Student Employee Development
University Recreation provides many opportunities for student employee personal and professional development. We are excited to invest in our staff’s futures. Developmental programming is designed to improve the transition from graduate to professional and is framed around the UA Career Ready Skills – skills, knowledge, and abilities that employers most desire in recent graduates.
Our Programs
UREC LEAD is an interactive and customizable career-readiness development program primarily for UREC Student Staff that consists of 10-12 unique sessions throughout each academic year. Session focus on building awareness and skills in the eight UA Career Ready Skills and aim to assist students in discovering more about themselves and prepare them for their post-graduation plans.
UREC LIFE is the partner program to UREC LEAD that provides students with personal developmetn opportunities with sessions focused on teaching life skills, healthy habits and wellness!
Professional and Graduation Photos are offered each semester for NO COST to UREC Student Staff. Pictures can be used to update a student's LinkedIn page or celebrate and announce their upcoming graduation.
UREC Student Employee Advisory Board provides students the opportunity to have an even more active voice and role in the operations and policies at UREC. These students serve as advocates for UREC student employess and the University of Arkansas student body, providing an avenue for feedback and suggestions to and from UREC students and professional staff. To contac the board, please email urecseab@uark.edu.
Recognition Programs at UREC focus on professional and academic success. Each semester UREC recognizes its Employees of the Term – nominated and selected by their peers and supervisor, and UREC Scholars - students who improved their GPA over the last semester. Additionally, UREC hosts an annual Honors & Awards Celebration each spring semester to recognize employees of the year for each staff area.
National Student Employment Week is celebrated at UREC each April. UREC celebrates National Student Employment Week with a week-long itinerary of activities in recognition and appreciation for our student staff’s hard work throughout the year.
Student Staff Professional Development Fund provides support to student employees who are looking to continue their education and professional development. More information on this fund and application details can be found in the drop-down menu below.
The purpose of the University Recreation Student Staff Professional Development Fund is to support and promote continuing education and professional development. The fund will provide financial assistance to currently employed UREC Student Staff and UREC Graduate Assistants for certifications, trainings, conference registration and other activities that will further the applicant’s professional development and be of benefit to University Recreation and its membership.
Student Employee applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for funding:
- Actively employed by University Recreation for a minimum of 6 months
- Currently enrolled at least half-time at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
- Maintain a positive work history within University, not having been dismissed or suspended from any program area or position.
Application Process
- Student employee must submit completed application and professional resume
- Student employee must submit two letters of evaluation, at least one of those must come from a University Recreation full-time staff member
- Committee will review applications using the criteria outlined below, student employee applicants will be notified of award/denial within 2 business days of being reviewed by committee
- If student employee accepts an award, they will submit a written evaluation of the professional development opportunity within 2 weeks of completion.
Application Review Criteria
Review of applications is based on the following criteria:
- Relevance to current position or future career aspiration
- Commitment to applying knowledge/training within University Recreation
- Letters of evaluation
- Accuracy, attention to detail, and demonstration of need
Letter of Evaluation:
Each letter should include evaluation of the applicant’s professionalism, accountability, communication, and teamwork. Additional information to inform the committee about the applicant’s experiences in campus recreation or future career goals are welcome.
Letters of evaluation from supervisors may be submitted to Kinley Davenport at kmd015@uark.edu or included in the application.
Click here to apply for student staff professional development funding.
Below you can find the position descriptions for each of the UREC student staff titles that are currently active. Use these along with the NACE Career-Readiness Competencies to craft your resume and practice talking about your work experience at UREC.
Click on your position below to download your position description:
If you do not see one of your positions above please reach out to mlmuzzil@uark.edu for access to that position description.
Please contact UREC HR with any questions.