This summer, when jobs and internships are few and far between, first-year MBA student Kimberly Susko has the paid task of making Coaches Calling -- a Web site for college coaches to browse profiles of potential recruits -- a more highly trafficked and user-friendly site.

Coaches Calling is just one of more than 100 projects this summer that the Johnson School is offering its students in this challenging job market.

The MBA Project Initiative, created by the Johnson School Projects Office and the Career Management Center, offers students short-term work, paid and unpaid, at both large corporations and small nonprofits across the country, including many in the Ithaca area. As opposed to traditional internships, the students will work as consultants on specific projects with short-term goals.

For example, the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization wants an MBA student to work on positioning Cornell to release a new apple variety. The work would include developing a licensing plan and coming up with brand strategies, according to the project description. And, the small nonprofit Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education seeks a student who can assist with financial planning and reporting.

The projects are just one of many ways the Johnson School is helping first- and second-year students battle a tough economy, said Candace Maxian, corporate projects office manager.

"For our first-year students who do not have internships and our second-year students who do not have full-time jobs, we are seeking meaningful work experiences for them," Maxian said. The projects office began compiling the list of projects for students to work on since March, largely by reaching out to Cornell's vast alumni network.

"We were anticipating the market was not going to be as robust as it has been in the past," said Karin Ash, director of the Johnson School's career management office. "It took more of a dramatic turn than any of us expected."

For first-year students, the projects can take the place of an internship, Maxian said. Graduating second-year students can do a project while they look for work.

Vikram Venkatasubramanian, an accelerated MBA student who graduates this May, will be consulting at a Long Island doctor's office, Suffolk Nephrology. With his strong software background, Venkatasubramanian will help the office transition to electronic medical records systems while he hunts for a specific type of technology job in the Boston area.

"It's a very good initiative that gives us the opportunity to fill a gap that might have been in our resumes," Venkatasubramanian said.

Students who accept project work are expected to attend a two-hour seminar called Consulting Smart Start, in which they'll learn strategies for setting goals and achieving results in their particular project environments.

Susko said she was impressed with the number and breadth of projects available to students. "There are a lot of really amazing opportunities," she said.

For more information, contact Candace Maxian at projectsoffice@cornell.edu.