Urban Leadership Internship Program (ULIP)

Interested students should complete the ULIP application by the deadline of Sunday, October 12, 2025 by 11:59PM. The application requires that applicants include their resume and responses to the supplemental questions (limited to 1000 words). Please attach both in PDF format in the application. 

One letter of recommendation is required from a Miami University faculty or staff member or from an appropriate reference from outside the Miami community who can speak to the applicant's qualifications. Applicants must provide their recommender with the Letter of Recommendation form.

All letters of recommendation must be received by the application due date. Applications are not complete until both online application and the letter of recommendation are received.

Students are selected based on:

• Responses to the supplemental questions (listed below).
• Evidence of motivation and self-directed learning.
• Commitment to community involvement and making positive change in communities.
• Interest in serving in an urban community.
• Potential for learning through an interdisciplinary work experience.
• Resume information, such as skills attained through previous work and volunteer experience.
• Academic performance (minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA).

Application Link: https://miamioh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3h3OmdpZ4NY7OYK 

Letter of Recommendation form link: https://miamioh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eycy5lMvshfI21M 

Supplement questions:

1. This program is quite different from a standard professional internship. You are expected to engage deeply with the Dayton community and immerse yourself in the urban environment of Dayton. Why are you seeking this kind of community engagement experience? What do you expect to learn? Please be thoughtful and reflective in your responses.
2. Reflect on the most significant learning experience you have had, either in or out of the classroom. Why was it significant and what contributed to your learning?
3. Reflect on an involvement, either current or in the past, in which you managed a significant responsibility or were challenged in a significant way. How could you have handled this experience differently to reach a better outcome? In what ways did this experience help you grow in your leadership skills or illuminate a need to further develop your leadership skills?
4. Describe a community service experience, either one you have participated in or one that you would like to participate in, that embodies your definition of service. From your perspective, what are the key elements of the experience that distinguishes it as service to others?
5. How do you anticipate your experience in this internship program to contribute to the wellbeing of the Dayton community? In other words, who, or what, are you hoping to serve, and why?  Is there a type(s) of nonprofit with which you hope to intern? (You are not expected to have a specific internship agency in mind, but please be thoughtful in your response about the type of work that you would like to engage in, if you are selected to be part of the next ULIP cohort).

• August 29, 2025  – Application is released on Canvas and on Honors website
• Fall Information Sessions - Mid-September
• October 12, 2025, by 11:59 PM – Application is due, including letter of recommendation
• October 17, 2025 – Decisions announced by email
• October 27, 2025 – Accepted students required to confirm intent to participate
• Winter/Spring 2026 - Admitted Summer 2026 cohort works with ULIP coordinator to determine internship placement
• Spring Semester 2026 – The Summer 2026 cohort completes HON 290G to prepare for their summer internship experience
• Summer Term 2026 – 10-week internship and HON 340A, the online internship class
• TBD (late July or early August 2026) – ULIP Reflection Celebration Dinner

• Successful completion of HON 290G, the ULIP spring introduction and preparation course*.
• Successful completion of a ten-week full-time internship during Summer 2026.
• Successful completion of the HON 340 online course during Summer 2026.
• Attendance at the ULIP Reflection Dinner to present on their experience and thank community partners at the end of the summer internship experience.

*ULIP interns who are not members of the Honors College will be force-added into the Honors course during Spring registration.

If you are a current second- or third-year Miami University student and would like to learn more about the Summer 2026 Urban Leadership Internship Program, please attend one of the information sessions below. Each information session will cover the same information, so please only attend one session.

• Monday, September 8th from 6-7pm
• Wednesday, September 10 from 12-1pm
• Friday, September 12 from 1:30-2:30pm

All virtual information sessions will use Zoom. At the scheduled appointment time, to access the session, simply click the following Zoom link to join: https://miamioh.zoom.us/j/7950627312