Student employee and employer awards recognize outstanding work
In honor of the services students perform and the employers that guide them,
the College recently recognized an outstanding student employee and employer.
Chandlee Bryan, director of career services
for Thayer School of
Engineering, and José Gonzalez '06, an associate at Collis Café,
were named 2006 Student Employer and Student Employee of the Year,
respectively. The Student Employment
Office selected Bryan, who has worked at the College for three years, for
her outstanding contributions as a student supervisor and selected Gonzalez, a
four-year employee of the Café, for his reliability, initiative, quality of
work, disposition, and contributions to his employer.
Dartmouth students are an integral part of the College's workforce and
provide services in dining halls, labs, and offices across campus. The College
currently employs almost 3,000 students in 210 departments and offices. Erin
Clark, manager of the Student Employment Office, explains the benefits of
student employment for both the students and the College: "Research has
shown that students working from 6 to 15 hours per week tend to perform better
academically. Moreover, working on campus is thought to allow a student to feel
more integrated into the campus environment, and it can also help students
mature, develop positive work habits, and learn how to work alongside all
levels of management."
Student Employer of the Year Chandlee Bryan (left) and her student employee
Rachel Halsema '06, with the electronic bulletin board they created together.
(Photo by Sarah Benelli)
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In her essay nominating Bryan, her employer for three years, Rachel Halsema
'06, an office assistant at Thayer Career Services, wrote, "Chandlee is
not only a willing teacher of computer programs, office etiquette, and the best
ways to work with others, she is also a humanitarian. The longest time she has
been out of the office in my experience was to volunteer in Biloxi, Miss., in
the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She is a good boss and a good person, and she
deserves to be recognized for forming a positive part of so many students'
lives with her upbeat attitude and contagious laugh."
Bryan, whose primary responsibilities are to help Thayer students identify
and apply for career opportunities, says of her approach to working with
students, "As I was starting my career, my mother advised me, 'Never ask
anyone to do something you wouldn't also do yourself.' I've tried very hard to
live by this in my work with my office team, and I am humbled that Rachel
nominated me for the award."
Gonzalez, who was also selected as the New Hampshire Student
Employee of the Year by the Northeast
Association of Student Employment Administrators (NEASEA), applied to work
at Collis Café his first day of classes and was soon nicknamed "Pasta
Guy" for his excellent service behind the pasta line.
Eleanor Cassady, a shift supervisor for Dartmouth Dining Services, nominated
Gonzalez. "José has been one of my favorite students to work with the 10
years I have worked at Dartmouth," Cassady says. "He is friendly,
kind, charming, and has a great attitude towards life. He is helpful to other
student workers and to our professional staff."
Student Employee of the Year JosŽ Gonzalez (left) and his supervisor Eleanor
Cassady in the Collis kitchen, where Gonzalez has worked for four years. (Photo
by Joseph Mehling '69)
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A psychology and brain
sciences major, Gonzalez describes Collis as his second home and says of
his co-workers, "We are a close-knit group, and I believe the love we have
for each other results in the great service we provide to the students."
Gonzalez reports being surprised to win the award. "Food service is often
an unsung job," he says. "It can seem like no one notices that I have
worked steadily for four years while taking classes and managing other
responsibilities, but then I win this award and all the effort I have put into
my job is recognized and it is really overwhelming. This award has really made
my college experience complete."
The Student Employee of the Year award is part of a national program through
the National Student Employment
Association. Dartmouth developed the Student Employer of the Year program
four years ago to recognize outstanding student supervisors at the local level.
Clark says of the awards program, "It is important to show appreciation
for a job well done. Publicly recognizing outstanding work creates a more
positive work place."
The Student Employment Office also honored four student employee runners-up:
Shafer Boeder '06, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Brain Imaging
Laboratory; Alice Farnham '07, Dartmouth Medical School Office of Financial
Aid; Stephen Perry '07, Athletic Department; and Elizabeth Sigler '08, Dana
Biomedical Library.
By LAUREN LOTKO '06
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