Internship Program

Director: Jill Farry

Internships provide students an opportunity to apply the critical reasoning skills and principles acquired in academic courses in specific professional and career settings. During their internships, students have the opportunity to strengthen their communication skills, participate in collaborative problem solving and explore alternative career options.

Students may earn academic credits during their internship experience, or they may complete the internship without earning credits. Internships for credit are under the direction of a faculty moderator and an "on-site" supervisor. Students spend two to four months, full- or part-time, in an appropriate organizational setting including businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.

To earn academic credits for an internship, students must fulfill the prerequisites established by each academic department and develop an individualized learning plan in consultation with a faculty moderator. Students planning to earn credits must also consult with the Internship Office. Students planning for eight or more internship credits should enroll in the Pre-Internship Seminar at least one semester before they plan to intern. For additional information about investigating internship opportunities and the requirements for registration, check the Internship Office's website, contact the director of internships or the staff in the Career Resource Centers.

The Liemandt Family Service Learning Program [Top]

Coordinator: Cynthia Pederson

Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community or public service with intentional reflection and critical thinking. The Liemandt Family Service Learning Program engages students in the local community for semester-long service experiences. These experiences or projects are initiated by faculty who integrate this innovative pedagogy into one or more of their courses. Service learning experiences can include, but are not limited to, developing or enhancing new after-school programs for school age children, advocating for a homeless shelter or being a companion to the elderly. Before a course begins, the service learning staff assists faculty in developing appropriate service experiences and identifying key community partners.

Throughout the semester, the service learning staff provides continuing support to faculty and students by managing many of the logistical aspects of the projects, by maintaining open lines of communication between the faculty, students and community partners and by assisting students in reflecting upon their work within the community.

Students demonstrate what they have learned through research and essay papers, journals and class participation. Faculty assess a student's learning through one or more of these methods.

Most importantly, students benefit by experiencing first-hand the theories and concepts taught within the classroom. Students also experience benefits beyond academic development. Benefits include increased understanding of multi-culturalism and diversity, increased awareness of social issues, increased civic responsibility and increased development of critical thinking skills.

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The Forum: A Society for Debate

Patterned on the formats of the Cambridge Union Society and the Oxford Union Society of Great Britain, the Forum enables students to exchange ideas with locally and nationally recognized experts in a series of debates on topics of contemporary concern such as gun control, the ordination of women, capital punishment, campus hate speech codes and affirmative action.

Students join the Forum by registering for COMM 222 or COMM 322 and by attending weekly meetings. In those meetings, students formulate debate topics for the semester, prepare research and arguments for public debates, as well as engage in more casual in-class debates. Each fall, Forum members match wits with a team of traveling British student debaters in a lighthearted British debate. The Forum also sponsors debates each year on issues of concern to the campuses of the two colleges.

Tri-College Exchange [Top]

Saint Benedict's, Saint John's and nearby St. Cloud State University have an agreement designed to allow cross-registration for courses on any of the three campuses by their regular full-time undergraduate students. Saint Benedict's and Saint John's students may register for courses offered in the St. Cloud State University course schedule provided they are registered for a minimum of 12 credits at Saint Benedict's and Saint John's. The request to take a course at St. Cloud State University is filed at the Registrar's Office. The registrar will determine whether space is available and confirm registration. The exchange program is subject to change without notice or obligation.

Students will be billed tuition and any fees (such as for laboratory or studio materials) at the rates prevailing at Saint Benedict's and Saint John's.

Transportation to and from St. Cloud State University is the student's responsibility, for which the student must assume all obligation and risk.

Assessment [Top]

The joint instructional program of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University supports an assessment program that measures student learning and the quality of the learning environment.

The focus of the assessment program is student academic achievement as measured by students' written and spoken communication abilities, critical thinking abilities and knowledge in their fields of study and the liberal arts. Students will be asked to participate in the assessment program by participating in focus groups, completing surveys, maintaining portfolios, participating in discussions or presentations or by taking standardized examinations. Students may also be invited to interpret assessment data and to help make decisions that will improve teaching and learning.