University of Maine: Process, Progress and Learnings
Audience: Supervisors
Summary
Each of our inaugural Institute universities were paired together to interview, learn from and share valuable insights and work with one another. Each institution was then charged with writing a blog that summarized key takeaways and learning. In this series of blogs, we'll delve into the innovative approaches, best practices, and success stories from universities across the country. From career development initiatives to performance management strategies, we'll explore how universities are enhancing the student employee experience ensuring their roles are preparing them for the future workforce. Join us as we uncover the secrets to maximizing the potential of student employment programs and creating meaningful opportunities for students on campus. This blog highlights the efforts of the University of Maine. It was written by their colleagues at Northern Arizona University.
University of Maine (UMaine): Process, Progress and Learnings Written by: Northern Arizona University
Process: After significant changes and direct staffing impact during the pandemic, UMaine is re-envisioning the student employment experience. Using a new lens with a new(er) team of thought partners making up their core team, UMaine is providing the opportunity to support students across their institutional system and creating an environment where recognizing and validating the student employment experience leads to direct student success and workforce preparedness. For UMaine to consider all voices when living out this vision and to ensure there is evidence-based decision making in their choices, they are initiating surveys to hear directly from the students and student employee supervisors across campus. By hearing directly from the students, UMaine is able to see what students want and need, hear about their expectations as well as their thoughts on their employment and educational experiences. This is then influencing UMaine’s process while creating a full feedback loop to lead to campus-wide conversation. This is intended to be first initiated through surveys, but continued through focus groups, workshops, and ongoing human centered consideration. More than the process of what UMaine is doing, it is the how that is so powerful – considering all constituents in the process and absorbing all that was learned during the various design thinking sprint experiences, UMaine is considering all layers of this process and approaching each step with intentionality, purpose, and poise.
Progress: While navigating the ongoing pandemic-inducing changes to the campus culture directly altering networking, collaboration, and connections, relationship building is at the forefront of UMaine’s focus. While pouring into current campus-wide student-centered programming and leveraging current momentum related to career readiness awareness and conscious priorities, UMaine’s core team has focused energy and effort into considering the ‘who’ in all situations. This is reflected in their consciousness of who is a part of the core team (including members of campus leadership, students, supervisors, student employment, and the career center), who is being surveyed (both student employees and supervisors), and who is being considered when planning and executing on their ongoing vision and goals. While attempting to stay up stream of changes in their systems institutionally, they realize the opportunity this institutional change brings about for them and their efforts related to student employee experience enhancement. They acknowledge that before changes could or should be made, there first must be active identification of where the holes in the processes exist while addressing what may not be working well head on. Progress has been made through a learning mindset and consideration to both historical context and current needs of the institution at large but most importantly, the students directly impacted.
Learnings: UMaine has demonstrated a remarkable approach to change, even if initially seen as incremental, as change often is. Their open minds and open hearts are driving their decisions. Their ability to see the value and power of their work provides them the grit to keep doing that work and persist, keeping their vision at the forefront of their minds. It is with this persistence they have been able to adapt to needs and make decisions that are at the best interest of their entire Black Bear community. NAU has learned so much from UMaine, in particular, how valuable it is to center hard work within the heart work of institutional change all for the betterment of the students who trust us with their futures.