National Student Employee of the Year Award (SEOTY)

What is SEOTY?

Each spring, NSEA coordinates a selection process and chooses the National Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) to recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who work while attending college.

SEOTY 2023

NSEA unveiled the new Student Employee of the Year process at the annual conference in Baltimore.  A program design team (Char Burke from the University of Texas Austin, Rodrigo Mercado from San Diego State University, and Mary Young from Southern New Hampshire University) redesigned the process.  After a careful review of the membership feedback survey, we decided to honor five student employees. 

Qualifications:

  • Nominating institutions must be current members of NSEA
  • Students must be currently enrolled at the nominating institution
  • Student must be in an undergraduate program; graduate students and teaching assistants are not eligible for this award

Process:

  • NSEA member runs the Student Employee of the Year process at their institutions
  • NSEA member submits their SEOTY for one of the categories listed below
  • Program Design Team members will lead a committee of volunteers to choose a winner in each category
  • NSEA Board Members will choose the overall SEOTY from the five winners of each category
  • Each winner will receive $300, with the overall SEOTY receiving an additional $300

Categories:

Please see the SEOTY FAQ for More Information
Submit Your School's Nomination Form

2023 Timeline

February 28, 2023: Nominations due to NSEA
March 3, 2023: Design team disseminates nominations to sub-group
March 16, 2023: Scoring rubric due back to Design Team Coordinator
March 17, 2023: Design team meets for any tiebreakers
March 20, 2023: Winning nominations to NSEA Board
March 27, 2023: Overall winner chosen by NSEA Board
March 28, 2023: Notify winning institutions
April 14, 2023: Announce winners on social media, NSEA website

 


Suggestions

  • Call for nominations - publicize the competition widely, put it in your campus newspaper, send flyers to all departments, and announce it on your campus homepage and any departmental listserv.
  • Selection committee - be certain it's more than just faculty and administrators. Include clerical staff and one or two students (undergrad or grad). The committee should total an odd number to avoid ties when voting (five, seven, or nine members are recommended).
  • Promote the nomination process -by posting pictures of nominees around campus as they are received, put articles in the campus paper, on the homepage, and listserv.
  • Selection criteria - have some mechanism to consider all students equally and not give too much consideration to complex job descriptions or longevity of service.
  • Award presentation - Be creative in holding virtual celebrations in 2021. Invite your campus president and additional senior leadership to speak with students, play videos of supervisors speaking about their nominees, and create a picture collage of all nominees. Have the state government issue a proclamation.
  • Prizes - arrange for cash scholarship, tuition waiver, or bookstore certificate for the winner. Have trophies, plaques, or certificates for all nominees.
  • Hold your recognition event during National Student Employment Week.

 


Mary Young, VP of Administrative Services, NSEA Board

Mary Young, VP Administrative Services, NSEA Board
Associate Director, Student Employment
Southern New Hampshire University
2500 North River Road
Manchester, NH 03281
603-665-2711
[email protected]