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Internships are valuable experiences that allow students to apply knowledge and skills in a real-world setting, and build their professional network. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville graduate student David Groves will spend his summer doing just that, having earned a competitive national summer fellowship with the Association for College Unions International (ACUI).

Groves is slated to graduate from SIUE in May 2018 with a master’s in college student personnel administration (CSPA). He aspires to become vice president of student affairs at a higher education institution.

“This opportunity will allow for national exposure to the profession of student affairs in the leadership of coordinating campus student unions,” said Pietro Sasso, PhD, assistant professor and director of the CSPA program. “David will be able to engage in deeper learning about building campus community. I’m proud of his selection for this competitive internship. He is an exceptional leader and student with a strong ethical core who will be an individual of influence as a new professional.”

Through the Marsha Herman-Betzen (MHB) Internship Program, Groves will assist with advancing campus communities on a national platform through college union diversity summits and educational outreach programs during ACUI’s summer session from June 5-July 21 in Bloomington, Ind. He will also serve as the Institute for Leadership Education and Development (I-LEAD®) intern through ACUI from July 24-28 at Kansas State University.

“This internship is important for my future field of work, because I’m always looking for ways to improve students’ experiences,” Groves said. “This national opportunity will allow me to see the big picture on smaller campuses. I have always admired national programs, but did not know that the opportunity was available to actually impact more than just a specific region.

“Creating atmospheres that are inclusive is extremely important to me,” he added. “This opportunity will allow me to gain first-hand knowledge and learn valuable lessons on how to do this effectively.”

Groves is the second intern to serve in this capacity for the ACUI. He is the first SIUE CSPA student to earn a national, competitive internship position, which according to Sasso, demonstrates the quality and caliber of emerging professionals within SIUE’s program, which launched in 2014.

“Placements such as with ACUI, or through other associations, promote professional development and exposure to the national scope of higher education,” Sasso said. “These students are able to gain a broader perspective of how specific programs and support services facilitate student development and learning at institutions across the country. Exposure to a wider scale of higher education reinforces their professional identity and promotes a complex understanding of specific functional areas such as student unions or centers.”

For more information on SIUE’s CSPA program, visit siue.edu/csp.

Photo: David Groves.