A Good Job: Campus Employment As a High-impact Practice

For many students, working while in college is a defining characteristic of the undergraduate experience. However, student workers often view campus employment as a money-making opportunity rather than a chance for personal development. Likewise, institutions often neglect to consider campus jobs as a means to education and student engagement.

It is the distinction between work for remuneration and work for personal development which shapes much of the discussion of student employment throughout A Good Job. This book makes the case for campus employment as a high-impact practice in higher education and provides models for institutional efforts to implement new student employment strategies.

Carefully designed campus employment opportunities can have numerous benefits, including career exploration and preparation, learning, and increased engagement leading to increased retention. The authors make the case that employment can and should be a purposeful and powerful component in any higher education institution’s efforts to support student learning, development, and success.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in capitalizing on the developmental and learning potential of student employment on campus.

George S. McClellan is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Mississippi. He previously served as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) for ten years. Prior to joining the IPFW community, McClellan served as Vice President for Student Development at Dickinson State University, Interim Director of Assessment and Research for Campus Life at the University of Arizona, and Director of Graduate and Off Campus Housing at Northwestern University. Dr. McClellan has served as a member of the editorial boards for both NASPA’s Journal of College and Character and ACPA’s Journal of College Student Development.

Kristina L. Creager serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Success at IPFW where she has worked since July, 2009. She is involved with NASPA – Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, presenting at annual conferences around and serving as a program reviewer for many years, and is a proud member of the NASPA Alice Manicur Symposium class of 2016.

Marianna Savoca is the Director of Career Services at Stony Brook University, the flagship research campus of the State University of New York (SUNY) where she oversees a centralized comprehensive career service, as well as campus student employment. Dr. Savoca is also an adjunct faculty member in the Higher Education Administration program at Stony Brook. She has been recognized for her work with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service, the National Society for Experiential Education’s (NSEE) Rising Leader Award, and the Outstanding Service Award from the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers.

George D. Kuh is Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education Emeritus at Indiana University and adjunct research professor of education policy at the University of Illinois.