Status

Last update: February 20, 2019

Complete; *** priority

Lead

Provost Ogren; Kelly Dries, Executive Director, Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD); Deans

Update

Office of Career and Professional Development

by Kelly Dries, Executive Director, Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD)

OCPD’s 2019 Priorities:

• Deliver quality service and access for career education.
• Enable Redlands to tell our story regarding career/post-graduation outcomes.
• Demonstrate the value of engaging with the OCPD.
• Empower and connect Bulldogs to achieve a lifetime of purpose in their career.

Fall 2018 Highlights:

• OCPD opened a brand-new space in Armacost Library 116.
• OCPD hosted its first-ever meet and greet, 100+ professionals and 50+ students in attendance.
• Increased the scale and effectiveness of outreach by successfully launching the Career Studio (reducing the volume of drop-in appointments by 140+ in 2.5 months).
• Heightened the visibility of the OCPD.  Executive Director held 150+ 1:1 meetings with staff, faculty, students, and employers. Student feedback has been positive – of those who responded to our assessment efforts, 100% of students would refer a friend to visit the OCPD.
• Increased OCPD presence in classroom presentations by 100%.
• Re-launched the Career Advisory Board, comprised of stakeholders from across campus.

Events for Spring 2019:

The OCPD’s first ever Annual Career Conference will be held on Saturday February 23rd in the Orton Center from 8:30am-3pm, with check-in beginning at 8am. The goal of this event is to support students and alumni in the pursuit of their professional goals. They will have the opportunity to enhance their professional portfolio, expand their network through interactive breakout sessions led by professionals and alumni, and grow connections with peers, alumni, and professionals. 

The OCPD is hosting a new series, called Pizza & Prep, which will tackle common career topics through a mix of presentations, activities, Q & A, and/or employer visits.  Every Friday from 12 pm - 1 pm in the Career Studio, we will host sessions to enhance students’ knowledge of career topic. 

The OCPD, in partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s office, is excited to announce the Career Fellows Program, a new partnership which will help the University of Redlands with its goal of integrating career into the curriculum.  Between now and March 1st, students will be able to nominate faculty who have contributed to their career development or exploration.  We want to celebrate and recognize faculty who are helping students figure out their career paths.  All faculty who are nominated will be notified from the OCPD.  A review committee, consisting of representatives from the CAS Dean’s office, the student body, OCPD staff, and faculty will meet in early March to review nominations and select the five Career Faculty Fellows.  Curriculum integration will begin in the 19-20 academic year. 

New/Enhanced Revenue or Endowment

2016 - 2020 Campaign Goal: $1M. Contributes to competitive advantage to recruit students. Fosters greater retention.

Goal/Assessment Metric

This program is intended to assist students in preparing for entry into the post-degree market.  The extent of this co-curricular student experience should boost recruitment and retention while expanding the network of student-alumni relations and post-degree satisfaction.