As expectations for graduate outcomes continue to evolve, independent institutions have an opportunity to reimagine career readiness as a core academic responsibility rather than a co-curricular initiative. This session showcases two institutional models that have successfully embedded career development, vocation, and experiential learning across the student experience.
Presenters will share practical strategies for creating a campus-wide culture of career readiness through required four-year programming, employer partnerships, faculty and staff engagement, internships, public service, and intentional conversations about vocation and purpose. Participants will learn how these scalable approaches strengthen student success, deepen academic engagement, and better prepare graduates for meaningful careers and lives of impact.
Attendees will leave with adaptable ideas for integrating career readiness into the academic mission, fostering cross-campus collaboration, and aligning institutional practices with the evolving expectations of students, employers, and society.
Learning outcomes:
- Apply models for integrating internships, vocation, and experiential learning into institutional student success initiatives.
- Identify scalable strategies for embedding career readiness throughout the undergraduate experience.
- Explore approaches for engaging faculty, staff, and employers as partners in student career development.
Agnes I. Caldwell, Executive Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Defiance College (OH)
Marisa Greer, Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of Pikeville (KY)