INROADS develops and places talented minority youth in business and industry and prepares them for corporate and community leadership, according to its mission.

All potential interns are required to complete 18 hours of intense training. Training includes everything from networking skills to appropriate office attire, so when the time comes to place students with companies, they are polished and professional, according to the INROADS staff.

The interns, in most instances, work for the particular company during the summer months of their college career. If the interns have been successful, they are offered a job in that company upon graduation.

Frank C. Carr in Chicago founded INROADS, a 32-year-old organization. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s life-changing "I Have a Dream" speech, Carr started this non-profit organization with 25 college student interns and 17 sponsoring companies.

According to its 2001 annual report, INROADS has more than 60 offices internationally and more than 7,000 interns with different parent companies, such as IBM, FedEx, General Motors and many more. Right now, there are seven INROADS interns working in different departments on campus.

INROADS interns are included in almost every activity in the office, from business luncheons to staff meetings.

MTSU has been a corporate sponsor of the INROADS program since 1994. Each summer, interns are assigned to work in various corporate and university settings. MTSU departments that currently have interns assigned to work with them in the summer include: Parking and
Transporation Services, Event Coordination, Admissions, Development and University Relations, Athletics, Information Technology Division, and Continuing Studies and Public Service

Deborah Roberts, director of Administrative Services, serves as a link between MTSU and INROADS. Roberts said she believes that there is a lot to be gained by these professional young people.