CAREER SERVICES CENTER
“EMPOWERING STUDENTS
GOALS AND DREAMS”
TO
REACH THEIR
2009 – 2010
Annual Report
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Career Services Center Mission Statement
Staff Profiles
Advising and Counseling
Career Development Educational Programming
A. Career Management Series, Internship Focus Sessions and other
Career Services Education Events and Programs
B. Field/Major Specific Career Events
V. Strategic Partnerships for Student Success
A. On-Campus Collaboration
B. Multi-Institutional Programs and Events
C. Community/Recruiter Programs
VI. Graphic Overview of CSC Career Development Programming
VII. Internship Program
VIII. Campus Student Employment/Work-Study
IX. Annual Graduating Class Outcomes Report
Goals and Accomplishments 2009 - 2010
Goals 2010 - 2011
I. Career Services Center Mission
The Sweet Briar College Career Services Center provides comprehensive career services to students
during their four years at SBC and to alumnae for a lifetime. We view career development as a
lifelong process and feel that it is vital for students to begin their quest for a fulfilling career their
first year as SBC students and to continue the process throughout their college years and beyond.
Our many services encourage self-confidence and professional competence, personal initiative,
responsibility, an appreciation for diversity, flexibility, and the development of strong leadership
qualities. We believe that each woman at SBC deserves a tailored career advising approach that is
created to market the advantages of the liberal arts degree. Since the 2004 – 2005 academic year we
have extended our mission to include business, engineering, and graduate students in education.
This customized career advising approach is possible because of the development of a strong career
services model that offers each student the opportunity to utilize a variety of services focusing
specifically on her field of interest in relation to the world of work. Our center is committed to
building strong relationships with faculty, employers, graduate schools, and alumnae to empower
Sweet Briar College students to reach their goals and dreams.
2
II. Staff Profiles
Wayne Stark – Senior Director
BA – Political Science – University of Arizona
MA – History – George Mason University
Doctoral Studies – University of Kansas – History and Higher Education and Governance
Wayne has sixteen years of solid commitment to teaching, education, and student development
augmented by administrative and managerial experience in corporate human resources and higher education.
Mr. Stark is a polished presenter, a highly motivational career counselor, and a results oriented collaborative
professional with energy, enthusiasm, a commitment to excellence, and a genuine concern for the growth and
advancement of college students and the organizations that serve them. Mr. Stark has been recognized as a
leader among his peers as the Virginia Association of Colleges and Employers awarded him a commendation
for Leadership in 2002. Wayne has also presented well-received programs at regional conferences such as
the Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers and the Southeastern Association of Colleges and
Employers. Wayne was also asked to serve as the Business Manager for the SACE 2004 Conference. Most
recently Wayne presented a well received program at the 50th anniversary 2006 NACE (National Association
of Colleges and Employers) Conference held in Anaheim, California. He followed up this presentation with
a nationally broadcast NACE “webinar” in April of 2007. During 2007 Wayne also served as an external
reviewer for the Hampden–Sydney College Career Development Office. During the 2007 – 2008 academic
year, Wayne presented well reviewed programs at the first annual SoACE Conference in San Antonio, Texas
in December of 2007, and the 2008 VACE Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. Wayne also serves the
community as a sitting board member of two social services organizations.
Kristin Dane Ewing - Associate Director of Career Services
BA, English – Franklin College
MA, Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education – Ball State University
Kristin began working in Sweet Briar's Career Services Center in October of 2006. She finished her Master's
degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University in 2004. During
that time, she had an assistantship in the Student Organizations Office where she worked closely with Greek
Life and the women leaders of the Pan-Hellenic Council. Since then, she has spent time at Purdue University
as an Assistant Director of Admissions and in the Alumnae Office at Sweet Briar College coordinating
Reunion, working with Alumnae Clubs and editing the Alumnae Magazine. She is thrilled with the
opportunity to be on Sweet Briar's vibrant, close-knit campus and has thoroughly enjoyed working in the
Career Services Center helping students think about majors, find internships and gain clarity on their life
after graduation. Kristin has been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to present on the importance of
collaborating with local resources at both SoACE (Southern Association of Colleges and Employers) and
VACE (Virginia Association of Colleges and Employers).
Carolyn Brazill – Campus Student Employment Coordinator
BS – Business – Berea College
UVA/Lynchburg College – Graduate counseling courses
Carolyn K. Brazill has been the Coordinator of Campus Student Employment since August 2001 and Career
Services Center Office Manager since July 1998. She has been employed in the career office in various
positions since July 1989. She was assistant registrar at Sweet Briar from 1980 - 1983. Carolyn has over 36
years of experience in higher education administration. She was a student employee in the office of
admissions at Berea College from 1963 - 1967. Her employment background includes positions at the
University of Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.
3
III. CAREER SERVICES CENTER – ADVISING AND COUNSELING
Individualized career advising and counseling remain at the core of the CSC’s array of services and
resources and are designed to effectively reach out to all students. The counselors engage in highly
individualized career development sessions and employ well recognized assessment tools such as the MyersBriggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory. Through the use of these tools, combined with
motivational counseling techniques and many other resources, the office is able to assist students and other
individuals in areas such as major selection, student employment, internship guidance, and full-time
placement or graduate school/professional school selection, and mid-life career change.
