AU Career Services, Occupational Life Calling Office merge to empower students on career-life journey
07/10/20 ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland University Career Services Center and the Occupational Life Calling Office have merged to create the Career Center for Life Calling, with a mission to “empower students to successfully navigate their career-life journey through relationship building and skill development.”
The center’s staff includes director Karen Hagans, internship coordinator Christine Hamilton, employer relations coordinator Staci Carnahan and life calling coordinator Liz Shannon.
“At Ashland University, we believe that career and calling are so closely linked that combining the two departments made good sense,” said AU President Carlos Campo. “Our vision statement indicates that our graduates should ‘discern their life calling and thrive’, and this new department will help students do precisely that.”
The CCLC is in the process of strengthening career-related offerings and partnerships across campus, according to Hagans, and also planning a number of virtual events in the coming months, including the Dauch College of Business and Economics Career Day on Thursday, Sept. 3. This annual networking event introduces students to career opportunities and provides employers with the chance to meet AU students. In addition, the 13th Annual Meet the Accountant event on Thursday, Sept. 10, will also go virtual for the first time, she said, but will still provide employers the opportunity to meet one-on-one with candidates during the event.
The CCLC will concentrate on an employer-focused concierge approach to work with employers virtually, meeting recruitment needs tailored to their organizations.
For students, Zoom workshops that began in May are continuing, Hagans said, and include information on crafting resumes that get results, interviewing, creating a network, finding an internship and using job search tools.
The Center also has partnered the Alumni Engagement Office to created two communities --- a Job Board Community and a Career Resources Community -- on the Wisr platform, which is designed to connect AU students and alumni with mentors and resources, Hagans said. The Job Board Community is now live and the addition of job postings will be an ongoing process, while the Career Resources Community is designed to house CCLC video training and written materials. The Wisr platform is available to members 24/7 and AU students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to join via https://www.ashland.edu/student-affairs/wisr
Overall, said Dr. Robert Pool, Vice President for Student Affairs, “students will see a more seamless link between their academic strengths and life calling paired with career opportunities. This will be most evident in those who take one or more of the three Occupational Life Calling courses and participate in the new Center’s many experiential learning activities.”
For more information about the CCLC, go to www.ashland.edu/career or email CCLC-AU@ashland.edu
Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.###