Shaping Tomorrow

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• Shaping Tomorrows Leaders

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Information Technology Fellows at Valparaiso
University

• Mission Combining the strengths of an education
  from Valparaiso University with professional
  preparation and hands-on experience, the IT
  Fellows Program provides our students with the
  technical training and skills needed to succeed
  in an ever increasingly digital world. Students
  gain real-world experience that will give them a
  competitive edge over their peers as they begin
  their careers.

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Overview

• Program Structure
• Recruitment
• First Year Training
• Second and Third Year On-Campus Internships
• Fourth Year Internships
• Professional Growth
• Training Academy
• Enrichment Seminars
• Learning Journals
• Performance Evaluations
• Senior Technical Project
• Technical Development
• Hands-On Mentoring
• Training Sessions

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Program Overview Recruitment

• High School Seniors are recruited through a
  search for both leaders and technically-oriented
  students
• Advertising materials are sent to prospective
  students to entice them to attend Valparaiso
  University to participate in the IT Fellows
  Program
• Qualified Applicants are invited to participate
  in on-campus or phone interviews with IT
  Coordinators, Directors, and current Fellows
  students
• Accepted students are promptly notified, so their
  college search is not impeded

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First Year Training

• First Year Fellows participate in four cohort
  training rotations lasting six weeks each.
• These cohort rotations develop their skills in
  web design, programming, digital video recording
  and editing, help desk support, hardware and
  software support, and networking.

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First Year Training (cont.)

• During the rotations, Fellows receive hands-on
  training.
• This training comes to fruition as Fellows
  complete projects aimed at showcasing their newly
  developed skills.
• Fellows present their projects to IT Staff, who
  critique and evaluate the presentations.

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First Year Training (cont.)

• In the Spring of their first year, Fellows draft
  and polish their résumés for the internship
  application process.
• IT Fellows obtain their internships in a manner
  similar to a "real-world" job search.
• Classified Ads, which are ads produced by
  internship hosts on campus to entice Fellows to
  apply for their positions, are distributed to
  Fellows.
• Fellows must submit their résumé to each
  internship host and arrange for an interview.
• Hosts then extend job offers to the candidates
  best suited for their department, and Fellows
  accept the position they feel best suits them.

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Second and Third Year On-Campus Internships

• Second-year Fellows engage in year-long
  internships with the department they chose in
  their first-year job search
• In these internships, they fine-tune their skills
  in areas of technology that pique their interest

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Second and Third Year (cont.)

• In 2007, the VU Information Technology Department
  was recognized as one of the nations top 100 IT
  departments by CIO magazine, a distinction earned
  by only six other universities.
• Fellows work side-by-side with members VUs
  CIO-100 IT Department in their second and third
  year internships

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Fourth Year Internships

• Fellows in their fourth year of the program will
  have an opportunity to work on the most important
  and sophisticated technology projects on campus.
  They serve as mentors, trainers, and leaders for
  the program.
• Select fourth-year Fellows also have an
  opportunity to intern in prestigious off-campus
  internships.
• The fourth year is the culmination of the
  program. It brings together the professional and
  technical development of the previous years as
  the student works in a setting comparable to an
  actual workplace.

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Training Academy

• The IT Fellows Training Academy is held annually
  the week prior to Freshmen move-in.
• During this five-day training period, we
  emphasize teamwork, professional development,
  leadership, and basic technical skills.

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Enrichment Seminars

• Enrichment Seminars are seminars that cover a
  topic in great detail and are aimed at
  stimulating thought orproviding insight into
  that particular topic.
• Through the tutelage of an expert in a particular
  field or discipline, these seminars give Fellows
  a chance to increase their marketable talents.

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Learning Journals

• Fellows reflect upon and record their thoughts
  about the program three times per rotation in
  their Learning Journals.
• These journals are kept in any format students
  wish to use, including blogs, web-based journals,
  and standard document journals.
• Fellows submit their Learning Journals to the
  Program Coordinators, who provide them with
  feedback.

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Performance Evaluations

• Program Hosts provide IT Fellows with feedback to
  help them gauge their growth and performance in
  the Program.
• Fellows are reviewed on a wide variety of
  professional and technical criteria
• To facilitate open communication, Fellows also
  review each Hosts performance in mentoring them
  and providing meaningful projects to complete.

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Senior Technical Project

• In order to successfully complete the program,
  Senior IT Fellows complete a Technical Project
  demonstrating what theyve accomplished in the
  program
• The Senior Technical Project is the equivalent of
  an academic Senior Thesis, except as opposed to
  being written, its made via the technical medium
  of the Fellows choice.

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Hands-On Mentoring

• All students in the IT Fellows Program are
  mentored through hands-on assistance from IT
  staff.
• Cohort rotation Hosts provide basic training and
  technical overviews before assigning Fellows to
  their projects, and provide help whenever
  necessary while Fellows complete their
  assignments.
• Intern Hosts lend their expertise whenever a
  Fellow has difficulty completing their projects.

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Training Sessions

• Intern Hosts often offer training sessions to
  provide Fellows advanced knowledge in a specific
  topic pertinent to their role.
• Certification programs through nationally-recogniz
  ed agencies are often offered to ensure Fellows
  have industry-standard knowledge and skills.

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For More Information on the IT Fellows Program

• Contact
• Jeni McIntosh-Elkins, IT Fellows Coordinator
• (219) 464- 6141
• Jeni.McIntosh-Elkins_at_valpo.edu
• Visit
• www.valpo.edu/it/itfellows