Recognizing student employees is essential to fostering a positive, engaging, and productive workplace.

Thoughtful appreciation boosts morale, enhances performance, and helps retain talented team members. This page outlines meaningful ways to acknowledge the contributions and dedication of student employees.

Everyday Recognition

Everyday recognition is frequent, spontaneous, and simple — requiring minimal effort or resources. It is often verbal or written and personalized to specifically acknowledge someone's regular contributions.

Verbal praise

Building confidence through everyday acknowledgement

Verbal recognition is a powerful tool for reinforcing positive behavior and boosting student employee morale. When offering praise, aim to be timely, specific, and personal. Acknowledging a student's effort or growth in the moment helps them feel seen and appreciated, and it encourages continued engagement.

Examples:

  • "You handled that situation with professionalism and empathy — great job."
  • "I've noticed how much more confident you've become in leading tasks this semester."
  • "Your attention to detail on the event setup was outstanding — it helped everything run smoothly."

Even brief, sincere comments like, "Thank you for always being dependable," can make a lasting impact.

Thank you notes

Creating lasting impressions

Taking the time to write a personalized thank you note shows students that their contributions are valued beyond the day to day. These notes should reflect genuine appreciation and highlight specific actions or qualities that make a difference.

Examples:

  • "Your creativity in redesigning our flyer helped us reach a wider audience — thank you for your initiative."
  • Thank you for your dedication during finals week. Your calm presence helped keep our office running smoothly."
  • I've really enjoyed watching you take initiative this semester. Your creativity and problem-solving have made a real impact."
  • "You bring such positive energy to our team. Thank you for always being willing to help and making others feel welcome."

Consider a Hawkeye High-Five — a simple recognition form that allows you to give a digital "high-five" to a colleague for their contributions, teamwork, or extra effort. Recognition notecards are also available for handwritten messages.

Whether handwritten or digital, a thoughtful message can leave a lasting impression and reinforce a student's sense of belonging and purpose at the University of Iowa.

Informal Recognition

Informal recognition often involves simple gestures, public acknowledgement, or small gatherings and can be tied to specific achievements or milestones.

Public recognition

Celebrating outstanding achievements

Public recognition can significantly boost morale and reinforce a sense of pride. Consider the following:

  • Shout-outs during team meetings
  • Features in departmental newsletters or bulletin boards
  • Social media highlights showcasing student impact

Always obtain permission before sharing personal details or photos. Celebrate achievements promptly and ensure messages reflect your department's values and the university's mission.

More ideas for recognition

Celebrating contributions in multiple ways

Tailor recognition to what is meaningful for your student employees. Please review Student Awards, Prizes, and Other Similar Forms of Payment for policy guidance on purchasing gifts with university funds.

Ideas include:

  • Office treats or appreciation meals. Celebrate milestones with pizza, donuts, or snacks.
  • Branded gear. Offer t-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise. (Purchases should not exceed $100 per calendar year.)
  • Graduation recognition. Provide honor cords, stoles, or regalia for commencement.
  • Mentorship opportunities. Pair students with senior staff for career development.
  • Career development. Identify opportunities to give student employees more responsibility, or a chance to lead a small project. This illustrates trust and your commitment to their growth.
  • Professional references. Write LinkedIn recommendations to validate skills and support future opportunities.

Formal recognition

Formal recognition is structured and official acknowledgement involving formal procedures, nominations, and selection processes.

Spot awards

Spot awards recognize student employees who exceed expectations in their roles. Supervisors may grant awards up to $200.

Awards should be:

  • Consistently applied
  • Tied to specific contributions
  • Supported by a brief explanation

Examples of recognized contributions:

  • Tier 1: Working unexpectedly, putting in extra effort, suggesting a small but important change
  • Tier 2: Meaningful contribution to departmental success
  • Tier 3: Significant additional contributions to a project, initiative, program, or service
  • Tier 4: Completion of an important initiative, increased departmental efficiency/accuracy, ongoing excellent performance

Recommended award tiers are available on this webpage for guidance. For additional details, please see Flexible Pay Program Guidelines.

Awards and certificates

Honoring achievements and dedication

Formal awards and certificates provide public acknowledgement of exceptional service and performance. Administrative units or academic departments can create awards such as Student Employee of the Year, Certificate of Outstanding Service, etc. 

These can be presented during team meetings or departmental events to spotlight student achievements.

Eligibility criteria (recommended):

  • Must be a current student employee
  • Minimum of one semester of service in the department
  • Demonstrated exceptional performance, initiative, or impact

Evaluation criteria (recommended):

  • Quality of work and professionalism
  • Initiative and problem-solving
  • Contribution to team and departmental goals
  • Leadership or mentorship (if applicable)

You may also nominate student employees for campuswide awards. Visit Student Awards and Recognition for more information.

This guidance serves as a framework for recognizing student employee contributions. Departments may develop their own recognition programs, provided they align with university-level policies. Please review Reward and Recognition Programs for further guidance for supervisors. All department-specific guidelines must be reviewed and approved by the organization's senior HR leader.