The Career Services Center’s appointment schedule indicates that for the 2009 – 2010 academic year the
Career Services staff completed 865 advising appointments. This number is slightly down from the 881
appointment during the 2008-2009 academic year. The Coordinator of Campus Student employment meets
individually with each student as she begins her employment career at SBC when the federal and state
paperwork must be completed. Although not recorded in the statistics below, these students and returning
students meet with the Coordinator at various times during the year as they turn in CSE applications and
monthly timesheets. There were 404 students employed in the fall and 432 employed in the spring. It should
also be recognized that according to the NACE 2008 Career Services Benchmark Survey for Four-Year
Colleges and Universities, the mean number of appointments conducted by a school of under 1000 is
494. During the 2009-2010 academic year Sweet Briar Career Service’s staff advised 271 individuals
which is slightly higher than the 263 individuals advised in 2008-2009, and much higher than the
average of 110 students served for a school under 1,000 recorded by the 2009-2010 NACE benchmark.
# of Total Appointments by Class Year
600
502
500
First-Years
400
Sophomores
300
Juniors
Seniors
200
162
Alumnae
118
100
Staff
61
20
0
# of total appointments by class year
4
2
# of Individual Students by Class Year
140
116
120
100
First-Years
Sophomores
80
63
Juniors
53
60
Seniors
Alumnae
40
24
Staff
13
20
2
0
# of individual students by class year
During the 2009 - 2010 academic year the number of students who took advantage of the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory were recorded (according to the 2009-2010 NACE Benchmarking
survey for schools under 1,000 80% use the MBTI and 55% use the Strong). This is only the third year that
these have been recorded and the office is still determining the best process in order to accurately capture all
assessments taken. According to our records, 14 individual students took the MBTI and Strong Interest
Inventory. An additional 23 students in the Introductory Management class as well as 13 in the Leadership
Certificate Program were required to take the assessment. The Associate Director discussed the results with
the students during the management class and LCP sessions. The CSC office also hosted a student from
professor Duis’s counseling class as an intern to score and interpret MBTI results.
IV. CAREER DEVELOPMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
A. CAREER MANAGEMENT SERIES, INTERNSHIP FOCUS SESSIONS, OTHER
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
Multiple educational career development programs were hosted by Career Services during the 2009-2010
academic year. These programs typically occurred over the lunch hour or on Wednesday evenings and were
conducted by Career Services staff. Below you will find a list of the multiple programs provided.
These programs allow SBC students to learn more about career-related topics in an informal setting.
Depending on the topic the attendance varied greatly from 0 students to 84 students at the best attended
educational program – Senior Welcome.
5
Fall
Spring
Senior Welcome
Cake w/ Career Services (Residence Hall Programs)
Café Resume
Tough Economy Roundtables
Effective Alumnae Networking
Cover Letter Critique
Effective Job Search Strategies
How Campus Student Employment Can Enhance Your
Resume
Internship Focus Sessions
Preparing For Career Fairs
Internship Student Spotlight
Late Night Career Catch Up Session
How To Utilize Reading Days
Resumes/Cover Letters
Career Fair/Interviewing Roundtables
Internship Focus Sessions
Etiquette Dinner
Marketing Your Liberal Arts Degree
First Year on the Job Success
Internship Paperwork Sessions
Last Minute Job Search Strategies
Tough Economy Roundtables
B. Field/Major Specific Events
The Career Services mission statement highlights the importance of meeting the career development needs of
each student. The Field/Major Specific Career Events this year allowed many students the opportunity to
connect with all the Career Services Center’s constituencies in an effort to provide both educational,
internship, and employment opportunities in a highly collaborative format that is specific to students’ fields
of interest and majors. This year’s events were:
Commerce
Engineering, Mathematical/Computer Sciences
Government/International Affairs/Law
Natural Sciences/Environment
The events featured participation from SBC faculty, off-campus recruiters and SBC alumnae. Student
participation numbered from a low of 17 to a high of 45. Student evaluations for these events, as well as the
others were very positive. Field/Major Specific Events are developed and implemented after an analysis of
the numbers of students in particular majors and other factors. It should be noted that many faculty, alumnae,
and employers have commented on the success of these programs. It should also be recognized that
according to the NACE 2008 Career Services Benchmark Survey for Four-Year Colleges and
Universities, the mean number of career fairs conducted by a school of under 1000 is 3.
6
V. Strategic Partnerships for Student Success
A. On-Campus Collaboration
The Career Services Center staff successfully teamed with SBC faculty, fellow Co-Curricular Life
departments, and administrative departments such as the Alumnae Office, College Relations, and
Admissions throughout the academic year. These programs and events featured participation by Career
Services staff which assisted a variety of Sweet Briar administrative offices as well as providing substantive
information for students. For the programs designed for students, they participated at a rate from a low of 3
to a high of well over 100. Through the strong number of student attendees and the variety of faculty and
administrators, these events attest to the strength of the Co-Curricular program at Sweet Briar College. In
bringing the SBC community together, students are empowered for life-long learning through this exposure
to a nexus of their peers, those who teach them and Co-Curricular Life and other administrators who work
closely with those students. These programs also strengthen relationships between Career Services and other
constituencies within the Sweet Briar community.
