DEKALB, Ill. — The Northern Illinois University College of Business and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) IGNITE! program make it possible to connect with and employ NIU Business students part time for just $2.50 per hour. The NIU College of Business is accepting student employment proposals at go.niu.edu/ignite for the 2022-2023 school year. The deadline to submit is June 15, 2022.

IGNITE! is a joint program providing structure and funding for DCEDC member companies, northern Illinois startups and nonprofits to connect with and employ NIU Business students part time. Through IGNITE!, NIU Business students work for local businesses and nonprofits up to 20 hours per week. The upcoming employment period is Aug. 22, 2022 through May 12, 2023. The NIU College of Business subsidizes 81% of the student hourly wage, valued at nearly $7,500. “This program was developed to help small businesses, startups and nonprofits access much-needed human resources even when they are short on financial resources. At the same time, it allows our NIU Business students to gain valuable, résumé-worthy experiences,” says Amy Buhrow, NIU College of Business senior director of Strategy, Student Success and Accreditation.

Successful IGNITE! proposals will define part-time (no more than 20 hours per week) positions. Positions must include clear goals and defined professional responsibilities, projects and developmental opportunities, and general expectations. Proposals should be submitted online at go.niu.edu/ignite by June 15, 2022.

After the deadline, a committee will choose five proposals from DCEDC member companies, northern Illinois startups and nonprofits for funding. Selected organizations will assist in promoting their opportunity to students virtually through information sessions and the NIU online job board. The selected organizations will be responsible for interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training and managing the student. Students are paid $13 per hour. Of that, the NIU College of Business will subsidize $10.50 per hour with employers covering the balance of the wage.

The NIU College of Business has nearly 3,000 undergraduate students studying accountancy, business administration, finance, management, marketing, digital marketing, data analytics, and operations management and information systems. The majority of NIU Business students live in DeKalb County during the school year and work anywhere from one to 40 hours per week. Many of these students are eager to find part-time jobs that will contribute significantly to their professional growth.

Over the past three years, the NIU College of Business and DCEDC have funded positions at these
for-profit organizations: SunDog IT, OC Creative, Auto Meter, Nenni and Associates, GoTivation, Datatelligent and LiteracyPlanet. “Our IGNITE! student was an incredible benefit to LiteracyPlanet. His maturity and knowledge of technology, sales and marketing were huge assets and very much contributed to the success and growth of the company. LiteracyPlanet was a startup in the United States, with limited resources. Our student joined us and quickly learned our programs, processes and systems. He took the lead as the marketing liaison for the U.S. team to work with our global team on strategy, campaigns and marketing materials for the U.S. market. Additionally, he took over the management of Salesforce for the U.S. team, and designed and built dashboards and reports for the team. We were so grateful for the IGNITE! program and the quality intern they provided,” says Ashley O’Connor, former U.S. commercial director with LiteracyPlanet of her IGNITE! experience.

During that same time frame, IGNITE! positions were funded for these nonprofits: Kishwaukee College, the Egyptian Theatre, Innovation DuPage, the Illinois Business Innovation Association, the DeKalb Park District and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation. “From an organization’s perspective, a big part of being involved with IGNITE is the ability to have an intern for a year-long engagement. What’s very enticing for us is being able to work with graduate students like Dylan,” says Associate Director Jackie DiNatale. “Dylan’s impact has been great. He has been very open and flexible. Before he came here, we didn’t have many procedures put together for these programs. I had an idea, a framework for what we wanted. Dylan listened, gave us some great feedback and we worked together to put some solid operating procedures in place.”

Founded in 1961, the Northern Illinois University College of Business has a distinguished tradition of transforming lives while preparing its graduates for long-term success in their careers and communities. NIU Business is fully committed to providing a student-centered education — one that is both innovative and relevant to the rapidly changing digital, global economy. Well-known for its entrepreneurial mindset, the college continues to earn accolades from leading publications and organizations for its ability to cross boundaries in the areas of knowledge generation, teaching and learning. The college and its various programs have been nationally ranked each year, most notably building on more than 30 years of national prestige as determined by U.S. News & World Report. Additional long-standing ranking citations for the college include those from BusinessWeek, CEO Magazine, Poets&Quants and College Choice among other rankings. Today, the college proudly counts more than 60,000 of its graduates as alumni, many in C-suite executive positions in companies of all sizes, both in the Chicago metropolitan area and around the world. The school’s ongoing commitment to transform lives by crossing the boundaries of discovery and learning is further evidenced by its long-standing active executive advisory boards in every major; its expanding global presence and many partnerships in the greater Chicago region as well as globally; its 200-plus executive guest lecturers each semester; and its growing portfolio of experiential learning opportunities with businesses in the technology, information technology, engineering, financial services and health care industries; as well as with NGOs and organizations in the nonprofit space.