Parents Advisory Council Chairs Nikki and Steve Field P'03, '06
Hamilton Parents: Another resource for student career-seekers
The Hamilton community extends far beyond Clinton, N.Y., and includes not only alumni, but parents as well. Each year, the Parents Advisory Council (PAC) works to get parents more involved in life on the Hill by identifying areas where they can offer advice and support.
This year the PAC, chaired by Steve and Nikki Field (parents of Amanda Field '03 and Alex Field '06), has set its sights on expanding the Alumni Career Exploration Program to include parents.
Steve Field acknowledges that it is becoming increasingly important and necessary for students to have had internship experience in order to compete in today's world. He also believes that "all parents want the best for their children, which hopefully creates feelings of kinship among them."
The goal of the PAC's initiative, therefore, will be to help primarily juniors and seniors secure both paid and non-paid internships in their fields of interest via the help of parents who are accomplished and well connected in those fields. In addition, the PAC is committed to supporting College initiatives already in place that help provide stipends for students who receive offers of non-paid internships but would be unable to pursue these opportunities without financial assistance. One example is the new Joseph F. Anderson '44 Internship Fund. With gifts and pledges now exceeding $1 million, income from the fund will provide at least 12 stipends of between $2,500-$6,000 each year to support full-time student internships, with the number of stipends slated to grow over time.
The parents' initiative, launched in October, is still somewhat in its planning stages, but the PAC has already received many positive responses and offers of internships and support from interested parents.
