When Ilka Otto came to UD from her native Germany and enrolled in the College of Business and Economics' graduate program, she wanted to do more than earn an American master of business administration degree. She also wanted to see firsthand how U.S. companies operate.

Otto got the opportunity to do just that through the College's Corporate Associates Program, a specialized internship arrangement that places full-time MBA students in part-time jobs in industry. The students gain hands-on corporate experience, as well as earning a stipend similar to that for an on-campus graduate assistantship, and the companies gain the services of a conscientious employee with a formal business education, says Bob Barker, director of the program. Also, Barker notes, both employer and student have the opportunity to explore whether their match as corporate associates might continue after graduation in the form of full-time employment.

"I was always interested in international business, so I see this as a valuable opportunity," says Otto, who began work during the summer as a corporate associate in the Global Development Division of DuPont Dow Elastomers in Wilmington, Del. "I worked for two years in Germany in an export company, but I wanted the experience of working in an American company."

DuPont Dow Elastomers has worked with several UD corporate associates in recent years and has been consistently pleased with their performance, the company's global development director, Robert Sylvest, says.

"We do a lot of research projects to help us make better business decisions, and we find that the students contribute a great deal to those projects," he says. "We get good service and a good work ethic, so we keep coming back for more."

The program began five years ago and has placed about 75 students in associate positions during that time, Barker says. Most work as associates during their final year of MBA studies, putting in 20 hours a week during the school year and working full time during the summer. Barker says the positions are in high demand among students, who consider the experience valuable as both a learning opportunity and a résumé item.

"We've surveyed employers about hiring our MBA graduates, and they identify internships as the No. 1 experience they're looking for," he says. "They often hope to keep an intern on as a permanent employee, and they see the internship as an opportunity to recruit and train someone early. That kind of work experience during the school year is like a front door to [career] placement for students."

At The Siegried Group, a Wilmington, Del., financial services firm, both MBA students who constituted the company's first experience with the Corporate Associates Program graduated with offers to make their jobs permanent. Kevin Keegan, Siegfried's human resources director, says the two associates worked individually and in teams on a variety of special projects and were so successful that the company wanted to retain them.

"With their skill sets and their ability to be a quick study, they've been a great addition to the firm and to the team," Keegan says. "We've thrown a lot at them, and they've picked everything up and run with it."

The former associates, Francis McGurk and Andrew Lavelle, graduated in May and began their full-time jobs with Siegfried during the summer. Both say the experience was invaluable, even if it had not led to permanent positions.

"Working here complemented the learning in class," McGurk, who works in technology assistance for Siegfried, says. "As I took classes, I could come in here and use exactly the same things I had just learned about and see how they applied to real business situations."

Lavelle, who works in finance, agrees. "In class, you learn the content, but on the job, I'm learning the process," he says.

Not all companies who hire corporate associates are able to offer the students permanent employment, Barker says, but he adds that the experience is still a big advantage as a new graduate seeks that first career position. "Companies see a graduate who has been a corporate associate as someone who can hit the ground running," he says.

Mark Chanel, who worked as a corporate associate last school year for the Global Logistics Division of DuPont Dow Elastomers, credits the experience for his success in finding what he says is a great job at the corporate headquarters of a Philadelphia company. "It really gave me a foot in the door," he says. "The program is so beneficial because you're not just graduating with a degree. You're graduating with a degree and some practical applications."

Chanel's supervisor during his internship, Sharon Ross Thomas, calls the program "win-win" for the associates and their employers. "We had some needs but no resources to hire a full-time person," says Thomas, who is global logistics manager for DuPont Dow Elastomers. "Mark filled a lot of needs for us and created an important role in our company."

Part of the program's success, participants say, is the care Barker takes to match students' backgrounds, skills and interests with those of the company hiring them as associates. Barker says he visits the companies frequently to get a feel for their corporate culture as well as their employment needs. Company representatives and prospective interns then meet informally at a campus get-together to further assess which student will be a good fit for a particular business and position.

Myron Sasser, president of MIDI, a Newark, Del., company that makes software used for medical diagnoses, says he initially doubted that hiring a corporate associate would be helpful to his business. "We're not a big company, we have a narrow focus and very specific needs, and we usually have significant training time for a new employee," Sasser says. "But, Bob Barker found us someone who had exactly the right background to work with us--someone who took very little time to adjust and fit in."

The associate, Craig Kunitsky, contributed so much to the company, Sasser says, that he hired him full time after his graduation in May.

Businesses who have worked with corporate associates point out another advantage to their presence in a workplace. "They bring a lot of energy and excitement and new ideas," says Linda Jennings, assistant chief operating officer for The Siegfried Group.

--Ann Manser