Introduction / Context

The University of Arkansas is a land-grant R1 institution serving nearly 34,000 students, with more than 2,700 student employees working across 4,000 campus positions. In 2023, a design thinking sprint in Student Affairs revealed significant gaps in the student employment experience. Students struggled to find opportunities, institutional policies lacked consistency, and Federal Work-Study funds were not being maximized. These insights created a clear call to action.

In response, the university hired a full-time staff member in Career Connections to lead a coordinated effort to improve student employment at every level. Shortly afterward, the timing aligned with the launch of the Work+ Collective Cohort 2, which provided national tools and structure that complemented the university’s internal work.
 

Innovation / Approach

University leaders believed student employment could offer far more than a paycheck. They saw an opportunity to create a consistent and intentional experience that supports professional growth, improves access to campus opportunities, and helps students connect their campus work to long-term goals.

Three priorities guided the university’s approach. First, improve equitable access by centralizing recruitment and removing structural barriers. Second, build supervisor capacity to develop meaningful work experiences by providing training and resources that had previously been unavailable to managers of student employees. Third, strengthen the developmental value of campus work by embedding career readiness into student positions across departments.
 

Implementation and Collaboration

A wide range of initiatives followed, shaped by cross-campus collaborations and continuous input from students, supervisors, and institutional partners.
 

Expanding Access and Increasing Visibility

The university centralized all student job postings on Handshake, which resulted in a 27 percent increase in on-campus postings and a 67 percent increase in monthly active student users. A new online Student Employment Resource Hub provided round-the-clock access to guidance and quickly became widely used, receiving more than 25,000 site visits. Outreach sessions targeting first-generation students, Work-Study eligible students, international students, and families improved access to information that supports students in their student employment job search.

Rebranding the On-Campus Job Fair to the Part-Time Job Fair broadened employer participation and led to significant gains in student engagement. Federal Work-Study participation also increased by 50 percent, strengthening financial access for students who need employment most.

Strengthening Supervisor Development and Culture

To support supervisors, the university delivered 28 training sessions reaching 482 participants and launched a two-part Leadership Café program shaped by supervisor feedback. Supervisors of student employees also became eligible for the university’s Supervisor Development Series for the first time, a shift that recognized student employment as a strategic talent development area. A campus-wide Student Employee Manager Community further encouraged shared learning and best practices.

Embedding Career Readiness into Student Roles

A signature initiative, Hogs Get Hired: From Campus Work to Career Success, kickstarted the university’s efforts to formally embed career ready skills into the student positions. The workshops helped managers align more than 220 student positions with career readiness outcomes. Nearly 1,000 students are now working in roles tied to these competencies. Supervisors reported strong gains in understanding and confidence in incorporating career readiness into job descriptions. Many departments also updated job titles, pay structures, and recruitment practices as a result. A student employee evaluation was also developed from the career ready skills to promote continued professional development and accountability. Additionally, Career Connections partnered with University Recreation to offer recurring workshops aligned with the university’s eight Career-Ready Skills.

Impact and Outcomes

Early outcomes show meaningful improvement across the student employment ecosystem.

Students now have clearer pathways to campus jobs and additional communication and support. Supervisors benefit from training, shared tools, and new professional development opportunities. Career readiness is becoming a standard component of student employment, helping students articulate skills and connect their experience to future goals. Work-Study utilization and employer engagement have increased, improving both student access and institutional effectiveness.

These changes reflect not only operational improvements but also a cultural shift that treats student employment as an important learning experience and a strategic asset for the university.

Lessons and Future Direction

The University of Arkansas’ experience over the past few years has underscored that transforming student employment requires both structural capacity and cultural commitment. One of the clearest lessons has been the need for dedicated staffing to sustain progress and support campus partners. In response, Career Connections has received approval to add a second full-time staff member focused on manager and student development. This investment signals the institution’s understanding that meaningful, campus-wide change cannot rely on fragmented or part-time efforts.

Improved data collection has emerged as another essential priority. Challenges with existing systems have limited the university’s ability to fully measure outcomes, but new reporting tools are now underway. These enhancements will soon allow the institution to track retention, student satisfaction, supervisor engagement, and career-readiness gains with far greater precision. A campus-wide student employment survey is also generating feedback that will support longitudinal assessment and continuous improvement.

Finally, the university is preparing to expand successful pilots to a broader institutional scale. Much of the early work took place within the Division of Student Affairs, where strong leadership buy-in enabled consistent implementation. The next phase will extend this model to other colleges and divisions, ensuring students across the university benefit from a thoughtful, career-centered employment experience.

Together, these lessons position the University of Arkansas for a future in which student employment is recognized not only as a source of income but as an essential component of learning, belonging, and career readiness.