National Student Employee Appreciation Week

Home / Staff & Supervisor Resources / National Student Employee Appreciation Week

Celebrate National Student Employee Appreciation Week at UC Berkeley 

Student employees are a vital part of our campus–whether it be handing out meals at our dining locations, supporting fellow students during orientation or in the Res Halls, troubleshooting technical issues, counseling students on their finances, providing night time safe walks, sharing stories on our social media, or helping our wellness facilities operate seamlessly. 

Designated by the National Student Employment Association, National Student Employment Week is celebrated annually to recognize the invaluable service of student employees and student employment professionals.

The purpose of this week is to:

  • Enhance awareness of student employment and its important role in the higher education experience.
  • Recognize students who perform outstanding work while attending college.
  • Thank you, the employer, who hires students for part-time positions and makes our student employment programs such a success.

2025 Events

The Division of Student Affairs, The Division of Equity and Inclusion, and our pilot Supervisors of Student Employees community (which includes staff from Student Affairs, Equity & Inclusion, Undergraduate Education, and the Schools and Colleges), are organizing a series of events for National Student Employee Appreciation Week. 

Save the date for April 14-18, 2025.

View our schedule of events

Plan Your Own Appreciation

We encourage all supervisors of student staff to also find ways to show their appreciation for student staff during this week. This resource was first created by Amanda Bent for Berkeley’s One IT Student Leadership Program and an Advisory Committee, who co-authored an Equity-Oriented Student Employment Guide. The committee was co-led by the One IT Student Leadership Program and the Undergraduate Education Discovery Initiative.

  1. Send a personalized thank-you message explaining the impact of their work. 
  2. Acknowledge their contributions in a staff meeting and with department leadership.
  3. Schedule a one-on-one to check in with each of your student employees.
  4. Offer to be a job reference.
  5. Ask about how they want to grow as a professional.
  6. Send a care package with snacks, candy, etc. 
  7. Ask them how they like to receive appreciation and recognition. 
  8. Schedule a meal get-together at a time that works best for as many students as possible. 
  9. Create a “formal” award that they can list in their career documents and LinkedIn profiles.
  10. Host an annual event where they can celebrate, play games (e.g. getting to know you bingo), and collect points over time to win a prize or award.
  11. Gift Berkeley-branded and especially department-branded merch, which can be a point of pride for some students.
  12. Attend an on-campus event together. Consider taking the Self-Guided Black History Tour of UC Berkeley.
  13. Plan ahead to nominate them for a 2026 Oski Student Leadership Award – nominations usually open each year in February. Contact OskiAwards@berkeley.edu to learn more.

Get Inspiration From Your Peers

Supervisors, Join Our Community 

The 2025 NSEW is being in part organized by our pilot Supervisors of Student Employees Community. UC Berkeley supervisors of undergraduate student staff can join the listserv to ask questions and share resources related to student supervision.

 

Join the Supervisors of Student Employee Community Listserve

 

Supervisors can also learn more about this pilot community through the Supervisors of Student Employee Community Communications Toolkit.