Victor Rubin, executive director of the University-Oakland Metropolitan Forum, and Patti Owen, manager of academic personnel, are among more than a dozen staff and faculty on campus who will be sponsoring staff internships this year.
The Staff Internship Program was created six years ago as a means for talented employees to develop their careers at the university and to promote workforce diversity. Interns take a year away from their regular jobs to work on critical projects in paid, mentored internships.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in Sibley Auditorium in Bechtel Engineering Center campus staff can learn about this year's offerings and get a full picture of how internships work.
Mentors will speak about their openings and the kind of learning opportunities each internship will provide. There will be an opportunity to meet the mentors after the panel, and internship program staff will be on hand to answer questions and offer information about how to write competitive applications for internships.
Horace Mitchell, vice chancellor--Business and Administrative Services; Alice Gregory, director of Human Resources; and Sam Castaneda, staff intern analyst from the Graduate Division, will also be at the program to answer questions.
"Mentors value the fresh perspective and energy that interns bring to the work environment and employees seek out internships to demonstrate their abilities and develop skills, stimulate their careers and increase visibility on campus," said Valerie Weller, manager of the program.
"Eighty percent of the interns have met their career goals with new permanent appointments at UC after their internships," she said.
Staff internships provide employees with challenging learning experiences while supporting campus goals. "I encourage campus colleagues to take advantage of the unique opportunities these new internships offer," said Maria Torralba who recently finished an internship. "It is unlike any other experience I have had in my career."
"Having intern Michael Dang working in my office under the mentorship of Assistant Chancellor Cummins, and having worked with staff interns in the past, I have seen up close the value of this program. I encourage all of you to consider the rich opportunities for professional growth afforded here," said Chancellor Tien.