Fall
Spring
Resident Assistant Training Breakfast
Learning on the Land
International Student Orientation
Campus-wide Resources Fair
Student Relations Committee Retreat (SRC)
Senior Class Campaign Kick-Off
Advisory Council Dinner (Homecoming)
Homecoming Career Services Roundtables
Parent Steering Committee Panel
Alumnae Office – Senior Dinner
First-Year Experience (FYE) Programming
Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) Programming
First-Year Out Alumnae Panel (SRC)
SYE Declaring a Major
Resident Assistant Initiated Internship Program
Senior Salute
FYE/SYE Resource Fair
Admissions Admitted Applicant Weekend
SWEBOP/CSC Dreams Weekend
Leadership Certificate Program MBTI
CCL Awards Ceremony
Senior Dinner (President’s Office)
Resident Assistant Initiated Resume Program
Day and Turning Point Lunches/Dinners
B. Special Multi - Institutional Programs and Events
Multi-institutional events are those with which Sweet Briar College and other Virginia schools, colleges, and
universities were involved. Students and administrators from various colleges were extended invitations to
participate and the programs saw SBC student attendance ranging from a low of 6 to a high of 25. Strong
collaboration with other colleges and universities continues to be an important part of the career
development program. Students not only gain new opportunities for full-time job and internship possibilities,
but they also benefit from interactions with peers, alumnae, administrators, and faculty from other
institutions. Career Services will continue to find new ways to stimulate interest in these programs. The TriCollege Education Career Fair, a partnership with Lynchburg College and Randolph College, saw 12 school
districts participate with students from a variety of regional colleges in attendance.
7
Fall
Spring
UVA Diversity Career Day
CHALLENGE Job and Internship Fair
Law School Fair at Lynchburg College
Tri-College Education Career Fair
Career Premiere
UVA Education Expo
C. Community/Recruiter Programs
The Career Services Center took part in the following community sponsored/recruiter sponsored and Career
Services sponsored events and programs which featured opportunities for students and Career Services staff
to interact directly with employers and other professionals. These events and programs were geared towards
increasing students’ knowledge and skills in regards to their personal career development and potential
opportunities. Some of these events, highlighted in crimson, are indicative of the increased outreach to, and
collaboration with, local and regional organizations.
Fall
Spring
College of Charleston Recruiter
Alumna Representative from DUKE MBA
City of Roanoke Mock Interviews
Big Brothers Big Sisters Interviews
Peace Corps Representative
Northwestern Mutual Recruiter
VFIC Key Employer Panels
Dominion Resources Tour
Christie’s Auction House Recruiter
Washington Center Recruiter
WOSB Conference
Frito Lay Career Connection Day
C. Co-Sponsored Faculty/Academic-Related Programs
Fall
Spring
Resumes with Professor Duis Counseling Class
Internship Training with ARMG 106
Graduate School Program
Pre-Health Society Meeting
Resumes with Professor Sanadgol’s ENGR class
Internship lunch for Faculty Sponsors
Pre-Law Program with Janow
Management Lab Presentation
MBTI with Professor Calvert’s MGMT class
Professional writing with Professor Whitman
Fulbright Workshop
8
VI. Graphic Overview of CSC Career Development Programming
Staff from the Career Services Center was involved in events with both on- and- off campus partners. For
2009 – 2010, the office was involved with at least 88 programs. It should also be recognized that
according to the NACE 2009-10 Career Services Benchmark Survey for Four-Year Colleges and
Universities, the mean number of workshops presented for a school of under 1000 students is 13 with
an average of 190 students in attendance. Our office solely hosted 20 workshops and career educational
programs with 252 students in attendance.
Career Services Center Programs and Events 2009-2010
# of programs
# of programs
32
13
10
12
6
4
11
Total # of Students
Total # of Students
252
150+
150
125
121
61
9
44
VII. Internship Program
A Sweet Briar internship is defined as “any carefully monitored work or service experience in which an
individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what she is learning throughout the
experience” – as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. An internship may include
but is not limited to: student teaching for licensure, research / field experience and hands-on experience
within a profit or not-for-profit company, organization, foundation or individual. Several resources are
available for students to research internships. Online resources include Experience, an online database
created in conjunctions with the Alliance of Virginia College Career Services institutions including
Randolph College, Mary Baldwin College, and Hollins University. This database has over 2,000 local and
national internship opportunities. Students may also research internships through several Web sites including
three we subscribe to: Internships-USA.com, Vault.com and internships.com.
