University of Montana Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships
& The Davidson Honors College – Missoula, MT
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:
This project is a collaboration between the Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships (OESF), and The Davidson Honors College (DHC) at the University of Montana. DHC provides motivated students pursuing any major at UM with personalized opportunities to make the most of their undergraduate studies. Students complete the integrated honors curriculum on their way toward graduating with ‘University Scholar’ distinction. DHC & OESF prepare thoughtful, informed, agile and impactful citizens. OESF provides free advising for all members of the UM family, and are committed to making the scholarship process welcoming, fair, and open to all. The primary goal of this project is to expand the capacity to serve economically disadvantaged students. DHC and OESF students have high graduation rates, 90% and 100%, respectively. This is due to the programs’ academic and professional development opportunities, supportive community, and internal and external funding resources. Currently 31% of the University of Montana students are Pell-eligible, all of whom have access to these programs. The VISTA project will help the DHC and OESF increase capacity and improve service to economically disadvantaged students via research, recruitment, programmatic development, and grant writing. By expanding the capacity to connect more low-income students with funding, mentorship, and professional development, this equips economically disadvantaged students with the degrees and career readiness necessary to achieve long-term socioeconomic mobility and financial stability.
VISTA member will develop a database for tracking first-generation and economically disadvantaged students through merging existing databases’ information. Member will work to research and ensure accurate identification of this target population and will report outcomes of research effort to program staff, which will be utilized to inform member activities and future data collection efforts. Member will review existing marketing materials and design new materials in the goal of building more awareness for scholarship opportunities for this target population. Member will enhance peer-to-peer mentorship program through the assessment of current programming and creation of new templates, materials and guidelines. Member will research institutional-level grants that provide financial and/or professional development support, and enhance scholarship application resources and awareness for target population.
Montana Campus Network for Civic Engagement (MCNCE) serves as the intermediary for this project. MCNCE is a CEO-led coalition of colleges and universities that support civic engagement, service learning, and volunteerism across the state. Every year we place cohorts of full-time, part-time, and summer AmeriCorps members with schools, colleges, nonprofits, and government agencies in Montana. The AmeriCorps projects we facilitate increase educational equity, break down barriers between higher education and community organizations, and address the root causes of poverty in communities across the state.
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
- Curriculum Development
- Higher Education Administration
- Indigenous Community Outreach
- Intercultural Relations
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Partnership Development
- Partnership Management
- Post-Secondary Education
- Program Assessment
- Program Development
- Public Speaking
- Rural & Veteran Community Outreach
- Student Affairs
- Teamwork
- Time Management