Weeklong celebration honors student employees

Contact: Jeanne Baron

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University will recognize thousands of student employees during the 30th annual Student Employee Appreciation Week, Monday through Friday, Feb. 22-26.

Update: The event celebrating award winners and nominees has been rescheduled to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29, in 208-210 Bernhard Center.

"The week is dedicated to all student employees and is a time to recognize their hard work and countless contributions to WMU," says Brenda Case-Parris, coordinator of student employment in Career and Student Employment Services. "It also provides an opportunity to showcase each year's winner of our outstanding student employee and outstanding supervisor awards."

Case-Parris notes that WMU employs about 3,500 students during the fall and spring semesters.

"Students work in most campus departments, in positions ranging from cashier to graduate assistant," she says. "During their employment, they build skills, explore career options, and make meaningful contributions to the University and Kalamazoo community. And the skills they develop on campus carry forward to their careers."

Case-Parris adds that student-employee supervisors play an important role in career development because they train the students, review their work, and model key behaviors and skills that help students become valued employees as well as proficient in their current and future jobs.

Student employee, supervisor awards

Career and Student Employment Services is accepting online nominations through Friday, Feb. 5, for its annual awards that recognize the year's top student employee and top professional staffer who supervises student employees.

Students may make nominations for the Supervisor of the Year award while faculty and staff members may make nominations for the Belleville Student Employee of the Year award. The nominations for both award winners will be entered in a national competition.

All of the 2016 award winners and nominees will be announced as well as celebrated during a reception at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in 208-210 Bernhard Center.

For more information about Student Employee Appreciation Week, visit wmich.edu/career/campus/seaw. The page contains links to nomination forms as well as a list of student recognition ideas and a template to create individualized student appreciation certificates. Direct questions to Brenda Case-Parris at brenda.case-parris@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2745.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.