Ball State University faculty members are invited to apply for a paid summer experience with an Indiana business which requires skills representative of those taught & researched by the faculty in their department.

To participate faculty must first have completed the Skills Infusion Program. Skills Infusion aids faculty in aligning their academic coursework directly with the skills Indiana employers are seeking in new hires & interns, etc. and discussing how and where the NACE competencies show up in the workplace.

This experience termed a “Faculty Externship Program,” will take place over the summer term and includes 40 hours of on-site learning and shadowing, a written externship experience summary, final narrative report, and a department/ college presentation to be made in the following fall semester.

How To Get Started

Faculty are permitted to participate in a maximum of one paid Faculty Externship Program experience through the Career Center.

Contact your department chair and/ or Dean for approval to begin the online application process.

Applicants will be asked to identify an Indiana business of interest and the Career Center will arrange placement at the summer externship site (between the months of May-August). Businesses identified may correlate directly with the faculty's area of teaching and research and/ or align with skills required for success in that industry/ employer (e.g. NACE competencies).

Responsibilities of Awarded Faculty Member

  • Coordinate with the Career Center for approval of your Indiana externship site, dates of on-site experience, and payment schedule.
  • Sign externship agreement and return it to the Career Center before the externship begins.
  • Spend a minimum of 40 hours on site engaging an Indiana employer during the summer.
    • This experience could include, but not limited to group interviews, staff meetings, one-on-one interviews, touring facilities, either in person or virtually, etc.
  • Externships must be completed, written externship experience summary, and final narrative report received to the Career Center by/ before August 25, 2025.
    • The written externship experience summary is a summation of the externship and company/industry, along with explicit recommendations regarding the implementation of new processes, procedures, or curricula to be enhanced or developed within the next academic year as a result of the industry exposure and skills needed for success in that industry.
  • Share the summer externship experience and above action steps with your individual department/ college via a final presentation during the upcoming fall semester.
    • Faculty will coordinate with their respective Chair/ Dean for reservations, calendar approval, announcements, etc.
    • The fall semester presentation should include information about 1) the company/ industry, 2) the summer externship experience, and 3) curricula changes and course recommendations based off industry experience and new knowledge of skills, etc.

Payment

Payment for the externship experience is up to $2,500. Once documentation of written externship experience summary and final narrative reports, a payment request in the amount of up to $2,500 will be generated to be paid through the Ball State payroll operations on the next available pay cycle.  
 

Forms

2025 Participation Timeline

  • Feb. 9– Externship interest form due to the Career Center
  • Feb. 10 - 21– Applications reviewed for approval by College Deans
  • Feb. 24 - Award notifications announced this week
  • March - April – Awardees work with Career Center to confirm externship goals and location, etc.
  • May 5 - Aug. 24 – Externship takes place over the summer term (40 hours on site of an Indiana industry)
  • Aug. 25 – Written externship experience summary and final narrative report received to the Career Center
  • Fall Semester – Faculty presentations must be completed within the fall semester

Quotes

"My Faculty Externship experience with Mursix Corp. has helped me to see where my own liberal arts skills – and those of our English students - translate into diverse fields and give them the aptitude to acquire the industry specific skills for any job." - Rani Crowe, English

“My Faculty Externship with Republic Airways offered me a unique look into the aviation industry as a potential career path for my hospitality management students.  I was able to see firsthand what the industry requires from students, what’s potentially lacking, and how we as educators can help bridge that gap.”  - Sotiris Hji-Avgoustis, ABS

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