Building Career-Ready Students Through a CDW Internship at the University of Pittsburgh

A Collaboration with CDW | 2026 EDUCAUSE Mission Partner

Institutional Profile

The world-class research and academic offerings at the University of Pittsburgh are shaping the next generation of leaders. Pitt is a top-ranked, public research university in Pennsylvania and a member of the Association of American Universities, composed of leading research universities. The university enrolls roughly 35,500 students—about 25,700 undergraduate and 9,800 graduate and professional students—across sixteen schools and colleges. Founded in 1787, it ranks among the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States, classified R1 for very high research activity. Students pursue nationally ranked programs across the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the Katz Graduate School of Business, along with offerings in computing and information, education, law, social work, and public and international affairs, complemented by six health sciences schools affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers. The university ranks among the top 10 recipients of NIH research support, reports more than $1.3 billion in annual research expenditures, and sees 96% of recent undergraduate alumni working or enrolled in further study within six months of graduation. Through its research enterprise, industry and community partnerships, and engagement across all sixteen schools, Pitt is one of Pennsylvania’s most significant economic engines, generating billions in annual impact and supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the Commonwealth while advancing education, discovery, and workforce development statewide and beyond. Whether your dream is to bring ethical AI to the clinic, improve the power grid, or become a Rhodes Scholar, it’s possible at Pitt.

The Challenge/Opportunity

Leaders at higher education institutions are facing growing challenges as budget constraints continue to lead to cuts in jobs and programs.^Footnote1 In the recent EDUCAUSE Workforce Report, participants highlighted that budget pressures are often felt most directly through staffing and capacity, with some noting that even when budget was not the main issue, staffing and capacity challenges were still a major constraint.^Footnote2

The University of Pittsburgh is no exception, and leaders in Pitt Digital, the core IT unit within the organization, have had to find ways to address their budget constraints, which has led to reducing the number of on-campus student employment positions. At the same time, student expectations around career preparation have shifted significantly. Many students now prioritize internships and experiences that directly strengthen their résumés and align with long-term career goals. The 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report | Teaching and Learning Edition highlights credential ROI as a growing priority for students, noting that credential options “can lower the upfront risk, deliver skills faster, and clearly signal to employers what someone can do.”^Footnote3

Together, these forces are making it increasingly difficult for the university to retain student workers for traditional campus roles, which are the very jobs meant to help build workforce-ready skills and experience for students. These trends open a clear opportunity: partnering with third parties to provide internships that can reduce the financial burden on the institution while meeting students’ evolving career expectations and building their skills to prepare them for the workforce.

Rather than developing such a program internally, officials at Pitt Digital have worked with Steve Pinter, manager of the Campus Intern Program at CDW, to create an opportunity to implement a student internship program fully funded by CDW through its longstanding Higher Education Campus Internship Program. The partnership presented an opportunity to address multiple challenges by providing students with an outside-funded internship leading to meaningful professional experience, while strengthening the engagement between the university and an industry partner provides a secondary benefit. Through the internship, students gain training in and exposure to technology, business, and relationship management, allowing them to explore career paths no matter their major. Ash Brady, Customer Success Manager for Pitt Digital, has been the main point person connecting with the CDW student interns. He highlighted that the program also helps connect students with experiences that mirror today’s accelerated recruiting environment in which internships and practical experience have become increasingly important for securing employment after graduation.

For both Pitt Digital and CDW, the shared objective is to create an experience that prepares students for successful careers while delivering value to the institution. CDW invests in students by providing mentorship, professional development, and regular communication and support throughout the internship. The students’ work on campus includes building connections and direct engagement with stakeholders across the organization, offering opportunities for students to improve skills in communication, networking, and business acumen.

Brady helps support the experience by providing intimate knowledge of Pitt’s infrastructure and access to campus stakeholders, and Pinter and the CDW team provide training and encourage students to take ownership of professional relationships. As explained by current intern Casey Gaines, “The program helps me build confidence in communicating with professionals, navigating unfamiliar situations, and developing a deeper understanding of the higher education technology landscape.” The partnership reflects a broader shift toward experiential learning opportunities that emphasize career readiness alongside institutional impact.

Process

The partnership between the University of Pittsburgh and CDW is built on a collaborative approach that combines professional development with institution-specific engagement. Through CDW’s Higher Education Campus Internship Program, interns complete an extensive onboarding process that introduces them to the company’s operations, technology portfolio, industry trends, and customer-engagement strategies. Training includes mock meetings, role-playing exercises, and coaching designed to help students build confidence and soft skills in professional communication while learning how to identify institutional priorities and connect those needs with available technology solutions that CDW can support.