Environmental
Mathematical
Sociology
(1)
Science/Studies
(6)
Science (1)
2%
2%10%
German (1)
2%
Internships by Department
Psychology (1)
2%
Theatre (1) Anthropology (1)
2%
2%
Archaeology (2)
3%
Gov./Law & Society (4)
7%
Arts Management (10)
16%
Studio Art (2)
3%
Biology (3)
5%
Engineering (4)
7%
English (4)
7%
Business (11)
19%
Education (4)
7%
Economics (1)
2%
Dance (1)
2%
Classics (1)
2%
During the 2009 - 2010 academic year (which includes the summer ’09, fall ’09 and spring ’10 semesters),
59 students registered and completed academic internships. These internships were completed in several
departments across campus including: Anthropology (1), Archeology (2), Arts Management (10), Studio Art
(2), Biology (3), Business (11), Classics (1), Dance (1), Economics (1), Education (4), English (4),
Engineering (4), Environmental Science/Studies (6), Government/Law & Society (4), German (1),
Mathematical Science (1), Sociology (1), Psychology (1), Theatre (1).
10
Internships by Term
Summer
49
Fall
Spring
47
45
43
31
17
16
11
5
7
2004-2005
2005-2006
4
18
15
9
16
8
2
2006-2007
2
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
Most Sweet Briar students complete their internships during the summer. In 2009 - 2010, 2 internships were
done in the fall 2009, 14 were done in the winter/spring 2010, and 43 were done in the summer 2009. While
not all paperwork is in for 2010 summer projected numbers indicate 51 academic internships will be
completed in the summer of 2010.
Internships by Class Year
# of students
35
18
5
2010
2011
2012
1
2013
The chart above indicates the number of internships completed by class year. In 2009 - 20010, 1 first year, 5
sophomores, 18 juniors and 35 seniors completed academic internships. (Because the summer of 2009 was
incorporated in these statistics many of these students were rising into the class represented above).
11
# of students
80
70
60
50
40
# of students
30
20
10
0
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
Over the last few years it appears internships have leveled off (with a slight decrease this year). However,
compared to five and six years ago there has been a large increase in academic internships. This most likely
is related to the focus on internships in the Shape of the Future campaign.
It should be noted that according to the 2007 NSSE report SBC students had engaged in internships
and other experiential learning opportunities at a rate 12% above the averages for peer women’s
institutions, and 15% greater than the other NSSE institutions.
Evaluation of Academic Internships
68% of employers completed an evaluation of their intern (40/59). Of the evaluations received, 75% of
the employers ranked their interns overall performance as excellent. An additional 23% ranked their
intern’s overall performance as above average. 61% of interns completed an evaluation of their
experience (36/59), when asked to respond to the statement, “I now feel better prepared to enter the
world of work after this experience” 58% strongly agreed and 33% agreed.
Non-Academic Internships
It is always extremely difficult to record the number of non-academic internships students are completing. A
student may not realize the experience she is completing over the summer satisfies the requirements we use
to define an internship (see above NACE definition). In these instances students do not report their
experience. We are aware of 14 students who completed non-academic internships.
We are working diligently to make sure students understand what the definition of an internship is as well as
to encourage them to report this information. This is being done through a non-academic internship form
which is found on the Career Services website and can be filled out and returned to us. As well as an end of
the year Survey Monkey survey which asks students to report their summer plans. Almost 80 students
completed this survey and these results will be included in the 2010-2011 annual report which records
summer 2010 statistics.
12
VIII. Campus Student Employment/Work Study
During the 2009 – 2010 academic year 432 individual students were employed in on-campus positions. The
Registrar reported that there were 598 full-time undergraduates in the fall term plus four foreign exchange
language tutors for a grand total of 602. Thus, 404 or 67.1% of the fall full-time undergraduates were
employed in on-campus jobs and 432 or 71.1% were employed during the spring term. This percentage has
remained consistent over the last several years. From August 27, 2009 – April 30, 2010 a total of 3,767
timesheets were processed. The May time sheet count is unavailable for this annual report. Approximately
200-275 sheets can be expected by June 4, 2010.
Using an alphabetical computer list dated October 7, 2009, a headcount of students by number of jobs held
at that point showed that there were 211 (1 job); 102 (2 jobs); 42 (3 jobs); 9 (4 jobs); 3 (5 jobs); and 3 (6 or
more jobs).
In December the Coordinator of Campus Student Employment reviewed the Federal Work-Study list of
names provided by the Financial Aid Office. The list consisted of 103 students who had filed the appropriate
paperwork.* There were 84 or 81.5% of these students employed by the end of December 2009. In the
spring the FWS list from the FAO contained 109 students. There were 95 or 87.1% of these students
employed on campus by May 15, 2010.
SBC Work-Study list contained 87 student names according to the FAO provided for the fall. There were 68
or 78% of these students employed by December 2009. There were 95 SBCW-S students on the spring FAO
list and 77 or 81% of these students were employed by May 15, 2010.
There are 152 or 80% of the 190 Total Work-Study students employed by the end of December 2009. There
were 172 or 84.3 % of 204 Total WS students were employed by May 15, 2010.
During the fall there were 84 or 20.7% of the 404 employed students who were FWS. During the spring
there were 95 or 21.9% of the 432 employed student who were FWS
During the fall there were 68 or 16.8% of the 404 employed students who were SBCWS. During the spring
there were 77 or 17.8% of the 432 employed students who were SBCWS.
During the fall there were 152 or 37.6% of the 404 employed students who were FWS. During the spring
there were 172 or 39.8% of the 432 employed students who were Work-Study.
