Since 2016, the Inserra Chair, in collaboration with the Italian Program (MLL Dept.), has offered a vast array of pre-professional opportunities to students of Italian at MSU. The main internship program was created in Summer 2017 thanks to a special donation received from Mr. Inserra: it provides substantial funding to defray university costs and give students the chance to count on financial support via jobs in relevant areas for their studies.The program focuses on three areas: Italian Business/Made in Italy, Translation, and Teaching/Cultural Programming. Other internships have been offered ad hoc based on specific student projects, research initiatives, and collaborations with other institutions.
INSERRA PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
This program counts on $10,000 a year in scholarships for internships, and includes partnerships with notable Italian organizations and companies: the in Princeton, in Secaucaus, NJ, in NY and the in Macerata (in collaboration with the local university). It provides students of Italian with hands-on projects encompassing an international component. The program has supported two students with $5,000 scholarships in its first and second year of existence, and four students with a $2,500 scholarship each the third year. Overall, eight students have benefitted from this program, a unique offering for a state university. The program has expanded the possibilities for Italian majors looking to secure full-time jobs upon graduation. Read post about .
1. Italian Business and Made in Italy sector
- Italian Business Internships at the Italian Trade Agency in New York and Choose New Jersey in Princeton (Italian Business and Made in Italy)
Past editions: , , , 2019-20 post,Ìý2022 post.
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2. Italian Teaching/Cultural Programming
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3. Audiovisual Translation (Sub- and Sur-titles and Audiodescriptions)
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AD HOC INTERNSHIP AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITIONS
The Inserra Chair has also involved Italian majors in research projects entailing travel abroad for video-interviews, exchange students of Italian Studies in the at MSU, and HS students for Italian language data gathering related to the . In this case, it has partnered up with the titling agency in Florence, the University of Graz Exchange Program at MSU, and Montclair High School,
1. Audiovisual Translation (Sub- and Sur-titles and Audiodescriptions)
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2. Internship for Summer Intensive Program for HS students
3. HS student Internship
4. Research assistant (Video-interviews)
These educational activities are integrated into the regular curriculum and have had a long-term effect on student success. In this sense, these experiences are in line with the 2014 Gallup/Purdue University study called which indicates that the three experiences that contribute to feeling prepared for life after college are:
1. Internships or jobs where students can apply what they learned
2. Active involvement in extracurricular activities (cultural events, clubs, etc.)
3. Working on a project that took a semester or more to complete
Graduates who participated in all three experiences had double the workplace engagement than those who did not take part (59% vs. 30%), in terms of actively pursuing goals and trying to improve their skills, communicating well with other employees and employers, and expressing a sense of satisfaction towards their job experience. Deep learning experiences coupled with steady academic and emotional support from faculty members produce long-term outcomes for college graduates.
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(Nov. 2, 2017, The New York Times)