What was unusual, however, was the way the event was carried out. All elements — from the graphic design for the invitations and the flyers, to the distribution of the invitations, the choice and booking of the venue, the ordering of the food, and promotions on Facebook and Twitter — were managed by a team of university interns who are working as a marketing team for the Office of the Dean of Students.

“This initiative provides students with ‘Opportunities for Success’—professional development, the opportunity to work on a concept from start to finish, to grow their portfolios and to meet students outside of their major with whom they can form a professional team,” said Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Students Betsy Leebron Tutelman, whose office oversees the Career Center, which implemented the initiative. "It also connects students to ‘Destination Temple’ — building their understanding of the university from a business perspective, and connecting those interns who are junior and seniors to the university in new ways. Under Director of the Career Center Rachel Brown, this initiative is one of many aimed at strengthening professional opportunities for students.”

The pilot complements other new initiatives of the Dean of Students Office, including increasing partnerships between students and faculty and linking curricular and co-curricular initiatives. 

The program was the vision of Senior Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies Peter Jones. “Temple, one of the city’s largest employers, needed to look inward to provide more opportunities for its students,” said Jones.  “For students who have an on-campus job, there is less likelihood the job will negatively impact their studies.”

To reduce the need for University Interns to also work off campus, the students are being paid minimum wage either through work study funds or, this semester, for students who don’t have work study, through a special fund established by the provost.

"The new University Internship Program is unique insofar as it gets our students involved with the university outside the classroom curriculum,” said Provost Lisa Staiano-Coico. “Through the program, students can develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of how the university works, and essential to their future, an opportunity to work side-by-side with skilled professionals on real-life projects.”

For the dean of students, participating in the pilot made a lot of sense.  “Our office has changed, so we needed to create messaging to communicate that change so that students will understand who we are and what we do,” said Leebron.

And who better to communicate to students than other students, with their understanding of and connection to the Temple student body. The dean’s marketing team immediately embraced their mission.

“We want students to know that the Dean of Students office is a welcoming place, not just a place of discipline,” said Udukwu, the team’s event planner.

The team works core hours together and feeds off one another. They already have many other initiatives in the works, including an event to recognize faculty authors, entrepreneurs and inventors that will introduce students to faculty they might not otherwise meet.  The team also will be implementing many of their own ideas, including an alcohol-free Halloween celebration and a photo contest for Homecoming.

The pilot for the University Internship Program will continue in the spring and, in the upcoming academic year, will be rolled out to a broader constituency.