*The student is offered a campus job as part of her financial aid and she must return the FAO
application as her acceptance of the offer. Not all students return the FAO application and are
therefore not considered Work-Study even though their name may appear on the lists from the FAO.
Sweet Briar College’s Campus Student Employment Program is located in the Career Services Center and
encompasses the Federal Work-Study Program (financial aid need based), the SBC Work-Study Program
13
(financial aid need based) and departmental student employment For 2009-2010 a workshop was offered to
students to help them learn the student employment system, enhance their understanding of the transferable
skills gained through student employment, and how these skills can be marketed to better prepare them for
the world after Sweet Briar.
In July 2009 the federal government increased the minimum wage from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. In order to
facilitate a smooth transition of wages in all classifications, the Coordinator of Campus Student Employment
immediately updated the web site, sent informative emails to all supervisors and department heads that
included the new wage that would be paid to the students named whom they had hired for the academic year
2009 - 2010. In mid-August, the wage change information was sent to the returning and new students using
the classes’ list serve.
The Coordinator has also expanded the Student Employment Assessment Survey to include several specific
questions that allow the students to evaluate their supervisor. This assessment was conducted April 2010
using Survey Monkey. A paper assessment survey was done last year (2008-09) with a total of 46 responding
students. There were 101 students who responded using Survey Monkey that is an increase of 55 students or
54.4 %. The question: “To what extent do you believe that your student employment position interferes with
your academic life?” received the answer of Significantly for 3 students of the 46 in 2008-09 and 6 students
of the 101 for 2009-10. To the question: “Do you feel that your employment position provides a positive
influence for completing your SBC degree?” received the answer of Definitely for 33 of the 46 students in
2008-09 and 57 of the 101 for 2009-10.
The Coordinator also used Survey Monkey to have the department heads/supervisors complete an assessment
of how they view their impact and the position’s impact on the student employee. This is the second year that
supervisors have been surveyed. There were 19 supervisor responses to the paper assessment in 2008-09 and
26 supervisor responses for 2009-10. The overall response for both years show that supervisors feel they and
the position(s) they supervise have both a positive influence on the student employee and provide the
College with significant services.
During 2009-2010 the Career Services Center joined the Division of Co-Curricular Life in nominating
students for awards. The Coordinator of Campus Student Employment was instrumental in the process of the
First Annual Campus Student Employee of the Year. There were eleven outstanding students nominated by
their supervisor(s).
14
IX. ANNUAL GRADUATING STUDENTS OUTCOMES REPORT
2009 - 2010
The Career Services Center’s Graduating Students Outcomes Report for the 2009-2010 academic year
provides an overview of the known outcomes of SBC students who graduated in May of 2010.
Annual outcomes report data is obtained through the Graduating Senior Survey administered by CSC staff
to 2010 May graduates and through communications with SBC faculty, staff, and the families of the students
themselves. The report below is for the “At the time of Graduation.” Another report will be created with a
more detailed analysis of the outcomes for the “six months out” point which is the traditional reporting time
for outcomes per NACE.
As of graduation, 93 % of seniors have reported their post-graduation plans to the Career Services Center.
Of those students, 80 % had either secured a job, (part-time or full) been accepted to a graduate school or
other advanced study opportunity such as nursing school; or were pursuing a personal endeavor such as an
internship or overseas travel. This is actually two percentage points higher than the Class of 2009. 20 % of
the respondents are currently engaged in the job search, considering offers, or interviewing.
According to NACE’s (National Association of Colleges and Employers) 2009 Career Services Benchmark
Survey for Four-year Colleges and Universities, the most recent survey available, which looked at the
Class of 2008, 65 % of graduating students had a job at graduation or went on to further study. This
percentage was for institutions like Sweet Briar with 1,000 or less students.
This same survey showed 18 % of students going on to graduate school. Sweet Briar graduates are going on
to further study at a rate of 29 %. This statistic shows that even in tough times, SBC students truly excel
when it comes to pursuing advanced study after graduation.
The 2009 Sweet Briar College administered Senior Survey (CSS) reflected the following: 23.3 % were
planning on volunteering after graduation, 22.5 % planned to travel, 8.5 % did not plan on any employment
for the fall, and 4.2 % indicated that they would be staying at home and starting a family. It will be
interesting to analyze the 2010 CSS data when it becomes available, and see how it compares to the 2009
data. As of graduation, the class of 2010 was reporting personal endeavors at a rate of 14 % according to the
Career Services administered Senior Survey.
It has been communicated to all graduating seniors that the Career Services’ resources and staff are available
to them throughout the summer, and of course, for the rest of their lives. It is interesting to note that with
schools under 1,000 students the number of students reporting jobs between graduation and the follow-up
reporting period, 10 months for the NACE schools, 6 months for Sweet Briar, there is almost a 30% increase
in the reported number of students employed. This shows that a large number of students accept employment
between graduation and 10 months out.
It is projected that the Class of 2010 will have similar outcomes as previous classes and continue to
outperform their peers on objective and professional survey instruments. The “At the Time of Graduation”
15
statistics bear this out, and as survey data from other instruments such as the 2010 CSS and NSSE, come in
further analysis will be undertaken. The next formal analysis of graduate outcomes will take place six
months from graduation.
