Sister Celestine Schall with a student
"OCEL gives students working knowledge of their fields and provides them with insights that cannot be as well developed in strictly classroom situations.This experience assists students in making the transition from academia to the working world."
--Sister Celestine Schall, Alverno Today Spring 1972
The development of Alverno’s internship model began in the early 1970’s. For many years, Alverno College successfully blended practicum experience with its education and nursing departments. The “student teacher” and “student nurse” programs allowed Alverno students to apply theories learned in the classroom to “real-world” work situations. Both educational programs were successful models of applied learning. Why couldn’t this “experiential learning” take place in other areas of academic studies? Couldn’t all students benefit from the practical application and practice of the academic theories they were learning in the classroom? Would these experiential placements aid students in their written and verbal communication skills?
These questions were the impetus for the development of the Alverno College Off-Campus Experiential Learning program. Coined OCEL (later to become the Internship Program), Off-Campus Experiential Learning was an important component to the Alverno curriculum evolution that took place from the late 1960’s through the next decade. OCEL/Internship’s success began with Sister Celestine Schall and four members of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD): James Hyland; Paul Pagenkopf; Robert Reiter; and Jude Werra. They were instrumental in designing the Alverno College internship program model which began in 1971. Sister Celestine was the first Director of OCEL.
When the program began in the fall of 1971, seven students were selected to participate. Five local businesses agreed to host students in the new pilot program: Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.; Metro-Research; Milwaukee School Board; Kiwanis Children’s Center; and St. Aemelian’s Child Care Center. The experimental program received encouraging results from both the students and mentoring businesses alike. This prompted 17 students to apply in the following semester. The number of interested businesses and agencies increased from five to thirteen.
After its inauguration in 1971, OCEL quickly became nationally recognized due to Sister Celestine’s hard work and strong belief in the contribution the program could make to Alverno’s ability-based curriculum. After just three years, the American Society of Training Directors cited OCEL as one of the best professional training programs in the country…”helping bridge the gap between business and education…providing graduates who do not need as much employer time and investment to do their job.”
Experiential learning became an important part of the Alverno College curriculum. By the late 1970’s, Alverno students would participate in at least one internship experience as an undergraduate student. The benefits of the “field-based learning” were maximized and enhanced by Alverno’s abilities based curriculum. How and what a student learns in an academic setting is only useful if the theories can be applied and utilized in “real-life” career situations.
Student Eva Friedenfeld '76 interns at the Milwaukee Public Museum in March 1976.
Leadership and guidance are of the utmost importance when building and maintaining any successful program. The Internship Program has continued to be a strong and vital part of Alverno’s curriculum due to the tireless efforts of the program’s past and present directors.
In 2022, the Internship Program became a part of the Career Studio and is now overseen by their staff.
This book, Fostering Development Through Experiential Learning, which was published in 2002, is just one of the publications documenting experiential learning at Alverno College. The book discusses internship, the experiential learning process and the "powerful learning potential of performance and reflection" and how it has become central to the entire college curriculum.
Barb Rapant '76, worked in a lab during her internship at the VA Hospital in the fall of 1975
Serena Werner stands beside a bomb defusing robot during an internship for the International Association of Chiefs of Police in the spring of 2006.
Elizabeth Schaffer '2002, spent a spring semester interning at the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club in 2002.
Here is a link to a printable copy of the article. [PDF]
