Building career development into the curriculum Dr. jane Wayland Stephen Harrow Smith Dean of Business

Career Development in the Curriculum UA – Little Rock is a metropolitan university in the state capital Financial center for the state Home to many hospitals Corporate and not-for-profit organizations’ headquarters UA Little Rock College of Business Profile 1054 UG, 235 Grad students 50% part-time (UG only 43%) Majority work – 43% of working students, work over 37 hours per week (16% of those take 12 plus credit hours) Engagement with the college is challenging!

A decade of trying to Improve the “polish” Workshops Career Mixers Classroom speakers Professionalism Class

Pulling it Together

The Career Catalyst Program Career Development I: events and workshops that are foundational in building career readiness.  These include but are not limited to resume workshops, mock (practice) interview sessions, dress for success presentations, and others. Leadership and Service: volunteer events and student organization officer/leadership involvement that enhance your ability to work in teams and provide leadership for those teams.  These include but are not limited to First Friday college wide service days sponsored by Beta Gamma Sigma, officer positions in student organizations within the college, and others. Career Development II: events and workshops that extend your skill set or bring additional opportunities to enhance your career readiness.  These include but are not limited to etiquette luncheons, company or plant/site tours, speed mixers, executives in residence luncheons, and others. High Impact Experiential Learning: significant involvement in “real world” work related to your major, outside the classroom.  These include but are not limited to internships, competitions like the Governor’s Cup business plan competition or advertising campaign competitions or analytics competitions, project work with business clients of the ASBTDC, a study abroad program, and others. Ethics in the Workplace: events, workshops, or course structures that enhance your understanding of ethical decision making in the business world.  These include but are not limited to Ethics in the Workplace symposiums, an online ethics in business certificate, and others.

Things we have learned Be flexible and willing to change Be organized Find partners Create a faculty advisory group Prepare for you online students – not so easy You can take a horse to the trough but you cannot make him drink!

Things we have learned Provide more variety by working across campus. Workshops – everyone does this! Work with employers to sponsor/lead the workshops. Enterprise Rentals sponsors an etiquette luncheon each semester for our students, and sends managers to participate with the students. Dillard’s leads the Dress for Success workshops each term. Provide more variety by working across campus. “Communications Buffets” presented by our Applied Communications faculty, covering a variety of topics from nervousness before presentations to answering interview questions, etc.

Managing the program Staff BSAD 2010/4010 Career Connections Software – Grad Leaders Implementation was difficult Train advisors and faculty Inform students Find partners

Moving Forward Provide better direction Provide gifts for completion Communicate!!!!!! Change professionalism course

Questions?