Program Overview

Mission Statement

The Campus Center’s Student Employment Program’s mission is to provide co-curricular employment opportunities to strengthen each of our student employee’s individual growth and career readiness.

Program Objective: Engaged Citizens and Career Readiness

The Campus Center Student Employment Program promotes the personal and professional growth of our students, ensuring career readiness of our employees. The program draws from the research of ACUI, NACE, NASPA, and pulls from data associated with 21st Century Skills and feedback from employers. 

Our student employees’ career readiness is cultivated through five competencies: Community, Culture & Leadership, Collaboration & Teamwork, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Creativity & Innovation, and Communication & Technology. These five competencies prepare our student employees for career readiness after they graduate, ensuring they will become productive and effective members of their chosen field and their community.  The five competencies are interconnected and exist as a synergistic web supporting the development and growth of career readiness in our staff.

5 C's Competencies: Community, Culture, & Leadership

Learning Outcomes:

• Student employees will be able to articulate how the Campus Center and its operation contribute to fostering a greater sense of community on campus
• Student employees will gain a greater understanding of their own personal identities and how their identities shape their individual experiences within a community
• Student employees will be able to define their personal leadership style and will have the opportunity to practice team leadership through active group participation
• Student employees will define customer service and provide examples of how service excellence contributes to creating a culture of inclusion 
• Student employees will demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior, develop a greater sense of social responsibility to others, and act responsibly in support of the larger community 

Collaboration & Teamwork

Learning Outcomes:

• Student employees will be able to acknowledge and celebrate the different strengths,  abilities, and lived experiences of their co-workers
• Student employees will be able to collaborate productively and exercise flexibility and willingness in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
• Student employees will be able to define how their work supports the work of their peers, assuming shared responsibility for collaborative work 
• Student employees will be able to articulate the various roles and responsibilities of their teammates and value the individual contributions made by each team member
• Student employees will develop interpersonal skills that help them engage in conflict resolution 

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Learning Outcomes:

• Student employees will be able to differentiate between macro and micro level concerns and problems in order to develop more efficient and autonomous decision-making skills
• Student employees will understand work-shift responsibilities, acknowledge the possibility of change, and be able to prioritize and complete tasks
• Student employees will be able to consider context, and analyze and evaluate alternative points of view in order to provide user-centered constructive solutions

Creativity & Innovation

Learning Outcomes:

• Student employees will be able to describe the importance of remaining adaptable and calm in dynamic and stressful situations
• Student employees will be able to review, plan, propose, and implement policies and procedures, including student employee training
• Student employees will be able to reflect upon how mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow

Communication & Technology

Learning Outcomes:

• Student employees will understand the expectations of professional communication with co-workers, supervisors, and customers both in-person and digitally, applying those skills universally
• Student employees will demonstrate the ability to listen actively and communicate with co-workers, supervisors, and customers for a range of purposes
• Student employees will be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and proficiency in technological software and hardware used in the Student Employment Program
• Student employees will reflect on their job experiences and translate them into applicable skills and tools for their personal career growth

References and Resources

• Association of College Unions International (ACUI)
• NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• National Association of Colleges and Employees (NACE)
• National Education Association (NEA)
• Preparing 21st Century Students for a Global Society: An Educator’s Guide to the Four C’s