Wittenberg interns looking to “Celebrate Springfield”

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 An often repeated complaint that there’s a disconnect between Wittenberg University and the community is being addressed this summer through the “Celebrate Springfield” internship.
 The six students who were chosen from among 55 applicants began by spending a week learning about Springfield by meeting with representatives of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the City of Springfield, the hospital, Center City Association, National Trail Parks and Recreation and others.

One result will be that the interns will serve as ambassadors on campus for the community, promoting Springfield and informing other students about what it has to offer them. Many students seldom venture far from campus during their four years at the school and know little about the city and the opportunities here, said Lin Erickson, staff advisor, and Wittenberg director of corporate, foundation and government relations.

 “We want to attract these young people to live and work in Springfield,” she said.
 Two of the students working on the project have said they want to remain in Springfield after graduation, but Erickson said we need to have jobs for them.
 What they’ll be doing as a group between the time they started on June 8 and finish on July 31 is taking a pulse of the community. They will document the challenges facing a Midwestern urban city and suggest effective responses. Their goal will be to develop a response that builds pride in Springfield among its citizens.

 They will promote such assets in the community as the downtown revitalization plans, identify places to shop beyond Bechtle Avenue, point out the local neighborhoods, cite educational opportunities and the wealth of recreational activities and its arts and cultural events.
 Four of the interns are assigned a specific organization. The Center City intern will focus on the downtown. Surrounding neighborhoods will be the assignment of the City Hall intern. Quality of life issues will be explored by the student serving the National Trail Parks and Recreation District. A fourth intern will work on campus to develop an online method of keeping Wittenberg students informed of what’s going on in Springfield and its value.

 Erickson said the internships are a way Wittenberg can take advantage of its urban setting that few other small liberal arts colleges can offer. “That’s a distinctive feature we can offer so we want to celebrate that,” she said.

 At the beginning of the project, the students related their perceptions of Springfield that included everything from entertainment opportunities to restaurants and safety issues.
 “At the end of the eight weeks, we want to ask them again what their perceptions are because as (Mayor) Warren Copeland told them, we’re sure that they are only going to improve,” said Jenny Baader, executive director of the Center City Association.
 Erickson believes the students will come up with interesting ideas that can be implemented.

 “You have these bright, young people with really interesting ideas. With a little direction and conversation, they can come up with terrific ideas and ways of thinking about things that we might not have thought of before,” she said.
 Plans are to provide the internships annually and double the number accepted next year.
 

Of the six interns, three of them are management majors: Ben Adams, Ashley Manson, and Brian Schubert