Earn more, learn more – College students bypass menial campus jobs for work that develops their skills – and pays more.

Before Erin Iams landed her campus job, she had to survive a professional interview and beat out 24 other applicants. Now, instead of clocking hours at a library checkout desk or a cafeteria steam table, the college junior is helping professors study the role of business classes in a liberal arts setting. She’ll put in about 10 hours a week until she graduates and make $10 an hour – nearly double what most students earn at Southwestern University, a small campus in Georgetown, Texas.

"My best friend works in one of those jobs where she sits at a table for hours at a time, and she gets to do schoolwork," says Ms. Iams, who hopes to own a business someday. "For me, this job is great. It gives me the opportunity to be engaged … and to feel like I’m accomplishing something."

The Student Associate Program started with 12 employees this semester at Southwestern, and it’s expected to grow with support from a Mellon Foundation grant. It’s the first replication of an idea born at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., where 40 students now earn top dollar for jobs that come with extra demands as well as extra benefits – including mentoring and training linked to their career aspirations.

By Stacy A. Teicher | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Full Story: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1229/p12s01-legn.html?s=hns