Become an Orientation Leader

An orientation leader facilitating an ice breaker exercise with a group of students

Being an orientation leader allows you to build valuable career skills and take on a leadership position before graduating.

Benefits

  • Roughly 30-35 hours of on-campus weekly work in the summer with hourly pay.
  • Meal plan.
  • On-campus housing during the summer (optional).
  • Connections with top student leaders.
  • Lasting impact on the lives of incoming students and their families.

Skills Obtained

  • Communication and presentation.
  • Working in a team setting.
  • Problem solving.
  • Interpersonal skills.
  • Working with diverse populations.
  • Large- and small-group facilitation.
  • Creativity and innovation.

Responsibility

  • Represent the university in a positive way.
  • Develop relationships with other orientation leaders and New Student Enrollment staff.
  • Participate in training sessions and activities, including developing a complete information base about university services and communicating your own college experience.
  • Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of New Student Enrollment programs, including orientation days, transfer days and Big Red Welcome.
  • Give tours of the university.

Criteria

  • Must have attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln or another higher education institution full-time for at least one year (first-year students are not eligible, regardless of academic credit standing; transfer students are eligible if they’ve been in college for at least one year).
  • Must be returning to the university in the Fall semester following the summer as an Orientation Leader.
  • Good disciplinary standing.
  • Full-time student status at the time of application.
  • Last semester and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.
  • Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.
  • Ability to lead and facilitate large groups.
  • Appreciation for diversity and sensitivity toward a variety of ideas and values.
  • International students must be fully admitted undergraduates (IEP or Exchange students are not eligible).

Important Dates

Date Description
October 16 Applications open.
November 4 Applications close.
November 8 Semifinalists are notified.
November 18–23 Semifinalist interview.
November 25 Finalists are notified.
January 18 Team retreat.
January 21–May 6 Weekly training sessions Tuesday evenings from 7–9 p.m.
May 19–28 Summer Program Training.
May 29–July 10 Summer Program.
August 18–24 Big Red Welcome.

Salary

  • Hourly wage of $13.50. Orientation leaders work an average of 30–35 hours per week over the summer.
  • Meal plan and university housing are provided for all orientation leaders from training until orientation ends.

Application Process

Please follow all instructions and complete all necessary areas of the application, including a minimum of one professional and one personal reference. Due to the large number of applications, it is not possible to interview all applicants.

Semifinalists are notified via email that they’ve been offered an interview. Interviews take place November 18–23. Following interviews, finalists will be selected as orientation leaders. Decisions on these finalists are made and communicated prior to the end of the Fall 2024 semester.

Training sessions will begin January 21, from 7–9 p.m. and will continue weekly through May 6.

Applications close November 4 at 11:59 p.m.


The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public university committed to providing a quality education to a diverse student body. One aspect of this commitment is to foster a climate of inclusion and mutual support that will enhance our ability to achieve our overall goals of recruiting and retaining good faculty and staff while allowing all of us to focus our energies and talents on our important missions of education, research and service. To this end, it is the policy of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln not to discriminate based upon age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran's status, marital status, religion or political affiliation. This policy is applicable to all University administered programs including educational programs, financial aid, admission policies and employment policies.

This policy is enacted in accordance with the University of Nebraska Board of Regents Policies and with various federal and state discrimination laws including Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1978, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 and Title II of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2008.

Inquiries regarding discrimination issues may be directed to the Office of Equity, Access & Diversity Programs, 128 Canfield Administration Building (402) 472-3417. You may also contact entities such as the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission and the Department of Education, Civil Rights Division.