Texas Sustainability Outreach Intern

Summary: The Texas Sustainability Outreach Intern will help the Office of Sustainability plan cross-campus events, develop educational graphics/flyers, and serve as the student liaison for the Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Student Network Committee. The intern may also be asked to provide support for other Office of Sustainability programs, events, and initiatives as needed.

Requirements: Must be proactive and self-motivated. Strong verbal communication skills. Comfortable interacting and communicating with students from diverse backgrounds. Enthusiasm and interest in sustainability concepts and applications. Ability to work both independently and as a team. Strong time-management skills. 

Preferred Skills/Experience: Experience leading focus groups, meetings, or other groups of peers.  Experience with community engagement and outreach. Basic sustainability knowledge. Experience in graphic design, primarily using Canva. 

Specific Job Functions:

• Serve as a spokesperson for the Office of Sustainability (OS) and convey a positive image to the public during cross-campus events.
• Create online messaging and graphics to engage and educate peers and staff to motivate sustainable behavior change.
• Identify and track current and potential partners to the OS (student organizations, departments, nonprofits, for-profit companies) and how they could benefit the UT’s sustainability.
• Plan and host tabling events for incoming students
• Work with various UT departments to reach as many organizations as possible and continually improve services
• Recruit, manage, support, and encourage volunteers to help with OS cross-campus events
• Help update the Office of Sustainability website
• TRACS Committee Charge: Develop a network of student sustainability leaders from across the state of Texas and hold monthly meetings to share best practices, plan the student programming for the Annual TRACS Summit, and plan joint actions at member institutions. Once established, the Student Committee will decide on the need for a formal structure, roles, etc. Report to UT TRACS Executive Committee Member.
• Monitor and respond to team emails/Slack inquiries promptly
• Regularly meet with the direct supervisor and Office of Sustainability staff.
• Coordinate events with Office of Sustainability Communications Intern Team.
• Assist with other Office of Sustainability initiatives as needed

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the semester, the Texas Sustainability intern will:

• Understand how to apply concepts of sustainability to their personal lives, the campus community, and globally.
• Have a strong knowledge of environmental and sustainability issues.
• Improve their ability to work as a team using effective interpersonal communication and conflict resolution to meet the team’s goals.
• Gain experience working with a wide variety of people to advocate for positive change.
• Gain public speaking, email writing, meeting, and other professional communications skills.

Career-Readiness Competencies:

As a Texas Sustainability intern, students will strengthen the below competencies.

• Oral/Written Communications: Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms. By leading focus groups and giving presentations, strengthen public speaking skills and ability to express ideas to others.
• Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrate personal accountability and the ability to work effectively both independently and within a collaborative team environment consisting of student and professional staff.
• Global/Intercultural Fluency: Value, respect, and learn from diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, religions, etc. Demonstrate openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals' differences.
• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Strengthen the use of sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. Develop and implement creative new ideas about how to reach a diversity of students.

Hours/Wage: $15 per hour for 8-10hrs/week.

Location: Hybrid. Physical office space in the Student Services Building (SSB 1.302) in the Campus Environmental Center.

Start Date/Duration: August 2024. Must commit to the position through the academic year.

A resume and cover letter must be submitted to apply.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

The UT Office of Sustainability is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including BIPOC, LGBTQ identifying people, gender-nonconforming people, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English.