Northwest Missouri State University’s Paula McLain was one of four women to receive the President’s Award from the National Student Employment Association (NSEA) Oct. 16 at its annual conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

NSEA President Jenny Heller recognized McLain, Northwest’s student employment coordinator, and the other women for their work to rebrand the organization’s Student Employment Essentials (SEE) Training program. They assisted with rewriting materials, mentored SEE trainers and traveled to nine SEE training sites throughout the country in support of the program.

The President’s Award is presented at the president’s discretion to NSEA members who show exceptional dedication and make significant contributions to the organization. Recipients have demonstrated leadership, commitment and accomplishment on special projects or committee assignments.

“I am very honored to be a national trainer and to receive this award,” McLain said. “The Student Employment Essentials training is attended by new and seasoned professionals in the field of student employment and covers legal issues and federal work-study regulations. It was very rewarding to assist with rewriting this valuable material and mentor trainers as they delivered the training.”

At Northwest, McLain oversees the University’s internationally benchmarked program, which offers students about 1,200 opportunities to build their résumés on campus.

McLain has served as an active member of NSEA as well as the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators (MASEA) since 2001. She received the MASEA Student Employment Administrator of the Year Award in 2016. She also received NSEA’s President’s Award and its Mentorship Award in 2015.

NSEA is a non-profit association of professionals involved with programs for students who work while attending college. Membership is open to anyone interested in administering student employment or hiring students. NSEA supports and promotes student employment through research, publications, professional development opportunities and the open exchange of information. Through annual conferences, and workshops, members are offered training opportunities and the chance to tap into a nationwide network of experienced student employment colleagues.