Biola has formed a partnership with the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International in an effort to generate more paid internships for students. FCCI launched its Fellows Ministry internship program, beginning in the summer of 2014, at the 2013 FCCI Annual Conference in September. A large number of businessmen attending the conference volunteered to be participants in the Fellows Ministry program, said Greg Leith, director of strategic alliances and corporate relations.
President Barry Corey was the opening keynote speaker at the conference and was accompanied by senior business major Jose Anaya. Biola became a participant in the Fellows Ministry program at the conference. The internships available through the program will offer students the opportunity to be directly mentored by Christian CEOs, Leith said.
“This is unique in that you get to shadow the CEO, and you get paid. Those are very high-valued things,” Leith said.
The president of FCCI, Terence Chatmon, feels that it is biblically inappropriate to ask a student to work for free, Leith said.
ECONOMY EFFECTS INVOLMENT
The Fellows Ministry program is going to offer a challenge for businesses to participate due to the status of the economy, according to Anaya.
“I strongly believe it’s a good program, but at the same time I think it’s going to take a lot from the leaders to be a part of this program,” he said.
Students will also have to rise to the occasion to participate in the program, Anaya said.
“It is only going to be successful if we, as a rising generation, also rise up to pray for those people,” he explained.
Anaya believes the partnership is off to a good start based on the attention Biola received at the conference.
PROGRAM NOT FULLY READY YET
At this time, the Crowell School of Business is uncertain how it will implement the Fellows Ministry program into its curriculum, said Larry Strand, dean of Crowell School of Business.
There are issues to be worked out before the Fellows Ministry program becomes integrated into Crowell, Strand said. To get this partnership started, a middle contact between FCCI and Crowell needs to be established, Strand said.
“FCCI has some homework to do to see how it’s going to work,” Strand said.
Strand believes that the Fellows Ministry program could be beneficial to Crowell’s students.
“Shadowing a Christian CEO would be a feather in their cap,” Strand said.
