Other stories deliver advice on how to keep your momentum going all the way through the move-out process as well as examining ways to deliver amenities to students that are valued as well as a good value. And, just in time for The Placement Exchange, this issue’s “Conversations” feature has four professionals discussing how important creating an accurate job description is to finding the right person for the job.

Check out the latest issue. And also remember that you can browse past issues of the Talking Stick online by clicking the “Archives” tab that is at the bottom of the browser window.

Because of this, the intern process means something different for our department than it may for larger departments. Departments that hire six or eight interns as conferences staff potentially also double the size of their staff, but without the two additional bodies [and brains!] brought in each summer, our operation would fail to thrive. We rely on those two additional people to move our operation forward. I am continuously amazed by what these young soon-to-be professionals are able to accomplish in the eight weeks they are with us. In fact, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use something created or enhanced by a previous intern.

Previous interns have told me they value the experience they had because it is so different than what many of their peers experience during the summer. For our interns, there is no distribution of linens, no camps, and no conference-themed polo shirts in their closets. They tell me that their peers are often envious of the “inside” look at an operation, particularly a new one, that they receive. And while you can’t rewind to make your department new again, here are some ideas to give your summer interns a more meaningful experience, no matter what the focus of their position is:

• Before interns arrive, send them a packet that includes information about the campus and local community. Share recent copies of the student newspaper, particularly those featuring articles related to your department. Also include any marketing material that your department utilizes to familiarize them with basic themes, mission, goals, etc.  Include a survey to assess their interests beyond the scope of their position. Use that information to arrange meetings for them with other university administrators early in their time on campus or identify specific tasks within the department that they be able to get involved in.
• Utilize neighboring campuses for professional development opportunities. While I work at a regional campus of a large, state university, one of the nation’s largest private, faith-based institutions is down the street. We do an intern exchange and immersion program over the summer so they learn more about each type of operation.
• While waiting for institutional access to e-mail or other systems during those first days, provide documentation for interns to read. Remember that they are staff members, not just visitors, and should have access to annual reports, assessment data, quantitative statistics, demographics of the population served by your office, etc. The more they know early on the better able to serve they will be.
• Include interns in major strategic planning and assessment. Not only is this an opportunity they may not have at their own institutions, they also bring an objective perspective to the table.
• Let them take the lead. Don’t just invite interns to meetings throughout the summer. Let them facilitate meetings with other departments, particularly for the tasks of which they have ownership.
• Designate a dry erase board as “Future Intern List.” Have the interns jot notes of things future interns should know or ideas for next summer’s projects.
• Link interns with opportunities beyond the institution. Each summer I encourage our interns to write an article for Trends, GLACUHO’s magazine, about their experiences or a project they’re particularly proud of from their time at the university. This forms good professional development habits and provides an opportunity for reflection.
• Follow up, follow up, follow up. Before the interns leave at the end of the summer, we schedule an online staff meeting during the fall semester so they can be updated on how the things they worked on are going; whether that is new initiatives at staff training or a policy they helped benchmark.  Let them know that they what they did mattered, even if they aren’t there to directly see the results.

Each internship position is different and has a varied intended outcome. Above all else, remember that the focus of the experience is education and immersion in a new university culture.

What does your department do to enhance the intern experience? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments!

The ACUHO-I Marketing and Communications Committee recognizes the need for resources to be your fingertips. Fellow professionals and their experiences are invaluable resources. The ACUHO-I Online Resource Library will provide just that; a showcase of successful communication strategies among its members. Our hope is to share examples of the following types of publications: view books, brochures, on-line promotions, media advertisements, direct marketing collateral and much more. Each example, whether a design or campaign, can be labeled under specific topic areas such as staff recruitment, room selection, branding documents, job descriptions, and marketing campaigns.

Everyone has an experience to bring to the table. We need you to provide examples of your publications, campaigns, media strategies and more. If you have examples (and we know you do!) that you think would be helpful to your fellow professionals, please submit to the online library. The submission form can be found here. Please submit your submission form and electronic publication sample to mccresource@gmail.com. If you are submitting multiple publications, please submit separate e-mails for each piece and/or campaign. The deadline to submit material is March 1, 2010.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions and appreciate your time in providing details of your work and/or campaigns.

The story also acknowledges it is not only  amenities  such as fitness centers and computer labs that add value, but programmatic offerings such as living-learning communities. So, this makes me ask the question, should buildings with amenities such as faculty-in-residence and living-learning community cost more than residence halls without those amenities?  Can we put a monetary value on the residential experience itself? Should the bricks and mortar be the determining cost factor? What are your thoughts?

See the full story here.

In recent years ACUHO-I added several new features, resources, events, and programs while also striving to reach a greater number of individuals at member institutions. In the process we discovered not everyone was aware of all that ACUHO-I has to offer. To correct that perception, we have created a new online publication, the ACUHO-I Member Guidebook.

This online resource details the programs and services ACUHO-I offers as well as instructions on how to best take advantage of them. Presented in the same convenient format as the online Talking Stick magazine (free to all members, don’t forget!) the guidebook covers ACUHO-I publications, online resources, member services, and professional development opportunities.

Please spend some time with this overview of ACUHO-I and the available resources. Share it with your staff members so they might discover a new opportunity to get involved or further their professional development. And then, use the comment section of the blog to spotlight some of your favorite (and possibly overlooked) ACUHO-I member benefits.

Having already experienced an apartment fire on his campus during move-in week, Schultz stresses the need to expect the unexpected. In the interview he also discusses campus roles and responsibilities for emergency preparedness, improvements in technology, changing legislation, and more.The interview also provides links to a number of emergency preparedness resources, valuable for anyone reviewing existing plans.

Is your campus prepared for the unexpected emergency? Post your comments and share your thoughts.

Questions? Ask librarian Emily Glenn: emily [at] acuho-i.org.