DEI Series: Student Employment & Social Justice as a Best Practice

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services and university relations and recruiting professionals
Competency: Organizing information, logistics, people, and processes toward desired outcomes
Fee: FREE (member); $69 (nonmember);

Summary
Thanks to our sponsor, Chevron, this event is free to NACE members.

The Office of Student Employment at the University of Denver was created to offer meaningful learning and professional development opportunities for student employees. This program is strongly grounded in social justice practice, giving credence to the meaningful work and impact that these practices have on social mobility and capital. While embedding the NACE Career Readiness Competencies and the Iowa GROW® model, specific attention was given to the implication of existing and new policies and procedures, while engaging student employees and their supervisors in professional development through a social justice lens. Join the presenters to investigate strategies, techniques, and best practices implemented during the first year of the student employment program and learn how you might apply the information learned throughout the session.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Understand social justice and student development theory as it relates to student employment and career development;
- Identify the social justice implications of common student employment policies and engage in the complexities of these hard conversations; and
- Learn strategies for inclusive practices and trainings for student employees, supervisors, and the career development field.
Presenters

Elise Goss-Alexander, Director of Student Employment, University of Denver - Career Center
Elise Goss-Alexander supports student employees and their supervisors at the University of Denver in creating meaningful employment opportunities to prepare students for post-graduation career outcomes. In her role, she builds partnerships across campus and provides training to student employees on professional development and diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Before joining DU in October 2020, Goss-Alexander worked as a graduate career adviser with American University’s School of International Service, where she supported service-oriented students in exploring and pursuing impactful, sustainable careers. In this position, she served on the Technology and Diversity & Inclusion committees of the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers. Previously, she worked in human rights and foreign policy. She holds a B.A. in international studies and religious studies from American University and an MTS in religion, ethics, and politics from Harvard Divinity School.

Stacey Stevens, Executive Director, Employer Connections, University of Denver - Career Center
Stacey Stevens leads the student employment program to offer enhanced service to both students and their supervisors. She develops and implements strategy for student employment at the University of Denver (DU), while managing its functions, including training supervisors to provide excellent employment experiences. The goal is to provide equitable, meaningful learning opportunities for all student employees and to prepare them for successful employment after DU. All training topics and processes emphasize the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion and career development. Prior to this position, she worked as a career coach and adviser to students and managed departmental student employee programs. She has worked in both corporate recruiting, training and development, and higher education. She earned her B.A. in sociology from the University of California San Diego and her M.A. in higher education from the University of Denver.