IPC incorporated: a student-run IT services company for experiential learning

The Informatics Professional Corporation (IPC) is a C-corporation staffed and managed by undergraduate students in the Information Management & Systems (IMS) program at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Service in IPC satisfies an internship requirement in the curriculum and gives students real-world experience and a head start in making personal contacts in the local business environment. Many internship jobs are menial and unpaid positions. Last year, one of us (Routh) hit upon the idea of giving students a real-world opportunity by creating a real company incorporated in the state of South Carolina complete with a board of directors, stock issues, and an executive management team staffed solely by students. This paper describes the genesis of IPC, lessons learned, and the experiences of the inaugural class of interns at IPC. IPC has become a great source of pride among the students and students have shown an unexpected level of maturity. Many students are remaining associated with the company even though the internship is complete and intend to make it their permanent job after graduation. IPC represents an interesting new model for learning and is worthy of consideration as a vehicle for experiential learning in other information technology programs.