Virginia Tech said on Nov. 2 that it received two state grants totaling almost $400,000 to track internships and student research and increase undergraduate participation in work-based learning across its Blacksburg campus.
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the Virginia Talent and Opportunity Partnership are providing the grants, each worth almost $200,000 and running through the fall semester of 2028, according to Virginia Tech News. The university’s Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs will administer the funding, the announcement said.
The grants will support the Bridge Experience Program, which is part of more than half of Virginia Tech’s undergraduate degree programs and requires students in those programs to complete an internship, undergraduate research, study abroad or service learning to graduate, according to the announcement. The university said the program is expected to expand to more departments on the Blacksburg campus.
A grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia will fund Virginia Tech’s first coordinated, university-level system for collecting data on experiential learning, the university said. The planned system is intended to help the university identify which students are completing these experiences and where participation gaps exist, according to Vice Provost Jill Sible, as quoted in the announcement.
Some funding will establish wage positions to connect students with campus opportunities, while the grants will also support coordinated oversight, data quality and student engagement, according to the announcement. Career and Professional Development already offers resources including the Ut Prosim Internship Support Fund and the Public Service Education Institute Endowment to help cover costs of eligible internships, the university said.
