The 6th annual Student Employment Summer Summit brings together supervisors, hiring managers, and others who support student employment at UW-Madison and beyond. Join us for this FREE event to learn best practices, contribute your knowledge, and network with other student supervisors across campus.
Registration Closed
Schedule at a Glance:
10:30am – 10:45am: Check-in
10:45am – 11:00am: Welcome & Opening Session
11:00am – 12:00pm: Opening Keynote
12:00pm – 12:45pm: Lunch & The State of Student Employment
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Workshops
2:10pm – 2:50pm: Big Ideas, Short Talks
3:00pm- 4:00pm: Closing Keynote
4:00pm- 4:15pm: Wrap-up
Opening Keynote: Vantrel Mainor
Symphony Room
Fly Little Eagles Fly: Coaching Students to become more Self-Sufficient
When baby eagles reach the flying age, the mother eagle begins to stir the nest in order to teach them how to fly. This is clearly an instinctive intentional method that has proven to work with eagles. As supervisors we too have a responsibility to teach our students how to fly and soar in the higher learning environment through processes that will stir them. This session is designed to share the processes that are included in helping students become more self-sufficient. We will examine and discuss how the content in each of the five “nest stirring” processes contribute to the students becoming more of a partner in the employment and coaching process.
Closing Keynote: Amanda Goodenough
Symphony Room
Accountability as an Act of Love: A Human-Centered Approach to Student Supervision
As supervisors of student employees, we’re not just managing tasks; we’re mentoring the next generation of professionals. This closing keynote invites us to reimagine supervision through a human-centered lens, where accountability is an act of love and challenge can be a catalyst for growth. We’ll explore how generative conflict, and moving beyond “Midwest nice,” can create the conditions students need to thrive. Through practical strategies and mindset shifts, we’ll discuss how to offer feedback as a form of care and build relationships grounded in trust and shared responsibility.
Great event, thank you so much for putting it on. It was just what I needed as a new supervisor and I feel very motivated and energized after attending!
2024 Participant
"This was a wonderful event, not only because of the information covered, but also because it provided an opportunity to connect with and learn from other student supervisors across campus."
2023 Participant
Opening Keynote: Vantrel Mainor
Leader, mentor, artist, visionary, author, and an entrepreneurial spirit, are just some of the words to describe Vantrel Mainor. He is a strong advocate for both student and professional development, speaking to various groups on subjects pertaining to leadership, personal growth, workplace culture, among other topics. Vantrel is a 2002 graduate of Savannah State University (SSU) where he completed his undergraduate degree of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing, with a minor in Art. He would later receive both a Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity from Liberty University. He also received his certification in both Academic Advisement from Kansas State University and College Student Wellbeing: Trauma & Resilience from Florida State University. Vantrel has been employed at Savannah State University for almost 19 years, working in Trio Programs (Education Talent Search), Academic Coaching, Professional Advising, and is currently the Coordinator for Academic Recovery Services. He is the co-founder of Mainor Global, a coaching, consulting, and training company; in addition, he is the author of The Common Sense Leader: Leadership decisions are not as complicated as the leaders themselves. He is also an award-winning speaker earning Best of Region 4 for NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) in 2022 for his presentation titled “Fly Little Eagles Fly: Advising and Coaching Students to become more Self-Sufficient”. Last but certainly not least, Vantrel Mainor is the proud husband of Sheri Mainor; together, they have two beautiful daughters.
Vantrel Mainor
Closing Keynote: Amanda Goodenough
Amanda Florence Garcia Goodenough (she/her) is a dedicated educator operating from a cultural humility framework to center and elevate historically marginalized voices, promote belongingness and mattering, disrupt structural inequities, and advance intersectional social and racial justice. A practitioner leaning on 20 years of professional experience in justice, equity, decolonization, and interconnectedness (JEDI) efforts and decades of critically examined lived experience as a Black and Mexican multiracial woman of the global majority, Amanda engages in systems-change work and strives to speak truth to power as an act of love and liberation.
