The Institute for Environmental Negotiation is affiliated with the UVA School of Architecture. The Institute was founded in 1980, nearly 30 years ago, to provide mediation and consensus building services to governments, citizen organizations and businesses dealing with conflicts and complex policy choices about land uses and the natural and built environment. The Institute also designs public involvement processes for land use planning projects such as watershed plans, coastal management, Bay-oriented projects, forest management and land-use related projects.
Each year, the Institute offers several graduate student assistantships for students in the School of Architecture’s Department of Urban and Environmental Planning. There may be full-time (40 hour week) summer internships and up to four one-year semester internships (15 hours per week for two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters. Most of the one-year semester internships are work-study positions. For students who are not eligible for work-study, there is the possibility of a paid fellowship, which is dependent on a grant provided to the A-School. A third possibility is to work in exchange for academic credit. If you wish to work for IEN, please apply!
IEN Associates usually work intensively on one to two projects and employ a variety of skills such as research, writing, graphic design and web site management and may also assist with meeting facilitation. Associates work on projects that apply planning theory to on-the-ground projects such as watershed plans or redevelopment of brownfields. They also learn to conduct public involvement processes — a key skill sought by both public and private sector planning agencies. Those who are interested may also have the opportunity to gain experience in facilitation.
The following list provides several examples of the types of projects on which that Institute graduate associates may work. However, there are many more projects that are offered each year in which students can participate. To learn about current Institute projects visit http://www.virginia.edu/ien/projects
Examples of Institute projects include:
- Coastal Program 309 Assessment: Conducting research and summarizing the last five years of achievements by the fully array of agency programs addressing coastal management issues. This project will result in recommendations for Virginia Coastal Program’s priorities for the next years.
- Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute (VNRLI): All interns are responsible for preparing or updating at least one “issue brief” on environmental and planning issues for this statewide course for natural resource professionals.
- Watershed Planning: Working with local communities, such as Shenandoah County, to identify priorities for its watershed plan.
- Food System Council: Working with the newly established Virginia Food System Council to provide meeting support or conduct research identified by the Council.
To apply:
Internships are awarded on a competitive basis. Only students enrolled at the University of Virginia School of Architecture will be hired. Preference is given to second-year Master’s degree candidates in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, and also to students whose primary internship commitment will be at IEN.
Candidates for summer internships are hired in the spring.
One-year interns (for fall and spring semesters) are hired in the spring of the prior academic year.
To apply please email your resume and a cover letter detailing your interest in IEN, academic and work experience and availability (start date, end date, and number of hours available per week) to tml7e@eservices.virginia.edu or send to: Tammy Switzer, Institute for Environmental Negotiation, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400179, 2015 Ivy Road, Suite 422, Charlottesville, VA 22904.
The deadline for applications for summer and fall-spring internships is March 15, 2012