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Top 14 of 2014: What ‘working for a living’ is really like

December 18, 2014

A Bold Futures banner in the MLK CommonsAs 2014 draws to a close, NIU Today offers a look back at 14 of the top stories from the year.

No. 13

Bringing together students and alumni is one of the facets of the Bold Futures initiative on campus.

Central to that pursuit is student career success.

The University Honors Program and NIU Alumni Association paired 14 students with NIU alumni and community partners in a successful pilot of the Bold Futures Externship Program, specifically designed to advance the goals and outcomes of the initiative.

Working in collaboration, the Alumni Association and University Honors solicited alumni and partner participation in the program from a broad array of fields, including government, fast food, education, advertising, health care, pharmaceuticals, investment, international affairs and finance.

“The resources and talent of our Alumni Association, which then capitalized on the resources and talent of our extensive and accomplished alumni and community partners base, was just phenomenal,” said J.D. Bowers, associate vice provost for University Honors. “We were given placements that few others could ever hope for, and this program, was all the better for it.”