UW-Stevens Point, Skyward partner on new campus internship center

Metro Wire Staff

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student interns for a local ed-tech software company have a new, convenient way to complete their work right on campus.

The Skyward Internship Center, located in the university Science Building, is now open during the week to provide Skyward interns with office space and a direct Skyward internship manager for guidance and mentorship. The Metro Wire was not invited to the ribbon-cutting on Nov. 2.

The company employs 40-50 UWSP student interns each year, with employment in programming, customer consulting and support, marketing, accounting, and other areas.

Skyward intern Andrea Galewski, a business management and Spanish major, said the new space will help students manage their time as they balance going to classes full-time while working a part-time job and gaining real-world experience.

“They took a piece of the Skyward headquarters and put it at the university, giving us an accessible location that has the same business culture. It is a place to grow professionally,” said Galewski, who will graduate in December and begin working for Skyward full-time in January.

Skyward President Ray Ackerlund said the internship center was “vital” to attach and retain local talent.

“Skyward’s connection to UW-Stevens Point is critical,” said Ackerlund. “It shows how much the university gives the business community to grow economic development for years to come.”

Skyward entered into a multi-year lease of the space with the university and shared the cost of the renovations. The center includes eight workstations as well as a desk for a Skyward internship manager who will work there Monday-Thursday.

UWSP alumni make up 40 percent of Skyward’s 650 employees, Ackerlund said. The company provides school administration software for 2,300 school districts around the world.