Garden Coordinator Student Internship

with The Garden at UMBC

Hours per week: approximately  10-15.

Compensation: Upper level academic credit and/or service learning transcript notation

The Garden is maintained as a community garden for the UMBC community, with plots allocated to student groups, classes, faculty and staff.  While not certified “organic,” the Garden requires that no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers are used and that organic gardening practices are followed.

Under the guidance of The Garden’s faculty mentor, Jill Wrigley, and the President and Vice-President of the Garden, the Garden Coordinator will oversee the general maintenance of The Garden. The goals of the Coordinator will be to enhance the aesthetic appeal and food production capacity of the all Garden spaces. The Coordinator will be primarily concerned with plant health and landscaping, but this person will also need to communicate effectively with a number of parties and stakeholders. The Coordinator will consult with The Garden’s officers, general membership, faculty mentor, the Grow UMBC committee, and  the Manager of UMBC’s Landscape and Grounds to ensure that Garden maintenance and projects take into account the standards and priorities of the UMBC community, including the safety of all gardeners. Our preference is that the internship term will last through the entire 2015-2016 academic year.  However, if needed, the internship may be divided into fall and spring internships with different interns each semester.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain an organized, clean and safe physical space in the garden, either directly or through the management of Garden members, gardeners and/or community volunteers.

• Ensure weekly weeding and watering needs are met

• Organize the development of a plan for continued soil and landscape improvement, while conducting research on and sharing gardening best practices with our Garden participants.

• Organize seed saving and documentation efforts

• Communicate needs, updates and plans for the Garden with the general body, faculty mentor, the Grow UMBC committee, and the manager of Landscape and Grounds

Qualifications:

• Must be enrolled as a current UMBC student

• Preference for someone who can commit to both Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters

• Experience with gardening and organic agriculture

• Must maintain a GPA of at least 2.5

• Must have excellent communication skills and some knowledge of social media, google drive, etc.

• Physically capable of standing, lifting, kneeling, and bending as needed in the garden for several hours per week

To schedule an interview or for more information, please contact Garden President Julianna Brightman at jul4@umbc.edu.