Taste of Reality: Stony Brook Prepares Students For Life After College Through Student Employment
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| Campus Dining student employees gather for spring 2016 training. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y., January 22, 2016 – Stony Brook University is serving students the recipe for success by providing valuable employment opportunities on campus, preparing them for life after college. Turning up the heat is Stony Brook’s Campus Dining (CD), whose student payroll wages increased by 32 percent and employment increased by 22 percent in 2015/2016 over the year prior.
Students work an average of 22 hours each week and hold various positions that go beyond the kitchens and dining locations. They work in marketing, social media, event planning and web, and often interact directly with managers, chefs, University personnel and the public.
“Five internships, two jobs, one degree and various projects later, I look back on my time with Campus Dining, and I cannot be more thankful for all I have experienced,” said Alexander Langstrand, a former student manager at Roth Regatta Cafe. “I have learned how to conduct myself in a professional manner; improving my public speaking abilities, refining my organizational skills, and overall, becoming a more confident individual.” Langstrand, a Lindenhurst, NY resident, is currently student teaching at the Longwood Central School District.
CD student employees receive thorough training in customer service, time management, food safety, communication, special food needs training and social media. Seven student employees have received AllerTrain food allergy training and nearly 90 student employees have earned a Suffolk County Food Handler’s Certificate.
“Working for Campus Dining has allowed me to improve my communication skills with customers, staff, and teammates, all while giving me the freedom to use my creativity and experience to work towards a common goal,” explained David Golden, a CD marketing intern and business marketing major who plans to graduate in May 2017.
Research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms that part-time campus jobs not only raise cash but can help raise students’ grade-point averages. CD student employees collectively earned $663,912 – earning a competitive average wage of $9.40 per hour – and maintained an average 3.27 GPA during the fall 2015 semester.
“We applaud Campus Dining for taking this approach as these student employees will develop transferrable skills that can apply in a variety of work environments and position students for career-relevant internships and full time jobs,” said Marianna Savoca, Director of the Career Center at Stony Brook. “The Career Center works with hundreds of employers from every industry sector — they want candidates with workplace skills and experience — and that’s what our Student Employment Program aspires to create.”
Success Story: From Stony Brook Student To Stony Brook Employee
Kareema Charles is an example that a student position at Stony Brook can lead to a full-time job. After graduating from Stony Brook University with a degree in journalism, Charles was hired to serve as a management trainee helping to produce
The Seawolves Food Show
, an online video series developed by the University’s Faculty Student Association in collaboration with journalism students to help the campus community learn more about CD programs.
“I never imagined that my student job would turn into a full time position after graduation,” said Charles. “Stony Brook’s School of Journalism gave me all the skills I needed for my current position, while the University’s Faculty Student Association gave me the opportunity to use those skills in a real world setting. Stony Brook made the transition from college life into every day work life really easy!”
Prior to graduation, Charles worked as a student producer for
The Seawolves Food Show.
For more information about Faculty Student Association and CD visit http://bit.ly/23fvliK.
Fast Facts by the Numbers:
- 32 percent increase in student payroll wages 2015/2016 vs 2014/2015
- 22 percent increase in student headcount 2015/2016 vs 2014/2015
- 459 students were employed by Campus Dining in fall 2015
- $9.40 per hour: the average wage earned per student
- 22 hours: the average number of hours worked by a student
- $663,912: total dollars paid to students working in Campus Dining fall 2015
- 3.27: average GPA for Graduate and Undergraduate students working for Campus Dining fall 2015
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About Stony Brook University
Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,450 acres. Since welcoming its first incoming class in 1957, the University has grown tremendously, now with more than 25,000 students and 2,500 faculty. Its membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 100 universities in the nation and top 40 public universities, and Kiplinger names it one of the 35 best values in public colleges. One of four University Center campuses in the SUNY system, Stony Brook co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory, putting it in an elite group of universities that run federal research and development laboratories. A global ranking by U.S. News & World Report places Stony Brook in the top 1 percent of institutions worldwide. It is one of only 10 universities nationwide recognized by the National Science Foundation for combining research with undergraduate education. As the largest single-site employer on Long Island, Stony Brook is a driving force of the regional economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounts for nearly 4 percent of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County.
Reporter Contact:
Alida Almonte
631-632-6310; Twitter @sbunewsdesk
