Thank you for your interest in hosting a RISE Intern at your organization! Our goal is to provide students with a workplace opportunity related to resilience to grow their interpersonal skills and prepare them for careers after graduation. We ask that all RISE supervisors have the capacity to onboard and support their RISE interns and are invested in our students’ success.
The RISE program is committed to providing funding opportunities for underserved students and continuing to provide the support for a diverse and talented Arizona future workforce. We place students in workplace settings to provide experience and transferable skills they do not typically obtain through coursework or a research project. The funding from RISE will be used for student wages, and in some cases, food, travel, and project supplies.
RISE supports partners with funding to provide paid internships. Eligible partners include University of Arizona departments, government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and international organizations across the globe. Internship dates are flexible and can be semester-long, summer-long, year-long, etc.
RISE internships vary greatly. In some instances, students are placed in internships with a university department and RISE sends funding to the home department to disperse on their own. In other instances, RISE staff work with off-campus organizations to develop an internship description, recruit students, and create an appropriate plan for payment.
We accept internship proposals from potential internship hosts on a rolling basis.
As of July 2024, we have allocated more than $1 million to nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate students. We are taking a pause on approving new proposals until we have more information about additional funding. Please feel free to submit an internship proposal for the future, but we will not be able to approve it until we receive additional RISE funding.
Requirements
All RISE internships must relate to resilient environments and/or societies. This can look like a lot of different things! Our internships have focused on climate change research, water conservation, K-12 environmental education, communication, outreach, and more.
All RISE internships must provide students with a workplace setting experience to provide students with professional opportunities they normally do not receive from in class studies or from pure research projects. Our goal is for students to learn and practice interpersonal skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
The internship host must have at least one person identified to supervise the RISE Intern during their internship. Their supervisor must be able to meet with them on a regular basis to provide them with consistent communication, clear directions and guidelines, and provide constructive feedback. We recognize that it requires a lot of time and effort to onboard interns into their team and organization and appreciate your time. We ask our RISE supervisors to be patient and understanding of the challenges students’ face outside of their internship.
A strong mentorship opportunity is extremely valued and makes a big impact in students’ lives. RISE internships should provide students with access to a mentor during their internship. The mentor should be somebody who is invested in the student’s success and ensures that the student feels safe, seen, and heard in the workplace. Their mentor may be the same person as their supervisor, if that person can provide both, and it is highly encouraged that the mentor be a person that the student will work with regularly. The mentorship should be focused on the RISE intern learning valuable and transferrable skills.
Students will complete a workplan with their internship supervisor and have regular check ins with them to ensure internship deliverables are met. Students must complete their full hours and project deliverables for their internship. The RISE program requires students to work on projects that help them obtain workforce skills in diverse fields and work settings, therefore specific deliverables will vary depending on the internship.
Funding is primarily used for student wages. RISE internships must pay a minimum hourly rate of $18/hour. Limited funding support for food and travel is also available. Proposed budgets are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and it is encouraged to include all project costs in the proposed budget. The budget will go through a review process and feedback will be communicated with partners on allowable and non-allowable costs.
As we enter the 2024-25 academic year, we are shifting towards a cost-sharing model with our RISE partners. We are still in the process of implementing this and will work with RISE partners on an individual basis to find a cost-sharing agreement to determine funding options.
All partners interested in funding their internship opportunities can submit a proposal application through the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences webpage through the Internship Survey. Applicants will also be asked to submit a proposed budget and must use the indicated Budget Template that is on the RISE webpage. Once application is received it will go through the review process and applicants will be contacted by the RISE program. Programs are encouraged to submit one proposal per project and include all students participating in that project in the proposal.
In addition to providing funding, the RISE Program can assist with recruitment for interested internship programs. RISE staff will list internship opportunities to recruit applicants. Students will be apply directly through the RISE partner, whether that is through an application portal or by sending their application materials to the RISE supervisor.
We ask our RISE supervisors to keep the application process as simple as possible to ensure that all students can apply. Please do not ask for references or any special work samples that students cannot easily share from typical coursework.
If you are interested in hosting a UArizona intern, please submit your application below.
Internship Application for Host Organizations Budget Template