How to Apply
Applications are welcomed and encouraged from all qualified individuals regardless of background and identity. A one-page cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume in a single pdf file. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experiences that directly relate to it.
Job Summary
This is a student summer internship position with the Campus Farm at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. The Campus Farm Native Plants Intern will work with Campus Farm staff in consultation with MBGNA Native Plant staff to establish native plants within and around the Campus Farm landscape, with the aim of promoting pollinator diversity, beneficial insects, and ecosystem functions in agricultural landscapes. The intern will be an integral part of the Campus Farm team and participate in Campus Farm activities. They will also coordinate the involvement of the Campus Farm team in assisting with native plantings and maintenance. The MBGNA summer internship takes place Monday, May 4 to Friday, August 28, 2026. In order for the farm to function during our busiest part of the year, selected candidates are expected to complete all dates of the internship. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.
Who We Are
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) is a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the waters and lands we steward.
We turn this commitment into action by:
- Positioning humans as active participants within the natural world and compelling the university community and our publics to negotiate the full complexity that entails
- Advancing partnerships, programs, user experience, and all that we steward to catalyze access and impact in a radically changing world
- Emerging as University of Michigan's premier partner for research, teaching, and public impact in sustainability, climate-forward practices, and biocultural diversity
- Promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world.
For more information about MBGNA and the summer internship program, please visit: https://mbgna.umich.edu/summer-internships
For questions about the internship application, please contact:
[email protected]
Responsibilities*
This internship position is part of the UM Campus Farm at MBGNA. As part of the Campus Farm team, this position will regularly interact with UM students and staff, community partners, and other MBGNA departments during the course of a workday.
This internship position will support the goals of the UM Campus Farm through the following:
- Growing, planting, and caring for native plants
- Preparing planting sites
- Removing overly competitive, non-native plants
- Collecting, cleaning, storing, and dispersing native plant seed
- Participating in Campus Farm activities as assigned.
- Estimate of duties: ~50% native plant establishment and care, ~50% campus farm
Required Qualifications*
- Applicants must have one year of experience enrolled in a college or university by the internship start date. Recent college graduates who earned a degree in December 2025 or are planning to earn a degree by May 2026 are eligible to apply.
- This position may require a valid driver's license and a motor vehicle record check in order to operate MBGNA vehicles.
- Coursework and experience in identification of herbaceous plants.
- Coursework and experience in agroecology, horticulture, botany, ecology, soil ecology, and related subjects.
- Willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions.
- Willingness to do physical work.
- Ability and willingness to work in an inclusive and team-oriented way with diverse audiences, partner organizations, and programs involved with the Campus Farm.
- Must have a flexible schedule with weekend and evening availability.
How You'll Grow
The MBGNA summer internship provides university-level students with opportunities to:
- Participate in experiential learning in a nature-based organization
- Directly contribute to strategic operations of a mission-driven organization
- Help unify and catalyze access and impact across lands, waters, and dynamic systems
As part of a learning community, interns will be expected to:
- Attend a group orientation at the beginning of the summer
- Participate in professional development sessions offered throughout the summer
- Engage in opportunities for assessment and reflection
- Attend a final celebration at the end of the summer
Work Schedule
Hours Per Week / Days Per Week
40 hours per week / 5 days per week
Includes occasional evening and weekend work
Work Locations
MBGNA comprises 841 total acres, spanning across four sites, including the gardens, arboretum, a bog, and natural areas. This internship takes place mainly at the UM Campus Farm at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.
Modes of Work
In Person
Application Deadline
The MBGNA internship application will be open Wednesday, January 6 - Sunday, March 1, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the internship application closes. Selected candidates will be contacted for interviews beginning Monday, March 9, 2026. Final candidates will be notified by March 27, 2026.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.