USI names Intern Employers of the Year

The University of Southern Indiana's Career Services and Internships has announced its 2013 Intern Employers of the Year: PCI Skanska and Northwestern Mutual, both of Evansville, and Cook Medical of Bloomington, Indiana.

"Experiential education, including internships and cooperative education, are vital in preparing students for successful careers, and the University demonstrates this by making the enhancement of  experiential education a major component of its strategic plan," Phillip Parker, director of Career Services and Internships, said. "We in USI Career Services and Internships, look forward each year to recognizing organizations that share this vision by offering internship and cooperative education opportunities to our students."

PCI Skanska (formerly Industrial Contractors) has participated in the USI internship and co-operative education program for years, providing opportunities for students in USI's Engineering Department.

The company was nominated by Matthew Minniear, a senior engineering major, who wrote, "My time spent at PCI Skanska has solidified my choice of engineering and provided valuable knowledge to supplement my coursework at USI."

Northwestern Mutual has also participated for years in USI's internship program, in addition to being active on campus by sending representatives to speak to classes and student groups about careers. Their internship is ranked "One of America's Top 10 Internships" by the Vault Guide to Top Internships (2014).

Northwestern Mutual was nominated by three USI interns. Jonathan Blann, a senior finance major, wrote in his nomination that he was treated as a full-time advisor, with every tool provided, and was even compensated at the same percentage.

Cook Medical was nominated by engineering senior Dash Ruthenburg. He wrote, "I arrived in Bloomington in May and quickly became integrated into the Cook team. It was evident from the beginning that I had the privileged opportunity to work for a very special company."

Over the past decade alone, more than 1,000 employers have provided internship opportunities to USI students - including businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

The 2012 Intern Employers of the Year were SABIC Innovative Plastics, Evansville Icemen, and the Evansville Police Department.