$25,000 grant supports new cross-campus initiative to strengthen work-based learning pathways
Mary Baldwin University has received a $25,000 Vision Grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) through the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP), an initiative designed to connect students, educators, and employers in ways that strengthen Virginia’s workforce.
The grant will support a university-wide initiative led by the McCree Center for Life Success, expanding and enhancing internship and work-based learning opportunities for students across all disciplines. It’s a significant next step in MBU’s mission to prepare students for lives of purpose and professional success through hands-on learning and community engagement.
“This initiative is all about bringing together faculty, staff, and students to further define and support internships and work-based learning at MBU,” said Brooke Buffington, associate vice president of career and professional development. “Working together to build better access and on ramps to internships and work based learning will allow our students to truly thrive post-graduation.”
A Collaborative Effort Across Campus
Over the 2025–26 academic year, MBU will form a dedicated internship task force to guide this work. The task force will seek input from every part of campus including faculty, staff, administrators, and students, reflecting the university’s collaborative spirit and its commitment to ensuring that experiential learning becomes an integral part of every student’s academic journey.
The group’s charge is to design a long-term, sustainable structure for internships and work-based learning that supports students from the moment they arrive on campus through graduation. That means creating clearer pathways, building stronger partnerships, and ensuring all students have access to high-quality experiences, whether on campus, in the local community, or across the state and nation.
Key Objectives of the Vision Grant Initiative
As part of the planning process, the internship task force will focus on four primary goals designed to strengthen both student support and employer engagement:
- Defining shared institutional language around internships and work-based learning, ensuring a consistent and inclusive understanding across all academic areas.
- Evaluating and improving tracking systems and data collection, making it easier to measure student participation and outcomes.
- Expanding employer partnerships and fully integrating V-TOP learning resources, connecting students with a broader network of professionals and organizations.
- Designing a structured, developmental pathway that allows students to engage in internships and work based learning from their first-year orientation through to graduation, aligning experiences with academic coursework and career goals.
This planning year will culminate in a comprehensive McCree Center plan that aligns with SCHEV’s Vision Grant framework. The resulting plan will also prepare MBU to compete for the next phases of state support — capacity-building and scaling grants — which could total up to $400,000 in additional funding to implement and expand the initiative.
“This Vision Grant allows us to think bigger,” said Buffington. “We can take the great work that’s already happening in pockets across the university and weave it together into a coordinated, intentional system that supports every student.”
Strengthening Partnerships and Student Success
The Vision Grant will also fund a Mary Baldwin internship symposium, a campus-wide event that will connect students, faculty, and regional employers. The symposium will serve as a hub for sharing ideas, building relationships, and identifying ways to align academic preparation with workforce needs.
“One of the most valuable things we’ll learn from this process is where our students want to go for internships,” said Suzie Dull, senior director of the McCree Center. “That information will help us build the infrastructure and partnerships to get them there. It’s about opening doors and making sure students have every opportunity to gain the experience they need to thrive after graduation.”
The McCree Center already plays a central role in connecting classroom learning to real-world experience, supporting students through career advising, networking events, and programs that develop professional and leadership skills. With the Vision Grant’s support, that work will expand, helping ensure that every MBU student graduates with not only a degree, but also the confidence and experience to navigate their chosen field.
Advancing MBU’s Commitment to Experiential Learning
The Vision Grant aligns with Mary Baldwin’s broader commitment to career readiness and experiential learning, key components of the university’s Elevate MBU strategic plan and its signature undergraduate experience. Through initiatives like this one, MBU continues to invest in programs that connect academic excellence with practical experience, empowering students to make meaningful contributions in their communities and careers.“Experiential learning is at the heart of who we are,” Buffington added. “Our students don’t just learn about the world, they learn in the world. This grant helps us make that promise stronger, clearer, and more accessible to every student.”