Amanda currently serves as the Lead Executive Officer and Founder of Goodenough Consulting, LLC (GC). She is also a member of the Greater La Crosse Area Diversity Council‘s (GLADC) Speakers Bureau, a board member for The Pump House Regional Arts Center, co-creator of the Belonging & Mattering Institute, and an independent contractor for the La Crosse Area YWCA Racial Justice workshops, the Waking Up White Collaborative steering committee, and the Creating a Healthier Multicultural Community initiative. Previously, Amanda served as the Director of the Research & Resource Center for Campus Climate at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she worked for 17 years.
Amanda has presented and consulted at the international, national, state, and local levels for institutions of higher education, PK-12 school districts, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and corporate entities on topics of cultural humility, inclusive company/campus climate, bold leadership, hate/bias prevention & response, white supremacy culture, mattering of black lives, racial justice, multiracialism, microaggressions, bystander intervention, student activism, generative conflict, social identity development, power & positionality, and healing centered engagement.
Amanda was the 2010 recipient of the Social Justice Achievement Award for YWCA’s Tribute to Outstanding Women, and in 2021, Amanda was awarded the La Crosse Area Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Leadership Award. Goodenough Consulting, LLC was recognized with the 2023 Black Excellence Award by Black Student Leaders and also received the 2024 Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazer Award for the Belonging & Mattering Institute. In 2025, Goodenough Consulting was again recognized with BSL’s Black Excellence Award, received the 2025 Phenomenal Women Award by UWL’s ALANA student organization, and was nominated for a Governor’s Tourism Award in the Bright IDEA category.
Amanda resides in the La Crosse area of Wisconsin with her husband and two kids. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys camping, blogging, traveling, collecting books she hopes to someday read, and being a soccer/basketball mom.
Amanda Goodenough
1:00pm – 2:00pm Workshop Session Topics:
Concerto Room: How to teach and train transferable skills in campus employment settings
In this workshop Dr. Matthew Hora will discuss how current research on the nature of key “transferable” skills – not as generic competencies but as context-specific habits of mind and behavior – can inform how college students are trained in campus employment settings. Insights from medical education, the learning sciences, and workplace training on how to best teach and train skills such as critical thinking, communication, and teamwork will be discussed, with participants applying this new information to their own supervisory and training situations.
Presenter: Dr. Matthew Hora
Overture Room: Workday for Student Employment
The July 7th launch of Workday is on the horizon. Join this workshop for an adventurous dive into all things Workday for student Employment.
What is Workday? How will student employees and supervisors use it (and how won’t they)? And what’s the deal with all this new Workday jargon?
Don’t worry- we will chart this course together with plenty of “a-ha!” moments along the way. Come for the solidarity, stay for the knowledge, and leave ready to navigate Workday like a pro.
Presenters: Kristina Rittel & Kasie Strahl
2:10pm – 2:50pm Big Ideas, Short Talks
This time will be used to highlight 2 processes or supports through 10 minute lightening talks. The rest of the time will be used to mix and mingle to share your big ideas or seek support related to the theme of the room.
Concerto Room: Theme: Recruitment
Short Talk: Big Interview Day
Hiring is a difficult time of the semester, especially if you want to include as many qualified applicants as possible. The College of Engineering piloted Big Interview Saturday in the Fall to hire tutors for Spring. They successfully interviewed about 75 candidates and hired 24 tutors. By including their current tutors in the process, they gained a more holistic understanding of the candidates and gave their current tutors experience in the hiring process. The presenters will share what they did as part of the day, what they learned from the process, and what they will change in the future.
Presenters: Dane Mattila & Leah Rineck
Short Talk: Centralized Hiring Process
This short talk session will discuss the shift from a decentralized to a centralized hiring process for student employees in the Office of Student Financial Aid. The new approach streamlines recruitment, improves consistency, and enhances the experience for both student applicants and supervisors. Learn how centralization increases efficiency, supports compliance, and strengthens student employment practices across the office.
