By Abe Drabkin

Update, January 23, 2014: As more funds have become available, interns will now be awarded up to $700 to help cover conference registration and hotel accommodation costs .

The 2014 NIRSA Annual Conference & Expo is around the corner! One group of NIRSA members has been particularly hard at work in effort to bring a new element to our Conference in Nashville: the Mind Shift educational series.

These interactive education sessions focus on hot marketing topics including audience engagement, business development, and brand storytelling.

The Mind Shift team, made up of a group of NIRSA members who strive to think outside of the standard box about corporate partnerships, are finalizing details on this innovative new type of session.

More details on this exciting and unique element of the Annual Conference can be found in the December Mind Shift news article.

A significant component of Mind Shift is working with NIRSA student attendees through the Mind Shift Internship program. Interns will work alongside the Mind Shift team to tweet, post, and engage with the energy and excitement surrounding Mind Shift and all things NIRSA 2014. In addition, all interns will be provided a $500 stipend to cover part of conference registration and hotel accommodation costs.

Knowing how to best harness, assess, and utilize social media is an increasingly in-demand skill for all professionals, including collegiate recreation.

In an effort to provide as many qualified students as possible the opportunity to be a part of this cutting edge team, the internship deadline has been extended to February 13. If you know a social media savvy student who is interested in corporate partnerships, please refer them to the Mind Shift internship info page and application.

The internship program will officially begin in March 2014 with virtual training and preparation for the conference.