Are you curious to learn how a university works?

Finance and Administration is an area of the university made up of 35+ departments that provide key financial, facilities management, human resources, 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 sixth cohort in the UOAdmin Internship program in fall 2024. The program brought together a 13-student cohort from diverse backgrounds and experiences to engage with projects in three different Finance and Admin departments between fall 2024 and spring 2025. 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.

Thoughts from previous interns

In 2025-26, the cohort will:

• Attend an orientation the week before the start of fall term: probably the morning of Friday, September 26, 2025.
• Start the three-term internship in week 1 of fall term 2025.
• Commit to 10 hours per week for 10 weeks each term (fall, winter and spring).
• Be located in a different department within the Finance and Administration portfolio each term, working with a different mentor/supervisor and team.
• Engage in meaningful real-world projects specific to each department. Through these projects, will build skills useful in administrative positions in higher education as well as in the public and private sectors.
• Spend 1-2 hours a week in professional development and internship preparation activities during each term.
  • Professional development topics include: CliftonStrengths, project management, interview techniques, budgeting in higher education, working with Human Resources, UO marketing and branding, and job application techniques.
• Receive a monthly stipend throughout the internship, as long as they participate actively.
• Connect with the rest of the cohort; each member of which brings a unique background and perspective to the program.
• Engage in networking opportunities throughout the year. These include meetings with key UO leaders, specialized tours, and interactions with employees from across the institution.
• Work 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:

• Administrative Services
  • Delivering a budget report to a client unit with related analysis on budget-to-actual spending (Finance and Administration Shared Services)
  • Shadowing an AVP to understand executive decision-making and learn more about institutional strategy (FASS)
  • Using Tableau to turn static data reports into dynamic data dashboards for leadership (FASS-IT)
  • Working with staff to understand processes, document workflows, and develop updated process documentation (FASS Operations)
  • Creating internal training manuals and process guides (FASS)
• Campus Planning and Facilities Management
  • Designing and updating the Facilities Services Learning Library (CPFM Facilities)
  • Updating the materials library and design standards (CPFM Design and Construction)
  • Utilities and Energy
    • Creating energy management dashboards for the UO central power station
    • 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
    • Creating and implementing a communications plan for the Willamette River Natural Area
    • Collecting data needed for the AASHE STARS report (a comprehensive assessment of campus sustainability performance)
• Information Services
  • Customer journey mapping for UO portals
  • Developing Enterprise Solutions service agreements
  • 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
  • Working with Environmental Health and Safety on cross-campus lab safety initiatives
• 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
  • Creating user guides and updating the Print Services website
  • Planning a milestone anniversary event for the Vivian Olum Child Development Center
  • Budget-related projects for the Budget and Resource Planning and the Treasury Operations departments

Occasionally we have repeat projects, but many of them are new each year. The 2025-26 projects will be confirmed by fall 2025 according to host department needs and the skills and interests of the selected cohort.

Building a Robust Community

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..

Our Teams

Finance and Administration is comprised of about 37 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 an overview, see the Finance and Administration portfolio organizational chart. 

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