Role of Faculty Sponsor
Every student who participates in an academic internship is required to obtain a Faculty Sponsor from the department granting the credit. A secondary sponsor is not required unless preferred by a program or department. For example, Dr. Woodward serves as the secondary sponsor for students participating in the Shepherd Internship Program, Dr. Hackbert is the secondary sponsor for EPG interns, and there may be cross-disciplinary internships where a secondary sponsor would make sense.
The role of the Faculty Sponsor is to oversee the academic direction and integrity of the learning experience.
Benefits to Serving as a Faculty Sponsor (as identified by other faculty sponsors)
- Able to network with professionals who are immersed in the day-to-day realities of the profession
- Can learn from the students’ research and/or experience
- Students return to the classroom with new insights and heightened interest in the subject matter – more “engaged”
