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Student Employee of the Year Process Info

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 2025

NSEA will hold a Student Employee of the Year process for both undergraduate and graduate students in 2025. The undergraduate process will celebrate a Student Employee of the Year for each category (see below) and the Overall Student Employee of the Year. The graduate process will celebrate one Graduate Student Employee of the Year.

Thank you to the 2024 SEOTY Committee! Watch for more information to participate in 2025!
Char Burke, University of Texas Austin
Chrystal Grant, College of Charleston
Mary Young, Southern New Hampshire University

Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year

Qualifications

  • Nominating institutions must be current members of NSEA
  • Students must currently be enrolled at the nominating institution
  • Students must be in an undergraduate program
  • Institutions may submit a different student for each category
  • NEW: TA's are student employees too, please feel free to submit in any category!

Process

  • NSEA member runs the Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year process at their institutions
  • NSEA member submits their SEOTY (s) for one of the categories listed below
  • SEOTY task force 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
  • Each runner-up in the five (5) categories will receive $100

Categories

Graduate Student Employee of the Year

Qualifications

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

Process

  • NSEA member runs the graduate Student Employee of the Year process at their institutions
  • NSEA member submits their SEOTY nomination
  • SEOTY task force members will lead a committee of volunteers to choose the Graduate Student Employee of the Year using the criteria rubric.
  • The Graduate Student Employee of the Year will receive $300

Criteria

Nomination letters are limited to two pages. When submitting a nomination for Graduate Student Employee of the Year, please make sure to speak to the following areas:

Diversity & Inclusion:  Student Employee acknowledges the support and contributions of others in achieving results; demonstrates empathy and compassion for others; is flexible, open, and receptive to new information, ideas and approaches; shows respect and value for the unique contributions of each associate.

Impact: Student Employee suggests and helps implement an idea that has a positive, tangible impact on the department or brings positive recognition to the department.

Professionalism, Effective Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Student Employee collaborates well with peers, manager, department leadership and unit stakeholders; Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement; addresses problems constructively.

Leadership: Student Employee is passionate about mentorship, training fellow student employees, and acts as an agent of change to support the implementation of new ideas

Please see the SEOTY FAQ for More Information

2025 Timeline

  • January 27, 2025 (Monday):  Accepting nominations through online form (to NSEA)
  • February 21, 2025 (Friday):  Nominations due to NSEA
  • February 24, 2025 (Monday):  The SEOTY Committee disseminates nominations to sub-group
  • March 6, 2025 (Thursday):  Scoring rubric due back to SEOTY Committee
  • March 7, 2025 (Friday):  The SEOTY Committee meets for any tie breakers & determines the winner.
  • March 14, 2025 (Friday):  Notify winning institutions no later than
  • April 18, 2025 (Friday): Announce Winners (on social media)

As we continuously improve our involvement and support for our members in celebrating National Student Employment Week, we are excited to announce the opportunity in funding your celebrations! Two (2) institutions will be randomly selected to receive the chance in having NSEA purchase your Amazon wishlist of up to $250! If you are interested in participating in this raffle, please sign up using this link by Friday, February 14. We are incredibly excited to see how everyone will be celebrating NSEW 2025!

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. 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.