Monica Theis, recipient of the 1997 CALS Outstanding Internship Advising Award, knows just how important a good internship experience can be for students. She coordinates all food service administration field experiences for students in the dietetics programs.

Since 1990, Theis has coordinated summer internships for 60 students in the Coordinated Undergraduate Program in Dietetics. The program prepares students to become registered dietitians by combining course work with supervised practical experiences in actual food and nutrition operations.

Theis promotes internship opportunities to students, guides students during the internships and even identifies new internships based on students” personal career objectives. For example, Theis recently found an internship in the Madison Metropolitan School District for a student interested in a new government-recommended food safety system.

Students interested in food service administration may intern in communities across south-central Wisconsin. Theis visits each student two or three times during the internship to ensure that it meets the expectations of both the student and their field supervisor.

These efforts have earned Theis the gratitude of students and food service professionals alike.

“Thank you for the contribution you have made to my education and my life,” wrote one student after an internship. “You have not only increased my knowledge, you have taught me how to develop the skills and confidence to apply the knowledge. You have encouraged me and inspired me.”

Theis, a faculty associate in the Department of Food Science, also contributes to several of the department”s courses, including Foodservice Operations Management, and Organization and Management of Food and Nutritional Services.