Diverse endeavors undertaken by the class of 2010:

































Zehra Asghar will be working as a social media analyst with Concept J. Strategies
Helen Bradshaw will be studying in Ireland at University College in Dublin
Dorothy Buchli will be attending UCLA where she will be studying Psychology
Sarina Catalon will be employed at Genworth in Lynchburg, Virginia
Hope Cobb will be studying law at William and Mary
Courtney Cunningham will be working on a MLS at UT Austin or UNC Chapel Hill
Madeline Davis will continue studying education as she works on her MAT at Sweet Briar
Kristin Dillon will be working as a real estate agent for Long and Foster
Amy Dyer will be at William and Mary engaged in study at the National Institute of American
History and Democracy
Virginia Edahl will be studying at the Savannah School of Art and Design
Carina Finn will be working on her MFA at Notre Dame
Allison Garrison will be at UNC Greensboro working towards a Masters in Spanish
Danielle Haines will be working as a research assistant for professor Laufenberg over the summer
months
Laura Hanold will be at the University of Georgia studying pharmaceutical science
Hayley Hill will be running her own swimming organization
Laura Jett will be working on her MBA at Pepperdine University in Malibu California
Laura Jones will be working as a financial analyst for Edward Jones Investments
Caitlin Kuczynski will be employed as a portrait photographer with Randy Kuhn photography
Mollie Linden will be earning her MSW at Arizona State University
Brittan Lindsey will be employed as a project assistant at the Department of Health and Human
Services
Victoria Marshall will be engaged in teaching in South Korea
Rosie Morgan is considering her law school acceptance at Quinnipiac University
Kelly Murphy will be studying law at Northern Ohio University
Emma Parker will be pursuing a personal endeavor as she travels to New Zealand to practice
photography
Helen Phillips is employed as a medical scribe at Lynchburg General Hospital
Phillicia Reid will be working in automobile claims for State Farm Insurance
Deborah Slutz will be at the University of Denver working on her MSW
Kathryn Smith will be in Scotland at the University of Edinburg focusing on health systems and
public policy
Alexandra Taylor will be studying infectious diseases at George Washington University
Mary Taylor will be embarking on a personal endeavor as she does mission work in Haiti
Kathleen Thomas will be working on a MAT at U Mass Amherst
Rachel Vaughn will be embarking on adventures with Outward Bound
Jenna Wasylenko will be earning her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Kansas
16
Career Services Center Goals and Accomplishments 2009 - 2010
►
Continue collaborative efforts within CCL and more broadly on campus and to ensure that the
efforts of the Career Service’s staff to reach out to its constituencies to partner on career
development services, events, programs continue at an even stronger pace. Also, to continue to
build collaborative relationships with various constituencies to include: parents, faculty,
employers, alumnae, SBC staff, community partners and others.
●
The Senior Director continues to encourage the Associate Director’s involvement with the creation
and implementation of First Year Experience/Career Services collaborative programming to include:
2009’s CSC/FYE joint program where the resources and services of the Career Services Center were
highlighted. Ongoing work will continue in order to encourage greater attendance at these special
programs.
The Senior Director continues to support the Associate Director’s collaboration with the advisor to
the sophomore class. Two programs were presented this year one with the theme of “Jeopardy” to
teach participants about the CSC resources and another with a “Bingo” theme to engage students in
major selection in the spring.
Career Service’s staff supported and/or participated in several SBC Development Office programs to
include: a breakfast with the Philanthropy Week key note speaker, and slated involvement with a
“Outside the Pink Bubble” panel and a “Dress for Success” program both which were unfortunately
cancelled due to illness, weather , etc.
The Associate Director was involved with the Annual Fund Parent Steering Committee leading to
two parents attending Field/Major Specific Career Events.
The Career Services Senior Director planned and implemented a Pre-Law program in partnership
with Larry Janow.
The Senior Director and Associate Director regularly participated on Admissions Office open house
panels and Accepted Applicant Weekend presentations.
The Associate Director participated in several classroom and/or departmental outreach presentations.
The Senior Director coordinated a mock interview exercise involving Business Management
students, a faculty member, and two regional human resources professionals. He also gave a
presentation to the “Negotiating” class.
The Senior Director and Associate Director partnered with the alumnae office to facilitate the
continuing development and implementation of the Alumnae Advisory Councils. The Senior
Director hosted a well attended panel of young alumnae and a breakfast break out session for
students and alumnae focused on “navigating a tough economy.”
The Associate Director experimented with evening hours with limited success. The “Cake with
Career Services” initiative may have shown that students are satisfied with the regular hours of
Career Services. As is known, other programs, workshops, and events do occur during the evening.
Some have excellent attendance others do not. This is common within the realm of career
development programming.
In collaboration with Rebecca Ambers, the Senior Director developed and implemented a successful
“Graduate School Night” which featured strong student participation and panel appearances of
faculty and recent alumnae.
The Associate Director serves as a co-advisor to the Alumnae Office’s Student Relations Committee.
