Oakland University's School of Business Administration students can gain real experience and support Michigan's economic development goals through the SBA's 2010 CIBRE Summer Internship Program.
The intensive 10-week summer program, which begins mid-May and runs through mid-July, places SBA undergraduate and graduate students accepted into the program into teams assigned to sponsored projects based on skill-level and area of interest, while earning a tuition stipend. The career-track projects and collective learning experience provides students with the chance to:
Unlike a typical internship, the CIBRE Summer Internship Program is a collective learning experience, with students meeting regularly to share their knowledge and to learn from other students. Each student group is assigned a graduate student mentor, who meets with the group on Saturdays three times during the ten-week internship program.
This is the second year the program is available to SBA students. In summer 2009, the CIBRE summer interns participated in projects that included database design, market analysis, process improvement, general sales and marketing, accounting, information systems applications and Web-based research. Project sponsors included companies like Volkswagen, Ajax Paving, Ancor Information Management and the Older Persons Commission in Rochester.
“We brought together several components to provide students a collective learning experience,” said Mohan Tanniru, SBA's dean. “Interns planned and implemented a project, worked together as a team, and shared knowledge in Saturday meetings.”
The students benefitted from the internship experience, Tanniru continued. "It adds value to their career profile and differentiates them. But the immediate measure of success is that the students learned from and enjoyed the experience and the companies were pleased with the work."
"I worked on an energy audit project that allowed us to research innovative techniques and put them to work in simulation models. The experience was unlike any other I have had at OU, and this project introduced me to some great people I now call friends," said Chris Valmassoi, SBA '09, accounting analyst, Maritime Brokers and Consultants.
Information sessions will be hosted on Tuesday, March 30, and Tuesday, April 6, with an orientation tentatively scheduled for early May with the intent of placement starting in mid-May.
Check the CIBRE Summer Internship Web page for more details and to apply online at oakland.edu/cibreinternship.