This information was sent via email and the Berea Bulletin to faculty on Monday, March 9.
Access the recording of the Internship Program Update Session from Friday, March 20 here.
Faculty,
As you begin working with students who have approached you about sponsoring their summer internships, I want to share the following Internship Program team updates, requirements, stipends, best practices, and resources. This information is important for both new and returning faculty since there have been some key changes this year.
Highlights:
- Team Updates
- New Faculty Sponsor? Join our Update Session + Meet our new Associate Director of Internships
- Requirements & Stipends: New internship grade deadline, grade submission link, and required reflective journal prompts
- Best Practices & Resources: Internship timeline + steps (spring, summer, fall terms), BURIS Internship Presentations for Fall 2026, Handshake approval resources, and more.
- We’re excited to welcome Becky Phelps, ICD’s new Associate Director of Internships. Becky returns to Berea College from previous roles with Partners for Rural Impact and Berea College Admissions.
- Sara Cornett, previously Internship Coordinator, is now ICD’s Operations & Communications Manager, and Nicole Ingold, formerly Program Associate, is now an ICD Coordinator.
- Watch the Berea Bulletin for a full Internships & Career Development team introduction in the coming weeks.
New Faculty Sponsor? Join our Update Session.
- We will offer an optional virtual update session on Friday, March 20 at 12 PM to introduce our new Associate Director of Internships, go over the following program updates and resources, and offer time for Q&A. New faculty highly encouraged to attend, all faculty welcome.
- To indicate your interest in this virtual session, click here. Session will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
- Academic internships (395/495 courses) require a faculty sponsor from the department granting the credit (unless otherwise approved by the Department Chair).
- The role of the faculty sponsor is to oversee the academic direction and integrity of the learning experience.
- A secondary sponsor is not required, unless specified by a department or program, such as the EPG or Shepherd programs.
- If a faculty sponsor is unable to fulfill their commitment for some unexpected reason, the faculty member and/or the Department Chair would ask another faculty member to fill the role.
- Stipends of $300 per intern are provided to faculty sponsors who are not receiving any other type of compensation for this purpose (such as departmental stipends or previously arranged course release because they have a large set of interns).
- To be eligible for the stipends, by September 30, 2026, faculty sponsors are expected to:
- Follow best practices (below)
- Grade the three required reflective journal prompts (rubric to be provided in submission link).
- Submit final internship grades
- Delayed submission of grades may result in delayed faculty internship stipend distribution (typically disbursed with October 31st pay).
- To be eligible for the stipends, by September 30, 2026, faculty sponsors are expected to:
- This page includes processes, how-to guides, best practices, and resources.
- For eligible students still searching for positions, don’t forget about our regularly updated Featured Internships.
Spring term
- Review the offer that the student has received and, if the site is not already known to you, familiarize yourself with the organization in a basic way.
- Work with the student as they draft and revise their Internship Proposal prior to submission in Handshake, specifying parameters for the required assignments (reflective journals, paper, presentation) and grading.
- New Requirement: As part of Internship Program reporting and SACSCOC accreditation requirements, an update for Summer 2026 includes three required reflective journal prompts for all interns across all academic departments. These reflective journal prompts should be included in addition to all other journals assigned to the intern by the Faculty Sponsor/Academic Department (see Section 11 on the Internship Proposal Form).
- New Requirement: As part of Internship Program reporting and SACSCOC accreditation requirements, an update for Summer 2026 includes three required reflective journal prompts for all interns across all academic departments. These reflective journal prompts should be included in addition to all other journals assigned to the intern by the Faculty Sponsor/Academic Department (see Section 11 on the Internship Proposal Form).
- Use the link sent via email from Handshake to approve the Internship Proposal online. Instructions for approving internships in Handshake are here (pdf and video).
If you serve in more than one approver role, you will receive more than one email (Faculty Sponsor and Department Chair). It may appear to be a duplication, but it is not, and you must approve each one separately.
Summer term
- Read and respond to journal entries on a weekly basis throughout the internship. Journal prompts (in addition to the three required prompts) are encouraged, and samples can be seen here.
- Contact the site supervisor by email or phone after the student has been working for 2-3 weeks to introduce yourself, make a connection, and ascertain how things are going from their perspective, making the Internship Office aware of any serious concerns.
Fall term
- Assess the student’s written assignments and presentation, along with the site supervisor’s evaluation, and submit the internship grade (including the graded required reflective journals) via the submission link provided by September 30, 2026.
- BURIS Internship Presentations: While many departments schedule internship presentations throughout the fall, we highly encourage faculty sponsors to steer students toward the Berea Undergraduate Research & Internship Symposium (BURIS) for Fall 2026. This year, the symposium moves to an earlier date in September, following Internships & Career Development Week and immediately preceding Homecoming Weekend (Sept. 25–27). This shift provides a premier platform for interns to showcase their work to visiting alumni and engage in high-impact networking.
If you have any questions along the way, just let us know. Your continuing support of student internships is appreciated, and the impact is significant!
Internship Program
Stephenson Hall 308
859.985.3656
internships@berea.edu
