Cornell Club of St. Louis

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Summers by the Big Muddy

This summer, the Cornell Club of St. Louis has a unique opportunity to co-sponsor a competitive 10-week summer internship program, Summers by the Big Muddy, which provides St. Louis employers access to highly-motivated Ivy League students who might not otherwise consider bringing their talents to St. Louis.

Patterned after successful programs in eight other cities ? Louisville, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Santa Fe and San Francisco ? the ultimate goal of the program is to encourage bright, young people to move to St. Louis after graduation for permanent employment.

Summers by the Big Muddy evolved from the Bulldogs Across America program that began 11 years ago in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded by Rowan Claypool, a Yale alumnus, Bulldogs Across America has given over 640 Yale students the best summers of their lives, engaging in meaningful work and enjoying social and cultural experiences coordinated by Yale alums in each city. For participants, the program provides rich experience in a part of the country they might otherwise ignore. In Louisville, for example, 37 of the 351 students who?ve interned during their college years have made the city their permanent home after graduation. Before the program started, there wasn?t a single Yale graduate under 35 living there. The Yale Club of St. Louis has brought this opportunity to our Cornell Club, and we are excited to have the chance to participate.

Employers come out ahead, as well, gaining dedicated young employees who are looking for more than an hourly wage. Perhaps the best testament to this is the fact that, of the seven St. Louis-area employers who participated last year, all seven will be hiring Yale students again this summer.

Right now, the Summers by the Big Muddy committee is seeking employers for paid, 10-week internships beginning after Memorial Day (2010 dates are June 1-August 6th). Interested employers will provide job descriptions to be advertised to Ivy League students. Next, interested students will submit applications for particular positions, and employers will select from these applications to fill their openings (although they are not required to select anyone).

Participation in Summers by the Big Muddy is open to profit and nonprofit employers that agree to terms outlined in the Memo of Understanding.

For more information about the types of jobs the program offers, feel free contact me anytime at (314) 409-7564, or stephgrise@gmail.com.

We look forward to your support of this fantastic and unique program.

What did last year?s participants have to say about Summers by the Big Muddy?

• ?Halfway through the summer I realized why I was enjoying myself so much: I was building my own network of friends in a brand new city. My parents were not there, and neither were my friends from school. The Bulldogs program provided the perfect balance of organized fun and freedom to explore on your own.? ? Rachel Rosenberg, Custom Cuts
• ?I had a fantastic summer and could not have asked for a better experience. I learned a lot about myself and working in a fairly significant company, got good work experience, and got to work in Busch Stadium every day. It was a dream internship.? ? Ally Fields, St. Louis Cardinals
• ?Bulldogs Across America was a great introduction to the professional world. In addition to being able to apply my skills in a completely new industry, I was able to create a solid network in an entirely new city. I learned about what is expected in the real world and I was able to refine my goals for a future career. I also made new friends!? ? Tom James, Bellefontaine Cemetery

And how do the organizers feel about the program?

• ?This is the perfect use of our alumni?s local network to create opportunities for our students,? says Director of Yale Alumni, Mark Dollhopf ? but while Bulldogs by the Big Muddy originates at Yale, ultimately, the program is about opening St. Louis to bright and ambitious students from other parts of the country and advancing our city as a destination for young talent.
• ?It is simple for employers to enroll and post jobs online without cost or obligation to hire,? says St. Louis organizer Ted Fouke. And ?because candidates typically apply for multiple jobs we always have a robust applicant pool,? adds program founder Rowan Claypool.