Deadline nears to nominate Student Employee of the Year

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas is still accepting nominations for the Student Employee of the Year Award for the 2012-13 academic year through the end of January. Departmental supervisors can submit their nominations online.  The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Jan. 31. Only one nomination per student will be accepted.

The award will honor degree-seeking students who are currently enrolled at KU and classified as student hourly employees. The student can be in an undergraduate or graduate program and must have been employed by the department for a minimum of four months and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5. Graduate teaching assistants and graduate research assistants are not eligible to be nominated. Previous winners cannot be nominated again, but previous nominees are eligible.

During the inaugural year of the award 40 nominees, including five finalists, were honored at a special ceremony April 11, 2012, in the Kansas Union.  Adam R. Smith, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., was named the 2011-2012 University of Kansas Student Employee of the Year. 

This year’s award ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. April 10 in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The winner and the four finalists will receive solid brass Jayhawks. The Student Employee of the Year will be awarded $500 and entered into the National Student Employee of the Year competition, which is sponsored by the National Student Employment Association, an organization of professionals who work closely with programs that hire student employees.

All of the nominated students will receive a Jayhawk pin and certificate of recognition. Students who are nominated are also invited to join the finalists at the ceremony in April.

A committee has been composed with representatives from various departments to develop, plan, market and implement the award on campus. Some of the departments include KU Libraries, KU Housing, KU Dining Services, University Career Center and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition to the award, other activities are being planned for National Student Employment Week the week of April 8-12 to recognize the contributions of all student employees at the university.

Any questions about the program can be emailed to seoty@ku.edu.