ODU receives $5 million to go towards humanities internships
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The Mellon Foundation has awarded Old Dominion University (ODU) $5 million to go towards humanities internships.
The fund will help create the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy, which will provide resources to humanities majors to gain on-the-job training.
According to ODU, between 2014 and 2022, only 29% of humanities majors completed an internship. When surveyed, students cited work obligations and lack of knowledge about available internships as reasons for not completing an internship.
The Internship Academy aims to help ensure students are financially rewarded for scholarships, offering payment for students in internships that do not provide funding.
“Old Dominion University has boldly stepped forward and made a firm commitment to current and future students that when they earn their degrees and embark on their careers, they will have the necessary work experiences, skills and professional networks to thrive,” President Brian O. Hemphill said. “We are profoundly grateful to the Mellon Foundation for this significant investment to ensure clear pathways for our humanities students to pursue their passions, serve local communities and achieve their goals. The Mellon Foundation has provided a strong framework to change the trajectory and increase the impact of our humanities graduates for years to come.”
The academy will work with students in select majors to seek opportunities with companies and organizations that focus on social missions. Students will also be able to create electronic portfolios through the academy.
“The positive impact of this will be extraordinary,” dean of the University’s College of Arts and Letters Laura Delbrugge said. “This means more of our students will hit the ground running when they graduate and join the workforce. We’re talking about career-building, life-changing experiences.”
During the universities 2023-28 strategic plan, ODU outlined a vision to have every graduating students complete an internship by the year 2027. The Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office, led by Executive Director Barbara Blake, was created in 2023 to help the university achieve these goals.
“The Monarch Humanities Internship Academy embraces ODU’s commitment to work-based learning,” vice provost for academic affairs and dean of interdisciplinary studies Brian Payne said. “Incoming students will be exposed to internship opportunities at the soonest possible point’ we don’t want students waiting until their senior year to start thinking about internships.”
According to ODU, Blake has worked with employers in order to create innovative work-based learning opportunities, working to create internships that are not restricted to one major or discipline.
“The real promise of the Mellon investment into ODU students is the support of the value of a humanities education,” Blake said. “Some of those key tenets of the humanities are so ideal for employers – skills in critical thinking, communication, cultural competency, creativity and innovation, adaptability and flexibility. There are multiple industries and multiple positions that need well-rounded candidates, and humanities students have a wide, diverse skill set.”
The goals of the academy can be found below:
Identify experiential learning pathways in every humanities degree program at ODU.
Offer internship preparation to at least 100 humanities-focused freshmen each year through learning communities.
Facilitate 750 humanities internships.
Develop 750 online electronic portfolios.
Develop a sustainable internship program providing support to humanities students.
The Internship Academy will start by creating five learning communities with 25 students each, in the hopes of allowing students to understand their internship opportunities.
ODU plans to have two assistant directors and a program support specialist staffed for the Internship Academy. The assistants will provide advising, coaching, assistance and support to humanities majors.
The Mellon Foundation, which is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities, awarded $25 million to establish humanities internships. ODU was one of five public universities chosen by the Mellon Foundation to receive the award.
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