University-Facilitated Employment Fosters Student Success

A recent study from New York Tech's Institutional Research team found that student aid workers-students employed through New York Tech-funded hourly jobs-had higher grade point averages (GPA) and completed more credits than non-student workers. Between the spring 2018 and fall 2021 semesters, 949 student workers and 26,613 students who were not employed through university-arranged jobs showed a difference in GPA of 3.57 and 3.19, respectively. Student workers earned 15.3 credits, while their peers without school-facilitated employment earned 13.6.

"Student employment leads to important outcomes, like persistence at New York Tech," Director of Experiential EducationAdrienne McNally, M.S.,says. "This is likely because student workers earn a small amount of money, which can help ease their financial burden and [create] an increased sense of belonging by becoming experts in the department they're working in."

Student employment is not limited to New York Tech-funded jobs. The university offers several work-study programs through Office of Student Employment, led by Associate Director Denniesia Cameron, M.P.A., including student aid positions, the Veterans Affairs Work-Study Program, and the Federal College Work-Study Program. These work-study programs are critical to easing students' financial burden while providing them with meaningful work to add to their résumé. University-funded student aid positions are open to any matriculated student regardless of their financial aid package. Veterans work-study positions are funded through Veterans Affairs. These students may be eligible to work in positions serving fellow veterans on campus or at approved off-campus organizations. Federal work-study positions are funded by the U.S. government and award eligible students with part-time jobs (on or off campus) and earned wages as part of their financial aid package.

There are about 600 students working for more than 100 supervisors in 60 different on-campus departments and off-campus nonprofit organizations, according to McNally. (These numbers do not include veterans work-study positions.) She says student aid and federal work-study workers earn more than $1 million in federal and institutional funds each year.

These work opportunities started as a very small student employment program within what was formerly known as Career Services and has since blossomed into a broader student experience known as experiential education. In the 2021-2022 academic year, the Offices of Career Services and Experiential Education merged to form the Office of Career Success and Experiential Education. It was at this time that student employment was redeveloped and brought under the umbrella of experiential education. The Office of Student Employment paperwork processes are now under Academic Affairs, but the Experiential Education program aspects are facilitated by Career Success and Experiential Education.

"As an international student from India, working at New York Tech has been instrumental in enhancing my confidence and communication skills," says interior design major and student aid worker Daisy Madaan, an assistant in the Office of Alumni Relations on the Long Island campus and a Peer Success Guide on the New York City campus. "I've gained valuable insights, and I've been given the chance to contribute positively and professionally to my peers."

Along with the importance of developing skills that translate from the classroom to the field and beyond, experiential education gives students the tools to identify how the work they're doing is meaningful. Students earning their federal work-study funds at off campus nonprofit organizations go through experiential education's Internship Certificate Program (ICP), which emphasizes learning assessment and professional skills development. The ICP has afforded more than 2,000 students the chance to have supported, real-world experiences outside the classroom.

The experiential education program establishes connections between students and corporate and community partners to offer practical, hands-on experiences. Student employees participate in orientation, evaluation, and reflection as part of their work, regardless of whether they are employed on or off campus. Students' supervisors are trained as experiential education practitioners. They oversee students' work and are equipped to provide periodic reviews for students to reflect on their work experiences and make relevant changes to their professional behaviors.

New York Tech is among the few institutions running student employment this way. Universities, both local and far, including Stony Brook University, University of Rhode Island, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Michigan-Dearborn, and University of Iowa, have similar student employment programs in place.

"Student Employment is critical to New York Tech faculty and students, as well our local communities," says McNally. "Bringing student employment under the umbrella of Experiential Education ensures the transformative experience that the experiential learning cycle provides. We are looking forward to increasing the number of students participating in formalized experiential education through student employment every semester."