By Jeff Murphy,
September 28, 2016
WARRENSBURG - While colleges and universities encourage internships as a way to gain
job-ready experience, students at The Missouri Innovation Campus are taking the concept
to an extended level, and it’s paying off with great jobs when they graduate--two
years ahead of other students their age.
Quinn Cosgrove, who attended Lee’s Summit West High School, is just one example. Before
he graduated in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering Technology
degree from the University of Central Missouri, he was already working full time for
DST as a systems administrator, supporting infrastructure for an operating system
that is widely used in the financial industry. The opportunity that landed him a job
grew out of an internship that gave Cosgrove approximately three years of paid, on-the-job
experience with this well-known Kansas City company.
“I was placed into The Missouri Innovation Campus, and through that I was paired with
an internship,” Cosgrove said. “I interviewed with several different companies and
ended up here at DST. They’ve taken good care of me and helped me learn and grow in
my career.”
The MIC was launched in 2012 and is a direct and intentional collaboration between
UCM, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, the district’s Summit Technology Academy,
Metropolitan Community Colleges, and, currently, 42 business partners. Students enter
this program their junior year of high school while taking classes at the STA. They
can choose academic program options leading to Bachelor of Science degrees in systems
engineering technology, design and drafting technology, computer science, and cybersecurity,
which was added in 2016.
As they continue through this rigorous program, students complete an associate degree
from MCC at approximately the same time they graduate from high school. Then they
move on to UCM, where they can finish their four-year degree two years later, and
with good prospects for jobs when they graduate. When the first cohort of 11 students
participated in UCM’s May 2016 commencement exercises, some graduates already had
full-time positions with Kansas City area companies where they interned, now earning
annual salaries above $60,000.
Stan Elliott, director of The MIC, said the internship “is the lifeline” of this unique
program. Although many college and university internships are only a semester long,
internships with The MIC partners take place over a three-year period, providing more
extensive real-world, applied learning experiences that supplement classroom instruction.
The first summer internship begins prior to the student’s senior year of high school.
This on-the-job learning opportunity is 40 hours per week for eight consecutive weeks,
and is in addition to two college courses students must take in their academic degree
program. As students continue through the fall and spring throughout the remainder
of the program, they participate in internships twice a week, while also taking a
full load of college classes.
A strong commitment is required by students entering The MIC, but there are vast opportunities
for them to gain knowledge that will benefit them in their professional careers. Even
the process of applying and preparing for internships is a learning opportunity, according
to Elliott.
“There’s an interview process,” he said, “and we prepare students through resume building,
followed by two or three rounds of mock interviews. The companies then choose who
they want to interview.”
The interviews take place in March during the student’s first year in The MIC, and
the students are placed in internships by June 1, more than 10 months after they begin
their MIC program. The internship then becomes a vital part of their education throughout
the remaining years of the program.
Internships not only help bridge the skills gap in high-tech businesses, but because
student participants are paid by participating business partners, it helps make a
college degree much more affordable. The goal is for MIC students to graduate with
little or no college debt.
An opportunity to obtain an affordable education along with on-the-job experience
resonated with former Raymore-Peculiar High School student Jamison Guilford, who earned
a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from UCM and was looking forward to working
full-time with Cerner after an internship that gave her experience with the capacity
management team. She recalled her first meeting to learn about The MIC in which she
heard UCM President Charles Ambrose speak about the program.
“President Ambrose was talking to a big room full of people, and he kept saying reduced
fees, reduced fees…my mom just grabbed my arm and said you can do it.”
Guilford’s mother was right. She enrolled in The MIC program, interned at Cerner,
and gained experiences that prepared her for a full-time job.
“Our team at Cerner basically serves as the front door for the interface with business,”
said Justin Martin, manager of the technology service capacity management team. “They
bring us things they need, services they require, and we work with them to figure
out how we can deliver in terms of infrastructure in order to make those services
come to life.”
In Guilford’s case, an internship that gave her a working knowledge of computer servers
has been helpful.
“Jamie is already up to speed in understanding how these systems are built, so she
can provide comfort to our customers when they are providing her with details and
requirements. She can just jump right in and ask them more business questions rather
than technical things. Really, it is the business questions that drive how a system
is designed,” Martin said.
For parents who benefit from not having to help repay college loans, The MIC is getting
a lot of praise. Some of that, however, goes well beyond the financial benefit. For
Dorothy Cosgrove, the transformation from student to professional that she has witnessed
in her son, Quinn, is a source of pride that is due, in part, to a life-changing internship
opportunity. She still remembers her son as a high schooler, uncertain about whether
or not The MIC was right for him.
As she noted, “They had an interview with all the business partners and Quinn put
on a suit and tie. I’ve got to tell you, maybe he was a little bit shy, and wasn’t
sure about this, but looking at the Quinn then and the Quinn now, I think he’s got
a lot more confidence.”
Although Quinn Cosgrove speaks humbly about his experience, all the benefits of The
MIC program could give him reason to have a bit of swagger in his step.
“It’s a big accomplishment, definitely. I put in a lot of time and work, and got done
early, and it’s all finally paying off. You get reduced debt, you don’t have to worry
about student loans, and you get your foot into the career field,” Cosgrove said.
“It’s a wonderful program. There’s no reason not to do it.”
Currently, there are 85 students from the Kansas City metropolitan area who are involved
in The MIC.
Fifty-five of these students will participate in internships this fall and spring,
and 30 others, who recently began the program, will start their internships in summer
2017. All of these opportunities are paid by MIC business partners.
While students benefit from internships, they also will soon have an opportunity to
utilize brand new classroom facilities, which are scheduled to open in August 2017.
Located on 15 acres near Ward and Tudor Road in Lee’s Summit, the new 140,000-square-foot
facility is made possible through the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s partnership
with UCM, and will provide shared space between the school district and the university.
The school district is paying approximately 40 percent toward the new school with
UCM paying the remaining
60 percent. Based on an agreement between both organizations, the R-7 School District
will be the sole owner of the facility with UCM paying its portion through a lease
agreement.
Learn more about The MIC online at ucmo.edu/mic.
