Position Type: VISTA
Service Commitment: August 10, 2026 – August 9, 2027
Final Application Deadline: July 12, 2026
Car required? Recommended
Driver’s License Required? Yes
Position Summary:
UM Launchpad is a campus-based nonprofit dedicated to helping UM students, researchers, faculty and community partners develop the innovation and entrepreneurial skills, resources, and tools needed to succeed, in business and in life. We believe every idea has the potential to shape the world, from the lab to the studio, from your notebook to your neighborhood.
The goal of the UM Launchpad VISTA project is to build the organizational capacity of Launchpad to more effectively reach and serve economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students- populations for whom entrepreneurship represents a viable but often inaccessible pathway to economic mobility. The VISTA member will build sustainable systems and infrastructure by developing a formalized mentor and community resource network, conducting a campus-wide ecosystem needs assessment, establishing partnership infrastructure with academic departments, and creating a student journey tracking and impact reporting system. These systems will expand Launchpad’s ability to connect underserved students with mentors, resources, and opportunities, while enabling ongoing measurement of participation, engagement, and outcomes beyond the VISTA service term. This project alleviates poverty by equipping underserved students with the social capital and entrepreneurial skills needed to move beyond standard employment, removing systemic barriers and ensuring that first-generation students have an accessible pathway to long-term economic mobility.
The VISTA member will conduct a campus-wide ecosystem needs assessment to identify gaps in entrepreneurship support and document barriers faced by underserved student populations, delivering a completed Ecosystem Gap Analysis and Opportunity Report. VISTA member will design interview and survey instruments, research peer institution models and document best practices for inclusive entrepreneurship programming in a comparative analysis. VISTA member will build a structured, searchable mentor and community resource database covering funding, technical assistance, and professional development opportunities available to UM students. Member will create mentor onboarding materials, an engagement guidebook, and a recurring engagement calendar to sustain active mentor participation. VISTA member will design and develop a pilot student journey tracking system and produce Launchpad’s first annual Impact Report.
Montana Campus Network for Civic Engagement (MCNCE) serves as the intermediary for this project. MCNCE is a coalition of colleges and universities dedicated to fostering civic engagement, service learning, and volunteerism across Montana. Led by CEOs from participating institutions, MCNCE works to improve community life and educate students on civic and social responsibility, preparing them to be thoughtful, compassionate, and engaged leaders.
Benefits Include:
- $24,962 VISTA Living Allowance (full year) = $957.46 bi-weekly
- $7,395 Education Award or $1800 cash award
- Relocation Allowance
- Health Insurance
- Personal & Medical Leave
- Non-Competitive Federal Hiring for one year
- University of Montana access & resources
- Access to regular professional trainings through MCNCE & University of Montana
Professional Skills You Will Gain
- Communications
- Intercultural Relations
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Partnership Development
- Partnership Management
- Post-Secondary Education
- Program Assessment
- Program Development
- Public Speaking
- Student Affairs
- Indigenous Community Outreach
- Teamwork
- Time Management