Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 13 Spring 1992 How to succeed in business with minority summer internship program A solid academic background and hands-on experience are a winning combination for people on both sides of the desk--those seeking jobs and those hiring employees. Since 1985, the College of Business and Economics' Minority Summer Internship Program has successfully linked qualified minority students with local industry to provide such meaningful summer employment. On-the-job experience gives students a feel for the corporate world, which is valuable when they are looking for a "real" job. The summer internships help students determine future career goals or may give them the incentive to seek an MBA or other advanced degree, according to Robert Barker, administrator of graduate and undergraduate programs in the college's Department of Business Administration. The program also provides an opportunity for employers to become acquainted with minority students and their abilities. "The reality is that the work force in the year 2000 will be less than 40 percent white males, so industry must start attracting and training minorities with talents and skills for management and leadership," Barker said. The minority internship program is a joint venture of the college and the Brandywine Professional Association (BPA), a Delaware Valley organization composed of approximately 250 black entrepreneurs and professionals in law, medicine, business, education, banking, industry and other fields. Norman Hatter, director of human resources in the Polymers Department of the Du Pont Co., and Chuck Singleton, a market specialist at W. L. Gore, were among those at the start-up of the program. "We were friends and managers in Du Pont at the time," Hatter says. "We told Bob Barker how helpful it would have been for us when we began our careers to have had an understanding of the corporate setting and how it works." Since the program began in 1985, 42 students have participated, and the minority enrollment in the MBA program has doubled to a high of 18 students in 1991, Barker says. The program begins in November when qualified juniors, seniors and MBA students who have maintained a high GPA apply to be candidates. This year, the program was limited to students in the college. Next year, the program is expected to be open to all interested undergraduates at the University, whether they are arts and science majors or engineers or from other majors who are interested in careers in business and industry, Barker says. He and committee members work with applicants on their resumes and interviewing skills and help in other areas to prepare them for the corporate world. In February, a reception allows company representatives to learn about the program and informally meet the students. Formal interviews follow in March and April. Du Pont, ICI Americas, Delmarva Power, General Motors Acceptance Corp., Bank of Delaware, MBNA America and W. L. Gore & Associates are among the participating companies. "When a student is accepted as an intern, he or she has a coach in the work place and a mentor from BPA, who gets to know the student on an informal, friendly basis and can give advice and encouragement based on his or her experience. "This is a unique part of the internship," Hatter says. "We can't always get a match, but the arrangement works out well." The proof of the program is the success of its interns. Many have been offered full-time positions by their summer employers; some are working and getting their MBAs at night; some are enrolled full-time in the MBA program. A former Blue Hen football player, Sam Haynes, had an internship with the legal department of Du Pont in the summer of 1990. He continued to work with Du Pont part-time the following year, returning to Du Pont during the summer of 1991, and he is now a student at Temple Law School. His friend and adviser is Gary Brown, a Du Pont attorney, who says Haynes "was a bright person who did not know how bright he was. He grew the whole time he was with us. He was responsible. He met reporting requirements. He had what it takes." Haynes calls the program "outstanding." His experience in the legal department gave him an opportunity to get a first-hand, realistic view of the law profession. It was "not glamorous and not like L.A. Law or Matlock," he says, but he enjoyed the work and decided to apply to law school. Alvis Nash, a Delaware MBA student who did her undergraduate work at Hampton University, served her internship with Du Pont/Merck last summer, working for a pharmaceuticals product manager. "I loved the job, which involved marketing research and advertising. It opened up the world of pharmaceutical sales to me," Nash said. "The summer internship program complements the University's academic and MBA programs. The backbone of the program is the participating companies, and the black professionals and business people who are willing to share their experience and give support to minority students who are following in their footsteps," Barker says. -Sue Swyers Moncure