How to Host a Field Period

All employers and organizations interested in hosting a Field Period student are welcome to post opportunities through the Center for Experiential Learning. Opportunities are posted online and distributed to the appropriate academic department for faculty and student viewing. You’re welcome to post opportunities using Storm Tracker, our online database, or by completing our job-posting form and faxing or e-mailing it to the Center for Experiential Learning.

One of the ways you can take part in on-campus recruiting for Field Period/internship and volunteer positions is by coming to our annual Experiential Learning Fair, held each fall semester. You can also learn more about recruiting on campus.

Field Period terms run over the month of January and summer break.  It’s recommended that employers and organizations looking to have Field Period students at their site post opportunities for the January break by mid-September and for the summer break by mid-March. Field Periods at all other times of the year can be posted as needed.

What Are the Benefits of Field Period to an Employer?

National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) Executive Director Chris Moulton, left, poses with Keuka alumna and NHWF Deputy Director Amanda Bishop '05. Moulton, formerly Amanda's Field Period supervisor, is now her boss. Bishop is continuing the tradition of services as a Field Period supervisor for current Keuka students.

Hosting Field Period students can benefit your organization in many ways, including:

• Source of highly motivated pre-professionals.
• They offer new perspectives for old problems.
• They increase the visibility of your organization on campus.
• They are quality candidates for temporary or seasonal positions and projects.
• They offer reedom for your professional staff to pursue more creative projects.
• They are a flexible, cost-effective work force not requiring a long-term commitment.
• They represent a proven, cost-effective way to recruit and evaluate potential employees.

The National Associations of Colleges and Employers, in their 2005 survey on experiential education, found that “nationally, employers report converting—on average—35.6 percent of their interns to full-time employees.  four out of five employers report higher retention rates among their college hires that have internship/co-op experience versus those that had no such experience.”

In the Keuka College Recent Graduate Survey of the past five class years, 40 percent of those responding reported receiving job offers from one or more of their Field Period sites, with 20 percent currently employed at a previous Field Period location.

The Field Period program connects employers to students and allows for on-the job training before full-time employment ever begins.

What’s the Responsibility of the Employer/Supervisor?

The on-site supervisor for the Field Period program provides guidance, supervision, and evaluation of the student during the Field Period.

This supervisor must approve the student’s learning contract and discuss the contract with the student, verifying that the learning goals, objectives, and activities listed will actually be facilitated by the site. The supervisor also serves as a resource person to the student throughout the Field Period, answering questions and guiding the student to achieve the stated objectives. Upon completion of the Field Period, the site is required to complete a final evaluation of the student, which is one component of the evaluation process that the student will complete upon returning to campus after the Field Period.

For more information on the Field Period program and overall internship program development/management, view our Employer Guide.