Willamette University Career Services New Directions Presentation to Board of Trustees University Relations Committee by Jerry Houser Director, Career Services

Three key questions we are asking ourselves each year Are we delivering the important and needed services such as job listings, career counseling, alumni networking, internship development, academic support, and grad school planning? Do key people (faculty, students, alumni, and employers) know about and use our services? Are we managing our services effectively and efficiently to meet our projected outcomes?

The Review Process Meetings with faculty, students, and staff Benchmarking with peer institutions Conduct annual surveys of graduates Develop metrics for customer evaluations Measure progress on projected outcomes

Current Mission “The Career Center strives to provide engaging programs, services and support that will empower the personal, intellectual and professional development of our students.”

Willamette’s Strengths We benefit from a small campus We have close ties with the State Capitol We provide alumni with virtually the same services as current students at no charge. We provide individualized and flexible service to students Liberal Arts curriculum is flexible and versatile Strong student leadership outside the classroom Developing alumni career network

Three Primary Service Areas Career Decision Making Recruitment Placement Experience Networking Education Preparation Assist in career decision-making at all levels Support recruitment and career opportunities Foster networking and preparation

Sample programs in the primary areas Individual counseling Alumni Advisors Career Beam Discernment workshops Decision Making Recruitment Placement Experience Networking Education Preparation Internship Fair Recruiting Program Employer Marketing OLAPC JobCat Career Newsletter Futurama Grad School workshops Internship classes Optimal Resume Vault e-library & Hatfield Alumni contacts/speakers

Next Steps & Plans 2008-2009 Increase total number of individual student appointments Increase internship activity Develop electronic career newsletter Implement three new technologies 2009-2010 Register 500 in JobCat and 300 in Optimal Resume Build relationships with 20 new employers Develop on-campus “internships” via work-study, etc. Increase engagement with first and second-year students

New Directions Centralizing job listings Increased CLA academic collaboration Increased outcome measurement Target marketing to 1st and 2nd year students Engage parents Experiment with technology solutions