Student Garden Coordinator

 NEXUS Community Garden and Urban Farm

Student Garden Coordinator Internship Description
2026 Growing Season (Includes Summer Hours)

Overview

Bellarmine Chapel coordinates the NEXUS Community Garden and Urban Farm located on Xavier University’s campus, in partnership with Brick Gardens.  The mission of this space is to serve as a collaborative growing space that brings together diverse stakeholders from St. Robert Bellarmine parish, the Xavier University campus, and neighboring communities to grow genuinely transformative relationships, address food insecurity and hunger, educate around the importance of urban agriculture, and promote sustainability.
 

Position Description

We seek to hire three (5 hours per week) Student Garden Coordinator Intern to partner with a returning Intern in overseeing garden operations during the 2026 growing season. Primary duties for this positions include both physical labor and administrative tasks: 

• Preparing, planting, and maintaining communally-gardened plots (collectively referred to as the Urban Farm), in cooperation with Bellarmine volunteers, community gardeners, and Brick Gardens, a local non-profit partner organization
• Mowing and weed-whacking around the garden beds on a weekly basis
• Watering all community and urban farm beds on a daily, or as-needed, basis; including inside the hoop house during winter months
• Ensuring that garden areas are kept neat (weed and trash-free)
• Monitoring and strategizing to mitigate pests in the garden during the growing season (including through organic controls and physical barriers)
• Recruiting, coordinating, and overseeing gardeners and volunteers
• Planning, gathering supplies for, and staffing monthly workdays and/or community building events
• Coordinating produce donations, including harvesting and delivering to area food pantries
• Promoting the garden mission and events across Xavier and surrounding communities, building relationships with community partners
• Assisting in the drafting of an annual plan, including a growing and distribution plan for the space
• Creating a weekly, or as-needed, NEXUS Notes email newsletter for all community gardeners
• Maintaining a social media presence for the gardens
   

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a sincere interest in gardening and in relationship-building with the gardener community, be committed to the goals of the NEXUS Community Garden and Urban Farm, and be able to work well with diverse participants including students, faculty, staff, and neighborhood residents.  No prior gardening experience is required, but a willingness to do physical labor, including using a push mower (~75 lbs)  and wheelbarrow is required.  On the job training will be provided.

Position Details and How to Apply

The Chapel plans to hire one additional Student Garden Coordinator Intern at 5-10 hours per week.  Candidates will begin in late March 2026 and continue through August 2026.  Evening and weekend work is required; we will accommodate flexible scheduling of hours around other summer employment or classes.  If the Intern meets performance goals, the internship could be extended through the 2026-27 School year.   The wage for this position will be $14 per hour.

The Intern(s) will be supervised by the Bellarmine Chapel Director of Sustainability and Social Mission. Resume and References are due February 22 through this application.    Interviews will be conducted after Spring break.  If you have questions, please contact our Director of Sustainability and Social Mission, Tim Severyn, at socialmissiondirector@bellarminechapel.org.