Program Description

The Dining Student Leadership Program is designed to help undergraduate students pay for the cost of their housing and food while living on campus in University Housing. Dining Services will select 50 students to participate. Students must qualify for Federal Work Study or Nebraska Promise. The goals of this program are as follows:

1. To find conscientious, reliable student employees to work in Dining Services.
2. To train and develop the next “generation” of students to become student supervisors and managers in Dining Services.
3. To help students with their Housing (room) costs while at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
4. To provide students with valuable, transferable knowledge and skills that will help them succeed on campus and in life.

In this program, students will be required to work 12 hours per week at a dining operation for each of the 18 weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Students will also be asked to work 12 special event hours each semester (catered event, picnic, etc.). If a student works the 12 hours each week they will earn enough through the program to cover their housing charges.

Students in this program will concurrently participate in the HuskerWork and Husker GROW programs in partnership with Career Services and Student Affairs.

Dining Services uses the Husker GROW program to connect student employment experiences to coursework and career goals. Through brief, structured conversations with a supervisor, students increase their ability to identify experiences that relate to the soft skills employers want.

Similarly, Dining Services is implementing HuskerWork to provide monthly training modules on subjects such as communications, campus resources, problem-solving, and financial planning that will help Student Leadership Program members grow in their jobs and other campus relationships.

Job Description

Student employees in Dining Services provide helpful information, superior customer service, and a clean and welcoming environment to students, staff, faculty, and guests of the University of Nebraska.

Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Acting as a public relations liaison with customers
• Addressing customer concerns
• Communicating needs and equipment malfunctions to management staff
• Preparing food and beverages
• Restocking food and beverage items
• Working in all areas of the dining center
• Maintaining a clean and sanitary work area
• Working independently and with other staff
• Opening and closing assigned servery/work area(s)
• Following written and verbal instructions
• Managing customer cash/NCard transactions on a point-of-sale system
• Reconciling daily deposits
• Other duties as assigned

All employees are required to obtain a Level II Food Handler’s Permit and complete CORE training within 30 days of employment.

How it Works

When a student on this program works all required hours they will earn $6,384.00. On this program, the cost of a traditional-style room for the 2024-25 academic year is $6,000.00.

This means, if students work all required hours, they will make $384.00 more than what they will owe for their housing. Students may work additional hours beyond what is required in the program, if it fits into their schedule, to earn additional money.