ORGANIZATION
The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach connects UVA with the community and the world through public-facing programming that educates and engages individuals and enriches our society. A respectful exchange of views, data, and information is crucial to our work. Academic Outreach augments UVA’s mission to graduate ethically minded leaders by amplifying programs that clearly serve the public, and by supporting research that leads the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world toward a better future.
SPONSOR
Ellen Blackmon, Community Engagement Curricular Coordinator and Dreama Johnson, Associate Director, Public Service & Government Community and Global Careers
PURPOSE
The Public Service Pathways Program Assistant will provide support to staff in the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and the Career Center as they research, design, and launch a brand-new undergraduate program, "Public Service Pathways." This program is multifaceted and organized around these main missions: The goals of the Public Service Pathways program are to:
- Foster the development of a public service mindset where students understand and better define their collective charge and responsibility as citizens
- Create intentional communities of belonging around issues of public interest
- Curate existing public service, academic, career, and personal advising and experiential learning opportunities into a centralized program.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
This internship will prepare the intern for careers in any of the following:
- Faculty
- Academic Research and Administration
- Non-profit
- Communication, Outreach, and Publishing
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
This internship will provide experiences to develop and polish the following skills:
- Communication to diverse audiences
- Interdisciplinary team collaboration
- Knowledge of sector and networking
- Problem-solving and analytical
- Self and career management
- Thought leadership and innovation
- Teaching, mentoring, and training
- Marketing
RESPONSIBILITIES
The success of this program is dependent upon close, open collaboration between many university departments and units, and the continual (re)evaluation of program elements based on student, staff, and faculty feedback. The Public Service Pathways Program Assistant will be expected to:
- Attend and actively participate in stakeholder meetings, attended by faculty, staff, and students
- Collaborate with university staff, faculty, and entire units in the design of undergraduate learning opportunities
- Envision, plan, and attend meetings and social events for undergraduate students enrolled in the Public Service Pathways Program
- Continually update a new public-facing website reflecting the Pathways Program news and offerings as well as a new student engagement platform
- Prepare written reports of program progress and collaborate in the creation and distribution of program evaluations
MENTORING PLAN
The Public Service Pathways Program Assistant will be a major contributor to twice-weekly meetings of the entire Pathways planning team. The core of this team is comprised of staff from the Office for Academic Outreach, the Career Center, and Madison House, all of whom work in close collaboration with the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach. Staff in the Academic Outreach and the Career Center will be the Program Assistant's primary supervisors and advisors. Virtual meetings will be the standard for staff and faculty meetings, while meetings with students may be conducted in person or virtually according to public health guidelines. The PSP Program Assistant can also expect regular meetings with faculty and staff from around the University who advise program development. While we, the hosts for the internship position, have a predetermined "to-do" list for this intern, we are also very interested in learning what other kinds of work the intern may be interested in pursuing while a member of our team.
DESIRED QUALITIES
The Office for Academic Outreach is seeking an individual who is passionate about public service and student development, and who shares our team's belief that universities can and should be held accountable by the communities they impact. Please apply if you are interested in learning more about higher education administration, student development, career advising, and the best practices of university-community engagement. The ability to write and speak with clarity as well as confidence before diverse audiences is critical.
DURATION AND EFFORT
This internship will occur during the Fall 2022 semester.
FUNDING
This internship is funded up to $5000 for the semester ($25/hour at 10 hours/week)