Student Employment Summit

Lauren “Lo” Moser Klink serves as the Associate Director for Special Awards & Student Engagement at the Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In this role, Lo leads a team which is charged with creating access to higher education through strategic partnerships and successful administration of aid programs while supporting a robust student experience and complimentary employment opportunities. Since joining the team in 2007, Lo has maintained oversight over NCAA Compliance as it pertains to Financial Aid, administered the Pell Grant Program, established partnerships to benefit students financially, and increased financial literacy nationwide through her work with the National Endowment for Financial Education as well as the American Talent Initiative. In 2021, Lo expanded her portfolio to include a position with the School of Education as their inaugural Strategic Award Design Consultant. This builds upon her work with financial aid by providing expertise to designing scholarship programming with an eye towards equity and a focus on student belonging.

As the granddaughter of African-American trailblazers, creating access to higher education is of the utmost importance to Lo. She has a strong foundation in how education can create opportunity and is dedicated to establishing access for all students. She is proud to be a part of teams that truly makes a difference.

Prior to working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lo served as the Assistant Director of Athletic Compliance at the University of North Texas. She is a Badger alum who studied Behavioral Sciences, Social Welfare, and Criminal Justice. She also recently completed a Master’s of Science in Education through the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where she studied Student Affairs.  Outside of work, Lo enjoys playing sand volleyball, bartending, and spending time with her son Q.B. and husband Chuck.

Matt Newlin, Ed.D. is a higher education and college access consultant with 15 years’ experience supporting and advocating for first-generation and low-income students. Matt most recently served as Director of Rural Initiatives with College Advising Corps where he worked to increase postsecondary enrollment for students from rural and small-town communities. He also established the Rural Adviser Network which provided resources and training for 200 rural-serving advisers across the country. Prior to CAC, Matt worked at both public and private universities in a variety of student affairs and enrollment management positions. At the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University he established the school’s first need-based scholarship; a first-generation student support program; and campus-wide financial literacy initiatives. Prior to that, Matt worked in financial aid at the University of Missouri – St. Louis where he developed and led workshops for high schools and community colleges to educate low-income, first-generation students and families about financial aid and the transition to college.

As a passionate professional, Matt has served as an academic adviser, student group adviser, Green Dot trainer, and Staff Council co-chair. At Washington University, he worked with Students for Socioeconomic Diversity (WU-FUSED) to increase support for Pell-eligible students and demand better recruitment of students from low-income backgrounds. He is actively involved in NASPA as a Region IV-W representative for the Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education (SCIHE) KC and serves on the leadership team for NACAC’s Rural and Small Town SIG.

Matt is also a Dissertation Advisor for doctoral candidates in the Higher Education Executive Ed.D. at Gwynedd Mercy University.

As a consultant, Matt’s clients include Harvard’s National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN), NASPA’s Center for First-generation Student Success, Education Design Lab, U-Thrive Educational Services, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD), the National Student Employment Association (NSEA), State Technical College of Missouri, and more.

Matt holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University, a Master of Education in Higher Education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, and two Bachelor of Arts degrees (Communication and English) from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Learn more about Matt at mattnewlin.com.

9-9:50 am: Opening Keynote: Dropping the F-Bomb!  Challenging our notions of “fit” in the hiring process by Lo Klink

• • We’ve all done it.  You know, dropped the F-Bomb.  No, not that F*%#-Bomb, the one that is so much more than a simple word, the one that comes with all sorts of complexity…FIT.  A candidate looks fantastic on paper, but then you wonder, will they “fit”?  When you use the F-Bomb are you considering your identities, influence, or impact in a hiring process?  Join Lo Klink to learn more about this concept and how it can be harmful or helpful to our hiring processes.

10-10:50 am:

• • Breakout Session #1 : Developing a Socially Just Supervision Style by Caitlyn LoMonte & Prisma Ruacho
    • This session will explore ways to develop a socially just and inclusive supervision style. Participants will be engaged in self-reflection and group dialogue to reflect upon their current approach to supervision and what development and best practices they can incorporate to better support student employees. Participants will work through scenarios and hear experiences from Office of Inclusion Education staff and their student employees on our work to center social justice and equity in supervisory relationships.
  • Breakout Session #2: Let’s Reflect: Utilizing Reflection for Student Leadership Development by Kasie Strahl & Cory Hamilton (Assistant Director of Leadership Development – CfLI)
    • Join this workshop for an overview of Engaged Leaders through Employment (ELE); a program focused on how employers can embed leadership development into the student employee experience.  During this session, participants in particular will explore and consider reflection opportunities and methods to further enhance student learning and leadership development for student employees.

11-11:50 am:

• • Breakout Session #1: Influential Leadership: Keys to Building Relationships & Making an Impact by Annie Bigley & Tiffany Murphy
    • This influential leadership session provides an overview of a theoretical framework with tools and strategies for staff at any level to build their influence and impact important policies and practices. This session will challenge participants to think critically about what influence can look like, understand the power of small changes, and utilize practical tools to partner with peers and leaders from all levels. The goal is for participants to leave feeling empowered to begin the work of influencing positive change in their campus communities.
  • Breakout Session #2: Promoting Wellbeing in Student Employment by Lee Weintraub
    • This session will discuss how wellbeing means something different to everyone, and how a person’s environment, community, and lived experiences play a role in wellbeing. We will examine the seven aspects of wellbeing that UW-Madison recognizes (health, meaning, safety, connection, achievement, growth, and resiliency) and will discuss how to integrate wellbeing-promoting principles and practices into the student employee and student supervisor experience. This session will offer space for discussion and self-reflection, and will provide resources to help guide you and your students in the pursuit of wellbeing.

12-1 pm: Closing Keynote: Engaging First-Generation Students through Campus Employment: Roadmaps for Success by Matt Newlin

• • First-generation students are much more likely than their peers to work part- or full-time while in college. Unfortunately, institutional policies and practices are not designed with first-generation students in mind which can lead to inequitable academic and financial outcomes. This keynote session will explore institutional barriers to employment for first-generation students, as well as examples of successful and innovative programs to improve student engagement and success. Dr. Matt Newlin will discuss current research related to first-generation student employment; share institutional examples of student-centered support; and help participants critically assess their own institution’s policies to begin advocating for change on their campus.

If you need an accommodation for this virtual Student Employment Summit, please contact Devin Deegan – ddeegan@wisc.edu