This group put on a successful “first-year out” panel earlier in the spring semester.
The Senior Director conducted a “Dreams Trip” in late March in conjunction with SWEBOP
allowing student participants the opportunity to explore their passions and career goals while
enjoying a wild island setting.
The Senior Director and Associate Director continue to develop and utilize employer contacts
through NACE Link, Experience, Career 15, and the networks inherent to NACE, SoACE, VACE,
etc.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
17
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
All Career Service’s staff regularly assist SBC alumnae with career related issues with the majority
being served by the Senior Director. The Senior Director also works closely with other individuals
both inside and outside of the Sweet Briar community.
The Career Service’s staff continues to design, develop, and conduct successful Field/Major Specific
Career Events each year which include employers, alumnae, faculty, and other professionals
attending. As a point of interest, the Career Service’s staff partnered with the Engineering and Math
departments for the third year running by utilizing funding from an NSF grant partially earmarked
for the design and implementation of a career fair. The result was the third annual Engineering,
Math, and Computer Science Careers Event which was held at Red top. A dinner was held prior to
the Natural Sciences/Environment Careers Event at the Farm House.
Career Service’s staff continue to provide regular workshops and other programming focused on
common career development topics such as resumes/cover letters, interviewing skills, job search
strategies, etc.
The Associate Director is regularly asked to present MBTI to student constituents including
Professor Calvert’s Management class and Joan Lucy’s LCP I group.
The Senior Director continues to be the advisor to the Day and Turning Point students working to
find new ways to partner with various campus constituencies in an effort to better the experiences of
that student population.
The Senior Director serves on two local community services Board of Directors; the Center for
Adult Learning and Literacy, and the Amherst County Department of Social Services.
Lynchburg City and Amherst County Office of Economic Development professionals attended the
Government and International Careers Event and a representative from the Lynchburg Chamber of
Commerce attended the Commerce Careers Event on March 31st.
The Senior Director continues to serve on the VFIC’s Career 15 Strategic Career Initiatives
Advisory Board, and facilitated three special events this year to include three key employer panels
and one key employer facilities visit.
The Associate Director coordinated a successful Etiquette Event.
The Associate Director, with support from CCL and other Career Service’s staff, facilitated a
successful “Senior Salute” which gave seniors a chance to interact with the offices that will be
important to them as they graduate and move into their next endeavors.
The Career Services staff again participated in the planning and implementation of the annual
CHALLENGE Job and Internship Fair which involves staff and students from seven area colleges
and universities. For 2010 Sweet Briar will be taking on the responsibilities of managing the entire
event.
The Senior Director and Associate Director continue work to ensure that SBC students have
opportunities to learn about, and travel to, other regional career events such as UVA’s Diversity
Career Event, and the Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s College to Career Event (cancelled this
year). The Senior Director regularly distributes information regarding other college’s career events
and programs. For the second year in a row Sweet Briar students have attended the Career Premiere
Career Fair in Roanoke.
The Senior Director again partnered with the Directors of Lynchburg College and Randolph College
to put on the third annual Tri-College Education Career Fair.
The Senior Director worked with the NAVSEA Woman Owned Small Business Conference and the
Burke Consortium to facilitate employer and student interaction during the April conference.
The Senior Director worked with a local employer Frito-Lay to bring students to an open house
event designed to showcase employment opportunities with Frito Lay.
The Sweet Briar Career Services Center is currently ranked # 8 in the country according to the
Princeton Review’s 2010 edition of The Best 371 Colleges and is a testament to all the SBC
community partners that work with passion to ensure the success of our students. It should be
noted that Career Services has been ranked in the “top ten” for the past three years.
18
►
Continue development of internship opportunities and programs
●
The Senior Director regularly consults with the Associate Director on internship workshops,
seminars, and programs aimed at Career Services constituencies.
The Associate Director completed multiple site visits to evaluate internships while building
relationships with on-site supervisors and to ensure students and internship providers were having
positive experiences.
The Associate Director continued her efforts to grow and promote the internship program through
hanging another internship bulletin board in CSC office of students who completed summer
internships, Internship Student Spotlight to showcase student internship experiences and lunchtime
Internship Focus Sessions to share information about internships with students.
Academic internship numbers decreased from the 2008-2009 academic year (74 completed) to the
2009-2010 academic year (59 completed). This can be a reflection of multiple influences including
the economic downturn and fewer number of on-campus/department internships occurring. The
Associate Director will work to respond to these exigencies and seek out ways to increase the
number of internships. (Tentative numbers for summer 2010 indicate 51 academic internships.)
The Associate Director will work to enhance internship website and resources available through
website, including posting previous internship locations. Currently, this is contingent on support
from the student web assistant, with participation in CCL communication sub-committee new ideas
and ways to enhance both CCL and internship website will be created. Ideally, internship blogging
will occur, this; however, has been stalled due to approval from the Media, Marketing and
Communications Office.
The Associate Director will continue to outreach to students encouraging them to provide
information about completion of academic and non-academic internships with an effort to increase
the number of underclass women being served.