Once onboarded through their CDW training, interns begin developing relationships across campus by meeting with university stakeholders, learning about departmental priorities, and identifying opportunities where CDW and its technology partners can provide value. At Pitt, Brady serves as an important connector, helping interns navigate the campus environment and introducing them to appropriate leaders and subject-matter experts. Gaines has taken an active role in initiating conversations, asking questions, and actively listening to help identify opportunities and challenges that Pitt Digital is facing. This approach encourages students to develop professional skills while providing the university with stronger connections to industry resources. It also helps provide additional insight for CDW to understand the challenges institutions are facing from a student perspective.

The student interns are supported by a broad network of mentors and collaborators. In addition to guidance from the local CDW account team, interns participate in peer communities with campus interns at other institutions across the country, where they share experiences, ask questions, and learn from one another. CDW account managers and technology partners also continually provide coaching, such as helping students understand how to tailor conversations to the priorities of higher education leaders. The point person at each institution contributes institutional knowledge by connecting interns with the right stakeholders who can provide context for campus initiatives.

This collaborative process has already produced tangible value for both the university and CDW. During conversations with campus stakeholders, Gaines identified an opportunity to explore Apple’s enterprise support offerings after recognizing a potential gap in the university’s device support model. By connecting university leaders with CDW and Apple representatives, Gaines helped facilitate discussions around enhanced AppleCare Enterprise services that could improve maintenance for Apple devices. This connection provided an opportunity to address specific challenges that Pitt Digital and students had been dealing with. This example illustrates how the internship extends beyond just being a job, enabling students to contribute to institutional goals while gaining valuable real-world experience.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Internship programs with third parties can create value beyond professional development. The program provides students with meaningful career experience, but its impact extends much further. By serving as a consistent on-campus presence, the intern strengthens communication between the university, CDW, and its technology partners to help everyone learn more about the challenges and opportunities that each brings to the table. Interns also provide campus leaders with valuable insight into the student experience, helping inform them about institutional priorities and emerging needs that might otherwise remain unknown. For CDW, the program strengthens customer engagement while giving students early exposure to executive-level conversations that are uncommon at this stage of their careers.

Executive sponsorship can amplify a program’s impact. One of the most important lessons learned is that visible support from institutional leadership can significantly increase awareness and engagement across campus. Whereas the internship program has succeeded through grassroots relationship building, greater communication and involvement from IT leadership could help interns, faculty, and staff better understand the breadth of services and expertise available through CDW beyond technology procurement. As leaders pursue initiatives such as AI, cloud services, or digital transformation, stronger executive involvement and engagement can improve the value of vendor partnerships through knowledge sharing while continuing to support the role for interns as they gain experience as a campus resource.

Soft skills are just as important as technical expertise. A defining strength of the program is its emphasis on developing communication, relationship building, and active-listening skills alongside technical knowledge. Through structured coaching, mock meetings, and real-world interactions with campus leaders, interns learn to navigate unfamiliar situations with confidence. Rather than being based on an expectation that students will have every answer, the program encourages them to ask thoughtful questions, listen carefully, and use that knowledge to connect stakeholders with the appropriate resources. These experiences prepare students for successful careers while building professional confidence that extends well beyond the internship.

Strong partnerships require investment from everyone involved. Leaders considering a similar program should recognize that success depends on active participation from both the institution and its industry partner. Campus champions play a key role: By introducing interns to key stakeholders, providing meaningful opportunities for engagement, and reinforcing the intern’s role across campus, they help create value for the institution. Likewise, a supportive culture that encourages curiosity, learning, and thoughtful risk taking allows students to grow through experience without fear of failure. When students, institutional leaders, and industry partners all invest in the relationship, an internship becomes more than a workforce development opportunity. It becomes an opportunity for stronger partnerships, institutional cost savings, knowledge gain, and continued student success.

Thank You

Notes

1. Jenay Robert, Nicole Muscanell, Mark McCormack, and Kim Arnold, 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, Teaching and Learning Edition (Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE, 2026), 14; and Josh Moody, “June Brings Deep Cuts at Several Universities,” InsideHigherEd, July 7, 2026. Jump back to footnote 1 in the text. ↩
2. Nicole Muscanell, 2026 EDUCAUSE Workforce Report: Can Higher Education Break the Cycle of Reactivity?, research report (Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE, June 2026). Jump back to footnote 2 in the text. ↩
3. Robert et al., 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, Teaching and Learning Edition, 15. Jump back to footnote 3 in the text. ↩

---

Sean Burns is Manager of Insights and Evaluation at EDUCAUSE.

Ash Brady is Customer Success Manager at the University of Pittsburgh.

Steve Pinter is Manager of the Campus Intern Program at CDW.

Casey Gaines is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh.