UW-River Falls receives state funding for student internships in agriculture field

April 14, 2023 - Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday announced that the UW System has been awarded $1.1 million, including $244,426 for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, through the Wisconsin Fast Forward program to expand student internship opportunities in high-demand fields.

The funding, provided in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, will pay for internships for 20 UW-River Falls students studying agriculture to participate in either 14- or 28-week hands-on study sessions at one of nine regional businesses. 

Internships traditionally are for junior and senior students, but these opportunities will be focused on first- and second-year students, enabling them to obtain valuable hands-on experience early in their academic careers, said Holly Dolliver, chair of UWRF’s Plan and Earth Science Department who headed the internships funding effort at UW-River Falls. 

“We are really excited about this opportunity, to see what it does in terms of launching our students into some really great opportunities,” Dolliver said.

As part of their internships, UWRF students will take part in career-building workshops and assess strategies for advancing their careers. Internships will begin this summer, Dolliver said. Most students will participate in summertime internships, but a few will do theirs during the school year, an option not typically available.

Businesses partnering with UW-River Falls on the internship program include Winfield United/Land O’ Lakes, Ag Source, Brownseed Genetics, Oakridge Engineering, MAC Contractors, American Excelsior Company, Seneca Foods, Chippewa Valley Bean, and La Crosse Seed. 

UW-River Falls is one of three UW System schools to receive Wisconsin Fast Forward funding as part of the internship initiative; the others are UW-Milwaukee and UW-Stout. 

Evers said Wisconsin Fast Forward dollars are intended to help provide employees in key areas of Wisconsin’s economy from clean energy and green energy jobs to those in agriculture and technology sectors. The effort is intended to help Wisconsin develop and retain its workforce and to bolster job skills for a fast-changing economy. 

“Our UW System is a major economic driver in our state and a critical resource for building our state’s next-generation workforce,” Evers said in a news release. “These grants will help students earn while they learn, ensuring greater access and opportunities for our homegrown talent to start growing their careers right here in Wisconsin.”

The majority of Wisconsin Fast Forward funding will pay for student internships, with a lesser amount covering staffing costs and miscellaneous expenses. Dean Olson, interim dean of UWRF’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, said the internships will provide students with valuable experience that will lead to high-quality job outcomes. The program will help fill a shortage of employees in agricultural fields, he said.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to gain valuable experience that may lead to an exciting new career,” Olson said. “Also, our industry partners benefit because they are in the market for quality people and these internship opportunities can result in a match.”

As they developed the internship program, Dolliver, four UWRF colleagues and business leaders looked to develop student opportunities where they hadn’t previously existed. That includes students working in such areas as clean water and energy, and soil erosion. Those are areas that may not have been a priority for businesses before, she said, but the new funding allows industry officials to expand traditional internship offerings. 

“This project involved UWRF and businesses working together,” Dolliver said. “It is a really wonderful opportunity to develop this partnership in a way that will benefit students and businesses.”