Are you curious to learn how a university works?

Finance and Administration is an area of the university made up of 35 units, or departments, that provide key financial, facilities management, human resource, and administrative services to campus. These departments directly serve and support all aspects of campus life and report up through the senior vice president for finance and administration (VPFA) and chief financial officer (CFO). Read more about our departments' key services below.

The UOAdmin Internship is a paid internship that offers a cohort of 12 students experience in up to three of our departments over the course of an academic year (fall, winter, and spring terms). Through this program, a diverse group of students will gain insight into the units that serve and support many aspects of campus life, while building work experience and practical skills in the field of higher education administration.

Eligibility Criteria and Application

What makes our program unique?

Our Interns

The Finance and Administration portfolio welcomed the fifth cohort in the UOAdmin Internship program in fall 2023. The program brought together a 12-student cohort from diverse backgrounds and experiences to engage with projects in three different Finance and Admin departments between fall 2023 and spring 2024. Students bring their unique perspectives to our workplaces to learn more about our role in making the university operate effectively. Learn how previous interns enjoyed their internship.

In 2023-24, each intern:

• Started the internship in week 1 of fall term 2023--orientation was held the week before fall term.
• Spends 1-2 hours a week in professional development and internship preparation activities during each term. Professional development topics include: CliftonStrengths, effective networking, project management, diversity in the workplace, leadership, navigating HR, budgeting in higher education, and job interview/application skills.
• Commits to 10 hours per week for 10 weeks each term (fall, winter and spring) immersed in a different department within the Finance and Administration portfolio, working with a different mentor/supervisor and team.
• Earns up to $1,500/term (depends on how many hours you actually end up working--the goal is 100 hours per term).
• Engages in meaningful real-world projects specific to each department. These projects are linked to each intern's learning goals; interns will build skills useful in administrative positions in higher education as well as the public and private sectors.
• Connects with the 12-intern cohort, each member of which brings a unique background and perspective to the program.
• Engages in networking opportunities throughout the year. These include meetings with key UO leaders, specialized tours, and interactions with employees from across the institution.
• Works toward meeting learning objectives and participating in active reflection and evaluation after each project. This internship is appropriate for students who would like to earn internship credit.

Our Projects

Central to the UOAdmin internship is the completion and presentation of practical projects during each term. Each project has real-world impact and is linked to learning objectives and skill-building goals identified by interns themselves. Projects have direct benefits for the operation of the department. Projects vary each year depending on the needs of the host departments. Here are some examples of the projects completed in previous years:

• Campus Planning and Facilities Management
  • Creating energy management dashboards for the UO central power station (CPFM Utilities and Energy)
  • Designing and updating the Facilities Services Learning Library
  • Building a spreadsheet-based financial model of costs associated with natural gas consumption over the next 30 years
  • Campus Planning
    • Creating and publicizing new tours on topics such as indigenous history and the Black experience on campus
    • Developing communications materials
  • Sustainability
    • Creating a Green Events Guide
    • Learning about and presenting on the UO fleet electrification transition plan
    • Collecting data needed for the AASHE STARS report (a comprehensive assessment of campus sustainability performance)
• Information Services
  • Redesigning the Information Security Office web presence
  • Data tracking and reporting using the UO Learning and Management System
  • Presenting costing and future scenarios for UO cloud computing services
  • Research, data analysis, and visualization
• Human Resources
  • Researching and proposing a staff mentor program and learning/development certificate
  • Helping to plan and implement the annual campus-wide "Take Your Children to Work Day"
  • Planning, preparing, and executing employee recognition and engagement events with Programs and Services
  • Conducting a SWOT analysis of the exit interview process for Employee and Labor Relations
  • Researching inclusive recruitment best practices and incorporating these into a campus-wide toolkit for the UO Talent Acquisition team
• Safety and Risk Services
  • Developing event plans for the annual week-long Risk and Resilience Summit at the UO
  • Working with the GIS team to update campus mapping tools, improving user accessibility
  • Researching and presenting information on insurance deductibles in higher education, for the Risk Management & Insurance group
  • Developing and implementing a community-based education project with the UO Police Department
  • Creating short, task-specific, online training sessions for new employees in CPFM and Housing Food Services
• Transportation
  • Researching and making recommendations to improve the UO Bike Safety Program
  • Proposing and analyzing options for a fixed route daytime shuttle around campus
  • Preparing a financial analysis for a university-wide zonal parking permit program for Transportation Services
• Other
  • Delivering a budget report to a client unit with related analysis on budget-to-actual spending (Finance and Administration Shared Services)
  • Creating user guides and updating the Print Services website.
  • Planning a milestone anniversary event for the Vivian Olum Child Development Center.

Occasionally we have repeat projects, but many of them are new each year. The 2023-24 projects were confirmed by fall 2023 and align with host department needs and the skills and interests of the cohort.

Our Commitment to Diversity

One goal of the UOAdmin Internship Program is to bring together students and staff with a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds, enriching our workplace and exposing students to the work of university operations. We are committed to enhancing the diversity of employees who work in the fields specific to Finance and Administration at our university and elsewhere. We hope that participation in the UOAdmin Internship Program inspires some of our students to explore careers in our departments and in departments like ours at other institutions. For more information about our other diversity efforts, visit this page showing an overview of the portfolio initiatives.

Our Teams

Finance and Administration is comprised of about 35 units, or departments, that provide key financial, facilities management, human resource, IT, and administrative services to campus. These units are grouped in eight main areas below. The teams of staff who make up these units directly serve and support all aspects of campus life, report to the university's chief financial officer and senior vice president for finance and administration (VPFA). For a visual overview, see the Finance and Administration portfolio organizational chart.  

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