CSPA Student Presents at National Conference

Graduate Assistant Lydia Pendleton of the College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) program in the UCA Leadership Studies department, recently presented at the annual American College Personnel Association (ACPA) College Student Educators International Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Pendleton and her internship colleagues from Arkansas State University –Beebe presented The Bigger Picture: Enhancing Graduate Internship for Students and Institutions, regarding their unique internship experiences.  The presentation was focused on improving the internship experience for students and institutions. A few of the recommendations for students were to articulate the experiences that they are hoping to get from the internship to their site supervisor, step out of their comfort zone and explore different things, and to fully commit to the experience. Recommendations for institutions included creating structured seminars for students and providing students with worthwhile projects that can be completed during the internship and which can be implemented on that campus. Institutions are advised to expose students to as many functional areas and academic partners on campus as possible so that they gain a broader view of how institutions function and how each department is interconnected.  Pendleton reports, “The end result of such internships is that students will gain valuable experiences, learn new skillsets, and have tangible evidence of their work which ultimately prepares them for professional careers. The end result for institutions is that they get to invest in the lives of students, they contribute to the advancement of higher education, and they have a project or program that they can implement on their campus.”