Resources and Information for Supervisors
Student employees are critical contributors to the functioning and success of the WashU community. Our goal is to provide all student employees with a professional, educational, and rewarding experience when working with us. This channel will provide you with tools, information, and resources to help you recruit, hire, train and mentor your student employees.
This is a new and growing website. Have a question that you think could be answered here an idea for a template, or a need for a resource? Let us know!
For questions regarding WashU HR policies for hiring students, please contact your division’s HR partner.
Why hire students?
At Wash U, on-campus employment is an excellent opportunity for faculty and staff to engage students in the Career Development cycle and help them gain professional experience while completing their academic course work.
Research shows that, compared with their peers who work off-campus, students who hold on-campus jobs have higher academic success rates, deeper connections to the campus community, and higher persistence rates (Cramer & Kulm, 2006; Pike et al., 2008).
On-campus employment benefits the campus offices as well. As one 2025 student worker put it: “One of the strengths of student workers is that they grow connections across WashU. I am serving as an ambassador across campus for the work my WashU employer does.”
What do WashU on-campus employment supervisors have to say?
“Our student employees are a critical part of our office. They bring insight that professional staff can’t bring. They have their fingers on the pulse of the Wash U community and have been instrumental in guiding our social media efforts, programming opportunities, and place-making.“
Campus Life Department Coordinator, Mandy Curtis
“We absolutely could not do the important work of college access and recruiting prospective students to WashU without our student workers who make up the Bear Ambassadors. Their collective talent, time, and energy are integral to our team at WashU.”
Undergraduate Admissions Manager of Visit Experience and Student Staff, Jennie Jean-Jacques
“On-campus student employment has positively impacted our department by creating that student-to-student interaction on topics that can be stressful. Our student employees create that welcoming environment so everyone can receive the career support they need. WashU students want to help WashU students, which is a key part of the Career Peer position.“
Center for Career Engagment Events Coordinator, Corrin Molczyk
“Choosing on-campus student employment has been incredibly beneficial for our department. Student employees bring a unique perspective and enthusiasm to our work, fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment. Their engagement helps bridge the gap between high school and college, offering relatable advice and mentorship to our pre-college students. Additionally, working with student employees fosters a campus community spirit, promoting collaboration and growth among students and staff alike.”
Arts & Sciences Director of Pre-College Programs, Becki Baker
