The New Career Initiative
Who We Are
Carly Nelson: Executive Director of the Career Initiative
Bruno Surdo: Career and Professional Development Program Manager for Science and Mathematics
Lindsey Cossette: Career and Professional Development Program Manager for Fine Arts and Humanities
Karen Olson: Career and Professional Development Program Manager for Pro. Programs and Comm. Studies
Julie Lovin: Career Success Coordinator for Offutt School of Business
Sara Johnson: Employer and Alumni Relations Program Manager
Scott Ellingson: Director of Cooperative Education and Internships
Kelly Noack: Administrative Assistant
What We Do
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Align to 4-year advising plan for career initiative
Focus on 1: Many (workshops, classroom, video, etc.)
Create “key talking points” with the collaboration of specific departments to help drive awareness of
career opportunities per major
Partner with various constituents across campus to enhance the student experience in relation to the
career initiative (alumni, enrollment, student affairs, student success, aewc, etc.)
Coordinating with students their cooperative education (for credit) experience and working towards
making these opportunities more readily available.
Engage with employers and alumni on campus to enhance the career opportunities for our students.
4 - Year Career Advising Plan
Goals:
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Focused on scaling to all students
Utilizing technology for visibility of experiential learning and opportunities and overall engagement across
campus
Alignment to academic divisions and departmental priorities
The 4 – year plan: (See attached appendix for further breakdown of each year)
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Year 1: Exploration
o Who am I, really?
Year 2: Reflection
o What really matters?
Year 3: Clarification
o What do I really want to know? What am I afraid of? Who goes with me?
Year 4: Transition
o Why, really, am I going? Where am I going? How am I going?
Academic Divisions of the College
Division of Fine Arts (Lindsey)
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Art
Film Studies
Music
Theatre Art
Division of Humanities (Lindsey)
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Classical Studies
English
History
Philosophy
Political Science
Religion
Women’s Studies
World Languages and Cultures
o Chinese
o French
o German
o Norwegian
o Scandinavian Studies
o Spanish and Hispanic Studies
Division of Professional Programs and Communication Studies (Karen)
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Communication Studies
Education
Exercise Science
Faith and Leadership
Graduate Programs
Multimedia Journalism
Nursing
Nutrition and Dietetics
Physical Education and Health
Social Work
Division of Sciences and Mathematics (Bruno)
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Biology
Chemistry
Clinical Laboratory Science
Earth Science
Environmental Studies
Health Professions
Mathematics
Neuroscience
Physics
Psychology
Sociology
Offutt School of Business (Business majors and concentrations only) (Julie Lovin)
Appendix
4-Year Career Advising Plan
Year 1: Exploration - Who am I, really?
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Career Planning Tools and Assessments
Profile on Career Link
Online Brand and Reputation via Social Media
Creation of Resume
Familiarity with campus resources
Explore options for Major & Minor
Year 2: Reflection - What really matters?
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Connect with Career Peer to review and update resume
Mock Interviews
Career Link: Part-time job opportunities
Develop a plan for Experiential Learning
Refine Major/Minor Interests
Sophomore Declaration dinner/retreat
Attend workshops and utilize Self-help
Year 3: Clarification - What do I really want to know? What am I afraid of? Who goes with me?
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Experiential Learning
Clarify your network
Create, maintain, and engage in LinkedIn Profile
Identify a mentor
Attend Career and Graduate School Fairs
Conduct informational interviews
Intentional, deep consult with academic advisor
Year 4: Transition - Why, really, am I going? Where am I going? How am I going?
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Plan your transition via attendance at workshops
Articulate your transition via resume and online presence
Implement your transition via networking and job searches
Submit applications, interview, follow-up with thank you notes