers made to applicants

14. Preparation for Interns  News releases  Conference call for host agents  Housing located by host agents  Host office prepares for intern

15. Intern Orientation  First day of internship  On campus  8:00 am to 3:00 pm  Overview of organization  Overview of summer internship  Former interns present  Lunch with administrative team

16. Intern Learning  Program guide with objectives  Major project  Other activities

17. Connections  Blog  Mid-summer meeting  End-of-summer review  Program guide

18. Feedback

19. Start all over again!

20. Outcomes  31 % of interns have been hired  50% of interns rated experience great  50% of interns rated experience good  54% of agents rated very successful  36% of agents rated moderately successful  9% rated neutral

21. University of Kentucky Extension Internships

22. Overview  43 years  35 to 40 interns per summer  Paid internship & college credit  Cost paid by local office, office of diversity and departments

23. Overview  12 weeks typical  County & State assignments  Primary and secondary assignments  Special project  Orientation and Roundup

24. Steps  Recruiting  Selection & Placement  Orientation  Connection  Roundup  Follow-up

25. Recruiting Applicants  Mid-October through mid-May  Faculty/Advisor Emails  Word of mouth  Classroom visits to targeted groups  Student Organizations  Career Fairs  University Web Sites

26. Selection & Placement  190 applicants  Interviewed 130 – 140  Allow intern repetition  SelectionPlacement

27. Intern Orientation  On campus – Interns and Intern Supervisors  1:00 am to 4:00 pm  Overview of expectations  Former interns present  Overview of Extension / Tips for Supervisors  Complete employment paperwork

28. Connection  2-page narrative reports  Facebook Group  Administrative visits

29. Roundup  Interns and administration  Agri-business tour & lunch  Small group focus  Process learning  Evaluation

30. Follow-up  Supervisor evaluations  Email list for vacancy announcements

31. Outcomes  70 – 75 % rank internship excellent  22 – 25% rank internship good  25% of current agents were interns  50% minority agents were interns  96% of current agents who were interns say the internship is why they are agents

32. Our Websites  University of Kentucky Http://www.ca.uky.edu/extensionjobs/  Kansas State University http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/jobinfo

33. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddDEZaniZsU