Applications Now Closed
The application period for the next cohort of the City of Gainesville fellowship will open in mid-summer, 2024. We provide this legacy information for future applicants.
We encourage applicants to review all the information below and watch this recorded info session for additional context. For your convenience, we provide a copy of a prior application at this link.
Help us Empower a Stronger Gainesville
The City of Gainesville and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida offer the annual City of Gainesville Local Government Fellowship program.
Due to reorganization within the City of Gainesville, the City will offer fellowships only in the Office of the City Clerk.
Under the direction of City staff, students who are selected as fellows will work part time (about 15 hrs/wk) during the fall and spring semesters of an entire academic year. Students will also register for at least one internship credit hour at UF during both the fall and spring semesters. (More information on the credit hour requirement can be found in the FAQs section below.)
Applications will open in mid-summer, 2024. Please watch this space for updates.
2023-24 Focus Area
The fellowship provides students with opportunities to perform project-based work striving to improve real-world, operational city issues and meet strategic goals.
We seek to recruit fellows as a cohort who will mutually support each other in project-based objectives throughout the entirety of an academic year. This team will work closely with each other as well as city departments and organizational leadership.
The focus area for the 2023-2024 fellowships is policy research. A more complete descriptions of the position is below.
View a copy of the City of GNV Fellowship Application.
Selection of program participants is decided by the City of Gainesville after an initial screening with the Bob Graham Center. Interviews with City staff will begin in early April with final offers made to students later in the month.
In order to support the students’ success, each fellow will be assigned a mentor from within city government. The student will meet with their mentors consistently throughout the fellowship year to assess the progress they are making and address any concerns.
Previous fellows created the informational video below. Students interested in learning more about the program may contact Dr. Kevin Bird at kbird@ufl.edu for additional information.
FAQs
Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. The city is eager to invite students from areas within the Colleges of the Arts; Education; Business; Design, Construction & Planning; Engineering; Health & Human Performance; Liberal Arts & Sciences; and Journalism & Communications.
No. While fellows will work closely with one another, group or team applications will not be considered. All applications need to be completed individually.
All students are required to take at least one internship credit in both the fall and spring semesters, but are encouraged to take more. You can take internship credits through your own department or through the Bob Graham Center (IDS4940).
The fellows will be paid the city’s hourly living wage, $15.00 per hour.
Detailed Position Description
Policy Research
- Comfortably research and analyze both broad and narrow topics to then craft a highly-readable report
- Communicate effectively with a variety of audiences, including the Mayor, City Commissioners, and members of the public
- Balance multiple projects at once while working both independently and as part of a larger team