Overview

This application is for University of Minnesota graduate students seeking a consulting project with a community-based nonprofit organization or small business. This Student Consulting Project will assist those nonprofits and businesses that focus directly on addressing public health issues or health disparities in underserved, socially and economically challenged communities.

Through funding support provided by Medica, the Office for Business & Community Economic Development will now offer the Community Health Initiative (CHI). The goal of this initiative is two-fold; to provide resources that help community-based nonprofit organizations that work in the areas impacting public health, social services, medicine, medical technology, or to help these organizations build capacity and improve their overall performance and effectiveness in communities of color; and secondly to provide University of Minnesota students with valuable applied learning experiences by linking them to opportunities in communities that face public health disparities and other socio-economic issues.

Student Consulting Projects will be offered during the fall and spring semesters. The BCED Program Manager receives applications for the program, and then matches qualifying clients with student consultants. One or more students are assigned to a project, depending on the scope and type of project requested. Graduate students enrolled at the University of Minnesota in the following schools are eligible and encouraged to participate in the CHI Student Projects: Public Health, Social Work, Medical School, Carlson School of Management, IT/Computer Science, Law School, Humphrey Institute, HRD and all other graduate schools on the Twin Cities campus.

Students who participate in the program:

• Gain valuable experience working with community-based nonprofit organizations or businesses serving diverse communities
• Develop hands-on professional skills
• Improve their communications and consulting skills
• Are exposed to potential careers and new industries
• Apply classroom knowledge to real-life management and operational situations
• Should expect to spend approximately 50-60 hours on the project
• Will have to submit an Engagement Letter and Work Plan at the start and a Project Summary Report and presentation at the completion of the project
• Will be paid a $750.00 stipend at project completion