Mark your calendar and plan to attend the Gathering of the Supervisors each spring!

Join supervisors from across campus to enjoy food, exchange ideas, and celebrate the work that you do to support students.

This mini-conference is designed to bring us together as collaborators on the practice of supervising and educating students in the workplace. This event is a chance to:

• Connect with fellow supervisors across campus to share ideas, insights, and support.
• Celebrate the invaluable work you do to guide and empower student employees.
• Gain practical tools and strategies to address common supervisory challenges.

Enjoy a light brunch, meaningful discussions, and two interactive, solution-oriented workshops tailored to topics our supervisor community has been asking about. Join us for these sessions at the 2026 Gathering:

Challenging Conversations–and how to get through them productively

Facilitator: Erin Ruff | Director of Human Resources for People Experience

Many of us dread conversations where we know there will be conflict or challenges with how the information will be received. In the supervision of student staff, putting it off and hoping things will improve is not the answer. In this session for supervisors of student staff, we will work to understand and practice how setting clear expectations for the conversation, engaging in regular feedback, and providing follow-up can help make the uncomfortable productive.

Participants will…

• Learn why putting off challenging conversations typically leads to even more challenging conversations and what to do about it
• Develop skills and identify practices to support their comfort in participating in challenging conversations

Level Up your Supervision with Situational Leadership

Facilitator: Sonya Dauncey | Assistant Director of Student Support

When we think of the student staff we supervise, each student has their own needs, challenges, skills, and experiences that they bring into the workplace. From the time that they start, to the time that they leave, student staff members’ needs evolve and change. Situational Leadership (SLII) provides language, strategy, and a framework to help identify where staff are at and adapt supervision to match the support and direction that they need to make meaningful contributions to the workplace. Come join us in discussing the SLII framework and how you can “level up” your supervision toolbox to better support your student staff.

Puget Sound is committed to being accessible to all people. If you have questions about accessibility for the Gathering, please contact Career and Employment Services at ces@pugetsound.edu or visit pugetsound.edu/accessibility.