Y-Work: New program to recognize outstanding student employees

This week Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun announced the creation of Y-Work, a new program that will recognize outstanding undergraduate student employees.

Writing to faculty and administrators, Chun explained that supervisors across the university may nominate students through a new website that will highlight undergraduates whose dedication to their on-campus jobs have a positive impact on the Yale community. A committee comprised of  representatives from the Offices of Career Strategy, Financial Aid, Internal Affairs, Public Affairs and Communications, Student Financial Services, and Undergraduate Admissions will select student winners to be honored later this spring. 

According to the Student Employment Office, more than 3,000 Yale Undergraduates held at least one on-campus job in 2016-2017 — representing 59% of the undergraduate population. More than 400 different university offices and departments hired undergraduate workers — from the Afro American Cultural Center to the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library to the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Students worked for more than 30 university divisions ranging from the School of Drama to Athletics to Yale West Campus, filling more than 6,000 job openings.

“Student employees help shape Yale through their work across the entire campus,” noted Heather Abati, director of student administrative services and a member of the Y-Work committee. “This award aims to bring some of this hard work to light and to acknowledge the often critical work that students engage with outside of the classroom at Yale.”

Jeanine Dames, director of the Office of Career Strategy and a Y-Work committee member, pointed to the many opportunities that on-campus jobs provide for students as they prepare for their careers. “Employers, as well as graduate and professional schools, have a great appreciation for the learning Yale students do in the classroom, but they also want to see real experience in a professional setting,” she said. “On-campus jobs are a fantastic way to gain exposure to a new field, to develop and expand skill sets, and to begin building a professional network.”

Dames noted that many Yale students add to their resumes and establish important professional references for future employment and graduate school after working at Yale. “There’s an enormous variety of on-campus job opportunities, but many jobs are team-based, require long-term strategic planning, and involve mission-critical projects. These types of experiences can really help prepare our students for their futures after Yale,” she said.  

In his announcement to faculty and administrators, Chun wrote that he is looking forward to celebrating the “outstanding work our students perform outside of the classroom” and the “many exceptional opportunities” provided by the offices and departments that hire Yale undergraduates.

Supervisors may nominate their student employees from now until Friday, March 9 at the Y-Work web page.