An Investment in the Human Capital of Lafayette
WILLIAM A. KIRBY JR. ’59
During the recent Lafayette Leadership Campaign I found myself in a quandary. On the one hand, I had recently retired, had saved a modest nest egg,
and thought I should be able to do more than just write another small check. My desire to “do something” was heightened by the fact that I had either been living overseas or traveling abroad frequently ever since I graduated; aside from faithfully tracking football scores in the International Herald Tribune, I had not been involved in the life of
the College as an alumnus. The time had come to give back.
On the other |
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| Bill Kirby '59 at Leopard Career Connections Day. |
hand, my nest egg barely made it into the “modest” category. Career diplomats amass experiences and memories rather than wealth. Nor am I from the family that has been so generous to the College over the years—when I first visited Lafayette I was blown away to find both Kirby House and Kirby Hall of Civil Rights. (I predated the field house.) In short, I wasn’t likely to provide a building or even endow a professorship. There had to be something between the annual check
and a new building!
I soon learned from John Leone of the development office that an endowment can be established in any amount and can be earmarked for any purpose. In other words, I could put my “modest” contribution to work precisely where I wanted to make a difference. After a little paperwork, I was able to establish my own limited but targeted endowment. (Flash: Anybody can do this!)
So why target summer internships? (The fact is that wasn’t my initial choice. I originally targeted an activity more related to my professional interests. However, neither the responsible faculty nor the student leadership showed much interest in exploring how such funds might be used.) Meanwhile I had been asked if I would form an alumni committee to work with the career services office to increase alumni participation in their programs, especially as hosts for internships and externships.
I had been an ROTC graduate, so I was encountering the world of career services for the first time. I discovered that the importance of professional experience prior to graduation had increased greatly since
I was a student. It was no longer something to do if you didn’t have to make money during the summer or on breaks. It had become an integral part of your curriculum vitae when seeking that first job. I gradually came to realize two important things.
First, despite what we all know, there are still people out there—including employers—who would place your Harvards and Yales ahead of Lafayette. Alumni can help neutralize that misperception by offering top-quality professional experience to Lafayette students—as soon as the summer after freshman year. The superb staff in career services will be only too glad to tell you how to go about that. Call (610) 330-5115
or check the Lafayette website.
Second, many internships are unpaid. Those that are paid don’t pay much and/or are often located in expensive areas—New York, Washington, Boston—where living expenses more than consume the income. Some interns are lucky enough to have family or friends they can live with for the summer, but not many. No Lafayette student should have to pass up an internship that will enhance their resume because they can’t afford to accept it. Fortunately the word is getting around and career services is able to offer an increasing number of stipends—but more are needed.
The best part of this for me is getting to know the interns and seeing them on campus as they grow to becoming graduates themselves. Lindsay Hannum ’07 worked with children at a nature center in Maryland. Haunani Yap ’06, from Hawaii, worked in D.C. in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and will be teaching English in China. Sara Walter is a just sophomore; her future is still taking shape, but will surely be influenced in large measure by her experience this summer.
Bill Kirby chairs the Alumni Association’s career services committee.
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