●
●
●
●
●
►
Continue assessment of the quantity and type of programs, given evolving student needs and to
continue to work hard to be a strong keeper and purveyor of essential information to the
College, and strive to keep the key areas of outcome and programmatic statistics at the high
levels of recent years.
●
●
The Senior Director contributes regularly to the President’s Newsletters and Board reports.
Both the Associate Director and the Senior Director have been contributors to campus newsletter
articles, faculty meeting reports and updates, and the Alumnae Office’s magazines and newsletters.
Career Service’s staff create a substantive annual report.
The Senior Director regularly sends statistical student outcomes data to the Institutional Research
administrator.
The Senior Director and Associate Director regularly review Career Services events and programs
evaluations.
Because of the hard work of Co-Curricular Life, faculty, administrators, alumnae, and Career
Services; graduating classes have posted strong outcomes. Most recently in a report generated for
Senior staff, the Senior Director reported that based on CSS (College Senior Survey) data Sweet
Briar students indicated that in the majority of categories reflecting preparedness for life after
college including employment and graduate school acceptances, students scored higher than their
peers.
Career Services student appointment numbers and programming numbers continue to exceed
national averages.
Annual updates are made to the Career Services SACS five column model with new qualitative
information being incorporated for 2009 - 2010. This survey data being kept will be evaluated and
●
●
●
●
●
●
19
●
●
incorporated in the SACS assessment process and will contribute to the on-going review of Career
services’ offerings.
Two weeks were designated to collect anonymous evaluations of one-on-one advising appointments.
Information collected was reviewed and an analysis will be included in the 2010-2011 SACS.
In an effort to address the tough economy the Senior Director scheduled regular student workshops
and roundtables for students to learn about effective strategies to navigate a tough economy during
their job searching. The extra career fair (Career Premiere) and the aforementioned VFIC Career 15
opportunities also gave students additional options to work within tough economic times.
►
The Career Service’s staff will work to identify and implement new ways of working with
multi-media and technology as it applies to career development delivery of resources and
services.
●
The Senior Director has utilized LinkedIn to connect with alumnae to learn about and advertise
employment opportunities for students. LinkedIn has also been utilized to garner participants for
Field Major Specific Career Events.
●
For 2010 - 2011 the Career Services Center will be receiving another $2,500.00 grant from the
VFIC. This grant is to be utilized for enhancing the information technology of the video
conferencing/virtual interviewing resources of the office. The staff will be evaluating the best way to
utilize these specially earmarked funds.
●
Career Service’s staff continue to look at ways to improve and expand on the use of the current
employment/internship databases to include: NaceLink, Experience, Career 15, and Vault.
●
The Associate Director created a strong Facebook presence for the Career Services Center. Currently
there are 357 friends on board. The Associate Director will also be looking into various venues for
blogging, etc. and continue her work on the CCL Communications Sub-Committee.
►
Continue assessment and planning efforts with Campus Student Employment
●
The Senior Director supported and facilitated the Campus Student Employment Coordinator’s
efforts to implement the required 2009– 2010 federal minimum wage increases.
The Senior Director continues to encourage the efforts of the Campus Student Employment
Coordinator to conduct workshops for students and supervisors. A workshop for students was held,
but thus far workshops for supervisors have not been scheduled.
The Senior Director facilitated the Campus Student Employment Coordinator’s efforts to continue
working on new ways to more effectively communicate with supervisors.
The Senior Director facilitated the Campus Student Coordinator’s successful efforts to save the
College money and conserve resources in the administration of the Campus Student Employment
Program.
The Senior Director continues to work closely with the Dean of Students and the CSE coordinator to
better understand CSE positions, numbers, and descriptions to better ensure that all students,
particularly work study have jobs. Due to last year’s wage rate and the cutting back of certain job
areas several students have not located jobs. Some of this is due to student self-selection and choice.
The Senior Director worked closely with the Campus Student Employment Coordinator, AVP of
Finance and Administration, and the Dean of Co-Curricular Life to develop a system for supervisors
to request more money for their CSE budgets.
The Senior Director will work closely over the coming year with the CSE Coordinator, the Dean of
Co-Curricular Life, and others to ensure that the CSE program continues unhindered as a new
individual potentially takes the helm after January of 2011.
●
●
●
●
●
●
20
Career Service Center Goals for 2010 -2011
●
Continue working on the on-going goals presented above, especially in the area of internship
development and outreach to underclass women. This includes working to increase the
number of student appointments and participation in events and programs.
●
To ensure that Campus Student Employment moves forward during the process of
transitioning out of the current Coordinator of Campus Student Employment during the fall
of 2010 and the early spring of 2011. To evaluate new ideas and possibilities for Campus
Student Employment in so far as personnel, duties, responsibilities, and potentially the location
of the office are concerned.
●
To successfully coordinate the management and logistics of the 2010 Challenge Career Fair.
●
To continue to evaluate trends, resources, and services within the realm of information
technology for the career development/services profession, and to evaluate what makes sense
for implementation at Sweet Briar College.
●
To continue to evaluate and assess the services, resources, and programming of the Career
Services Center.
●
To work collaboratively with First and Second Year Programs and Academic Advising in an
effort to create substantive initiatives and programming for students.
21