by Bonnie H. Chuen
Staff Writer
General Motors is offering students from the University of La Verne a chance to gain hands-on business experience and develop skills through the GM Marketing Internship program.
“GM provides $2,500 to create and run a promotion campaign for a dealership in the area,” said Janis Dietz, assistant professor of business administration.
According to Dietz, students involved in the program form their own marketing agency. The client will be a GM car dealership in the surrounding area. Students have to manage a $2,500 budget and create a comprehensive plan.
In Fall 1995, Romero Buick of Ontario participated in the program. The students involved sponsored a float in the Upland Children’s Parade.
According to GM, the skills students will develop include project management from concept to completion; market research; advertising and public relations; promotions and event production; public speaking and agency style presentation skills; business writing and report generation; budget management; teamwork and conflict resolution; and client relations.
At the end of the course, the students make a presentation of their work and what they have done.
The internship is run as a four unit class offered during the spring semester.
“It’s a business course, but it’s available for all majors,” said Dietz.
According to Dietz, the class will be counted as an elective for those students not majoring in business administration.
“We want 12 people who are strongly committed to this kind of activity. It is available to any major, as long as they’re excited about working on this program,” said Dietz.
According to Dietz, the students will benefit not only from the skills they learn, but they will also get a letter of recommendation from Dietz herself, as well as from GM.
Students interested in more information about the internships can contact Dietz at ext. 4213.
