Careers at WFAA

Alumni Park Intern

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA), the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for UW-Madison, is seeking an Alumni Park Intern to work on-site at our location at 650 Lake Street in Madison, WI. In this internship you will gain experience with site and exhibit design, planting, maintenance, and operations experience in an outdoor museum-like setting. You’ll gain a better understanding of what it takes to operate an iconic park deeply tied to celebrating UW-Madison’s Alumni while hosting events for visitors from throughout the world. During the internship you will collaborate with WFAA staff, other interns, local design and maintenance partners, and landscape architects from POPLAND Studio.

Schedule/Hours: May 2025 through October 2025 (June-August full-time hours). 15-20 hours weekly during academic school year.

Hourly Rate: $16-$18

Who is WFAA?
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers.

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive.

Primary Responsibilities

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS

Perform tasks including weeding, pruning, deadheading, planting, mulching and turf care.
Learn to properly identify weeds and implement control methods.
Provide supplemental watering of newly installed plants and containers.
Clean and monitor exhibit lighting to make sure they are performing as designed.
Perform additional duties as requested

SITE DESIGN AND PLANTING DESIGN

Design approximately 2-3 spaces, which may include:
- Outdoor exhibit spaces and installations
- Furnishings for plazas and other garden spaces
- Plant bed areas for installation during the current or following season
Implement sustainable planting design practices
Update overall park planting plan in CAD

Requirements and Qualifications

Qualifications:

Must be currently enrolled in an accredited Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program or Master in Landscape Architecture program.
Working knowledge of Sketchup/3D modeling and CAD and willingness to learn new software.
Hand sketching skills to communicate design ideas.
Ability to install plantings and perform outdoor landscape maintenance.

WFAA is committed to provide our employees with an environment that is inspiring, creative and respectful.

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.