农夫导航 has enhanced its career development programs to guarantee students internship opportunities and connect graduates with rewarding jobs, thanks in part to two recent grants from local foundations.
The grants - from the and the - support a four-year undergraduate focus on career development through alumni mentoring, courses that emphasize exploring careers and preparing for internships, and a new summer internship program that provides stipends for students who complete an unpaid internship.
鈥淲hen choosing a college, students have plenty of options,鈥� said Dr. Susan M. Donovan, Bellarmine鈥檚 president. 鈥淭hose who choose Bellarmine have high expectations and are willing to work hard to succeed. We honor their investment in quality by guaranteeing access to internships, helping them outline a career plan, and giving them access to an extensive professional network before they graduate. We鈥檙e grateful to the James Graham Brown Foundation and the Ogle Foundation for helping us expand these important initiatives that will deliver better-prepared graduates into the region鈥檚 workforce.鈥�
The Brown Foundation grant supported hiring two additional Career Development employees to expand these services and created grants to support students in unpaid nonprofit internships in Louisville, while the Ogle Foundation grant extended those grants into Southern Indiana鈥檚 nonprofits.
Bellarmine鈥檚 growing emphasis on career development is already paying off for students and recent graduates. A survey of last year鈥檚 graduates shows that 99 percent are working or continuing their higher education. Among the 2017 graduates in the workforce, the survey found that bachelor鈥檚 degree recipients are earning an average of $43,000, while graduate degree recipients are earning an average of $68,000.
Bellarmine鈥檚 focus on blending the value of a liberal arts education with extensive career preparation includes:
- Two courses for credit on exploring career pathways and preparing for successful internships.
- A tuition-free summer internship opportunity for credit.
- Grants for students pursuing unpaid internship opportunities at nonprofit organizations in Louisville and Southern Indiana.
- A professional mentoring program pairing students with a Bellarmine graduate in their career field of interest.
- Professional skill-building seminars offered to all students throughout the year.
The survey of last year鈥檚 graduates, conducted by Bellarmine鈥檚 Career Development Center with an 81 percent response rate, found 73 percent of graduates stayed in Louisville, although new graduates can be found working or studying in 26 U.S. states and two other nations. Seventy percent of undergrad degree recipients completed at least one internship for credit, and 91 percent of new graduates in the workforce are already working in their career field of interest.
For more information about Bellarmine鈥檚 internship guarantee, visit /studentaffairs/careercenter/guarantee/.