During National Student Employment Week, the Stony Brook University Career Center hosts the Student Employee, Intern and Community Service Awards Ceremony annually in the spring semester to celebrate and honor supervisors and students who work on campus, intern and serve their communities. All nominated students and supervisors are recognized at this celebration.
2026 Student Employee, Intern and Community Service Awards Nominations will open in January 2026
Undergraduate Student Employee Award Categories
National Student Employment Adminstration (NSEA) is following a new structure for Student Employee of the Year Awards. Beginning at the institution level, supervisors have the ability to nominate outstanding student employees to be considered for the following categories (scoring rubrics available via hyperlink):
At an institution level a winner for each of the categories will be recognized at Stony Brook University's Student Employee, Intern and Community Service Awards Ceremony and then submitted to NSEA to be considered at the national level.At the national level, NSEA will consider review all participating institutions' nominations and select winners of all categoeis.
You can find more information on NSEA's new award process on the NSEA Website.
You can nominate a student employee by submitting a nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:
- Briefly outline your student’s role and why you are submitting this student for recognition.
- Please describe with specific details and examples on how this student has impacted your workplace and any accomplishments over this past year. Think about times the student went above and beyond or took initiative.
- Provide specific examples of how the student has exhibited excellence in the designated category.
A committee of various SBU departments on campus evaluates all nominations. Committee members are ineligible to evaluate student staff from their departments.
View 2022 NSEA recognition for Stony Brook University's Sophia Pesano
Graduate Student Employee of the Year Award
Supervisors have the ability to nominate outstanding graduate student employees to be considered as Graduate Student Employee of the Year. Student employees may be classified as work study, institutional hourly wage, and graduate assistants in order to be nominated.Supervisors can nominate graduate student employees by submitting a nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:
Nomination letters are limited to two pages. When submitting a nomination for Graduate Student Employee of the Year, please make sure to speak to the following areas:
Diversity & Inclusion: Student Employee acknowledges the support and contributions of others in achieving results; demonstrates empathy and compassion for others; is flexible, open, and receptive to new information, ideas and approaches; shows respect and value for the unique contributions of each associate.
Impact: Student Employee suggests and helps implement an idea that has a positive, tangible impact on the department or brings positive recognition to the department.
Professionalism, Effective Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Student Employee collaborates well with peers, manager, department leadership and unit stakeholders; Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement; addresses problems constructively.
Leadership: Student Employee is passionate about mentorship, training fellow student employees, and acts as an agent of change to support the implementation of new ideas.
- Student Intern Awards CategoriesIntern of the Year AwardThe Intern of the Year is an award to recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who complete an internship with an on campus department (including Research Foundation and SB Medicine). The internship can be for credit or graduate non-credit, paid or unpaid, in which the student participates in work related to their major or outside of their major. It is appropriately supervised on-site and by a faculty sponsor, with specific learning objectives and an opportunity for reflection and evaluation.Supervisors can nominate students by submitting a nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:
- Briefly outline your student’s role and why you are submitting this student for recognition.
- Please describe with specific details and examples on how this student has impacted your workplace and any accomplishments over this past year. Think about times the student went above and beyond or took initiative.
- Provide specific examples of how the student has exhibited any of the NACE Career Competencies in their position.
Excellence in Creativity & Innovation AwardSupervisors may nominate student interns for the Excellence in Creativity & Innovation Award whom they feel warrant particular recognition for their ability to make a significant new change or impact in the workplace.Supervisors can nominate students by submitting a nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:-
Briefly outline your student’s role and why you are submitting this student for recognition.
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Please describe with specific details and examples on the student’s ability to take the initiative on a new project, make significant and long lasting change in the department, think creatively and strategically, and persuade others to see their point of view.
Supervisors may nominate student interns for the Excellence in Teamwork Award whom they feel warrant particular recognition for their ability to maintain and create a positive team culture.Supervisors can nominate students by submitting a nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:- Briefly outline your student’s role and why you are submitting this student for recognition.
- Please describe with specific details and examples on the student’s ability to create personal connections on a team, spread joy and positivity throughout the workspace, and contribute to a culture of camaraderie.
Community Impact Award
The Community Impact Award is a newer category that was introduced in Spring 2023 where supervisors, faculty and staff can recognize an exceptional student engaged in community service. Faculty, professional staff, and community partners can submit a nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:- Briefly outline your student’s role and why you are submitting them for this recognition.
- Please describe with specific details and examples of the student’s contributions to their local community through their service initiatives, how the student impacts Stony Brook University and the community, and how the student inspires others to serve.
Students May Nominate:
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE SUPERVISORS
Supervisor of the Year Award
The Supervisor of the Year Award was established to recognize the integral part that the supervisor plays in the education of a student employee or intern. Supervisors act as mentors and provide education to their students outside of the classroom. Students may nominate supervisors whom they feel warrant particular recognition for their performance on the job.
In order to be eligible for consideration, the supervisor being nominated must have supervised the work of at least one student employee for a minimum of six months part-time (or three months full-time), during the selection period, and must be employed by the institution or have a formal student employment relationship with the school. This award is for students to nominate faculty or professional staff only; students would not be eligible to nominate other students.Please submit a formal nomination letter (2 page maximum) with the following requirements:
- Briefly outline your supervisor’s role and why you are submitting them for this recognition.
- Please describe with specific details and examples about your supervisor’s efforts to provide student employee(s) an opportunity to demonstrate responsibility and to feel like part of the staff, and encourage the use of initiative, academic background and/or skill sets of the student employee(s) they supervise.
You might also want to think about the following questions:
- Have they established a work environment which encourages access, direction, and/or a mentoring role?
- Are there any opportunities provided to student employees to make meaningful contributions to the mission of the department or institution?