CANTON -- SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran and the Career Services Office are continuing internship experiences to provide on-the-job training for students.

Starting in Spring 2022, funding was made available to create paid internships to aid in developing key career competencies. In its second year, the presidential internship program placed 30 students, including two students from Norwood and a third student from Raymondville, in 14 positions on campus.

The three local students are Benjiman Boyd, a SUNY Canton Applied Psychology major from Norwood; Erin Stickney, a SUNY Canton Technological Communications major from Norwood; and Kyle Chen, a SUNY Canton Game Design and Development major from Raymondville.

"We recognized the value internships add to students' educational experience," said Szafran. "We've been overjoyed by our interns' positive contributions. Paid internships allow students from lower-income families to participate in this valuable experience while earning money to help pay for their education."

Temporary assignments start at $250, and semester-long appointments earn $1,000.

"Each internship enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, professionalism, collaboration, and communication skills," said Director of Career Services Julie A. Parkman. "Ultimately, the positions provide additional learning opportunities for students and prepare them for entry in the workforce."

SUNY Canton's unique programs and the student's skill sets led to several new projects. At the Southworth Library Learning Commons, Instruction and Outreach Librarian Leah M. Fitzgerald oversaw a team of five Game Design and Development students developing innovative instructional materials.

"They were designing a video game to promote information literacy instruction to be used by professors as an interactive way to evaluate websites and articles," Fitzgerald said. "I'm proud of what they created and the hard work they put into this project."

The game challenges players to identify and sort news tips from various sources, including social media, into reliable or unreliable categories.

SUNY Canton Public Relations intern Erin Stickney, a Technological Communications major from Norwood, scripted and starred in the college's annual Mascot Madness video as part of a SUNY-wide competition. Stickney also helped photograph the spring Flo Rida concert and created content for the college's Instagram and Facebook pages.

"I have been able to come up with new ideas and develop my abilities," Stickney said. "Working closely with the college's photographer and videographer, I have gained skills to help with my career readiness after graduation."

Other interns worked as research assistants in the Applied Psychology and Social Sciences programs.

"One of my broader goals is to increase the capacity of our students to conduct research earlier in their four years at SUNY Canton," said Daniel McLane, a lecturer who teaches Social Sciences in the college's School of Business and Liberal Arts. "The internship allowed some of our best students to work fewer hours at minimum-wage jobs and instead spend that time designing and conducting their research, which makes them much more competitive for graduate school."

McLane said interns assisted him with his research and created a database of keyword-searchable scholarships and grants for students looking to travel abroad as part of their undergraduate education.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback on the Presidential Internship program prompted college officials to continue the initiative and create additional on-campus or online student learning opportunities. Faculty and staff are encouraged to use this opportunity to shape the next generation of professionals through hands-on learning experiences.