Presenter: Kristina Rittel
Overture Room: Theme: Retention
Short Talk: Students as Supervisors
How do you empower students to lead their peers with confidence and care? This lightening talk explores how Rec Well supports student supervisors through a philosophy rooted in training, trust, and togetherness. Blending a manager’s principles with a student’s lived experience, we’ll share what it takes to build impactful peer-to-peer leadership. Whether you’re developing a new peer supervision model or looking to strengthen existing ones, join us to exchange big ideas and practical insights.
Presenters: Sydney Erickson & Alec Triggiano
Short Talk: Basic Needs support for student employees
Basic Needs insecurity continues to be a widespread challenge for college students across the country. As supervisors, we have a unique opportunity to share campus and community resources available that can make a difference. Join this short talk to learn about basic needs resources at UW-Madison and in the Madison Community, better understand when and how to refer, and how you can support as a supervisor.
Presenter: Kasie Strahl
Working for some students on campus isn’t a choice, but a necessity to meet their basic needs. Sometimes their student job isn’t enough. That’s why the Student Employment Summer Summit is asking participants to bring non-perishable items to donate to the Open Seat Food Pantry.
Not sure what to bring? Here’s a donation guide.
Fast Facts:
- An estimated 12%, or 5,438 UW-Madison students are food and resource insecure.
- The Open Seat offered food at a new location at Eagle Heights this fall semester, distributing 6,577 pounds of food in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.
- This past year, the Open Seat served over 1,500 students and their dependents.
Real Students, Real Stories
“Without the Open Seat, I wouldn’t be able to afford enough food for my partner and I to have enough to eat.”
“Thank you for this awesome service you’re providing to the UW community. It has been such a help, especially in these times where it feels like all aspects of life are unstable.”
“I’ve been able to have a steady supply of food at a time when my income has been severely limited.”
Breakout Session Topics:
High Impact Strategies for High Impact Work-Based Learning
In an era where internships dominate the narrative of experiential learning, this session delves into the intersection of student work and transformative educational experiences. Work-based learning is presented as a catalyst for enhancing the academic trajectory of college students, particularly those who identify as underserved or underrepresented minorities. Through both Campus Employment as a High Impact Practice and an innovative general education course, this presentation will highlight best practices that increase equity and promote career readiness. Participants will examine strategies to integrate work-based learning throughout a student’s college experience, fostering meaningful interactions among students, faculty, and staff.
Presenter: Kaila Bingen- UW Parkside
Woe to Whoa! Student Performance Improvement Plans
This workshop is designed to provide supervisors with the necessary tools and strategies to support student employees who may be struggling to meet performance expectations. Join this session to learn tangible intervention strategies, best practices, and timelines aimed at enhancing student performance. We’ll help to re-frame performance improvement plans from punitive to developmental to instill confidence in having crucial conversations. Participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences and learn from one another as well.
Presenters: Kasie Strahl & Tracey Pritchard– University of Iowa
Artificial Intelligence and Student Hiring
This session explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence in student employment. We’ll offer practical insights to help campus employers modernize their recruitment practices while staying aware of ethical considerations. Join us to learn how to harness the power of AI while maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of your student hiring process.
Presenters: Gautam Jayanthi & Brock Doemel
Engaged Leaders through Employment
Learn how to create and sustain a work culture that values student leadership development through integration of the UW-Madison Leadership Framework, Leadership Certificate into the student employment experience.
This session focuses on a program and materials specific to UW-Madison, and may not be as relevant to folx joining from other institutions or off-campus Work Study partners.
Presenter: Kari Temkin
Panel Discussion: Lessons learned from supervising students
As a student supervisors, much of our focus is on how we nurture the growth of our student employees. The closing session is the opportunity to reflect on our OWN learning and growth within our roles as supervisors, coaches, and mentors. Hear from colleagues from different areas on campus as they come together to reflect and share their insights and learning from their time supervising students, and how those experiences have influenced their career trajectory and approach to work.
Panelists:
If there is an accommodation for this in-person event that will help you attend and engage safely and comfortably, please contact Kari Temkin: kari.temkin@wisc.edu by June 4th.