Thank You

Thank you to everyone who planned and attended the 2010 CDPI Spring Conference!

Callings was a tremendous day for us all. The PowerPoint presentations for most of the breakout sessions are on the CDPI site now, so follow the link to browse them now.

Final Reminder to Register

Wednesday, April 21st will be the final day to register for the CDPI Spring Conference. If you've already registered, consider bringing a door prize from your school to contribute to our giveaways.

If you plan to arrive the night before (Monday), you should definitely be planning to attend the Networking Event that evening in the Student Center at Indiana Wesleyan. You can come and go as you please between 7-11pm. There will be food and drink vendors available.

Plan to meet and relax with your colleagues as well as keynote speaker Gregg Levoy.

Helping Students and Employers Make the Most of Gap Year Experiences

Presenters: Gary Beaulieu and Jennifer McConnell, Butler University
Track: Bridges from Campus to Career

Description: Millennial students are increasingly looking for ways to give back or delay entering the workforce. This workshop will discuss how Butler University works with students to maximize a Gap Year experience and how the Internship and Career Services office helps students locate a quality experience matching their passions and skills.

What is a “Gap Year”?
A gap year (also known as "year out", "year off", "deferred year", "bridging year", "overseas experience", "time off" and "time out") is a term that refers to a prolonged period (often, but not always, a year) between a life stage. The most popular gap years are taken between college and graduate school and a profession.

Gap year programs can be done here in the United States through programs like Americorp, Teach for America, etc. or they can be done abroad through various programs such as Peace Corps or the J.E.T. Programme. Some students spend time traveling. Others spend their time working, and many combine these into an international working holiday.

A popular option for gap year students, also known as "gappers", is international volunteering. Also, many gap year students earn money while overseas by working cash in hand, often in the hospitality industry. Another growing trend for gappers is to enroll in global education programs that combine language study, home stays, cultural immersion, community service, and independent study. --- (http://www.butler.edu/career/gap-year/overview )

As Butler’s Internship & Career Services Office began to dig deeper into their students’ post graduate plans, they realized that there was a growing number of students that were not accounted for, they were not “employed full time”, “had accepted and were planning to attend graduate or professional school”, or “job searching”. Instead they were “gappers”. I spoke with Jennifer McConnell to discuss how Butler addressed their Gap Year phenomenon and how her office’s focus on this group of students has grown to help support them.

At the CDPI Conference Jennifer and Gary give specifics into how they address one-on-one advising for potential Gap Year students, offer information sessions, and host a GPS (Graduate Programs, Professional Schools, Service Programs) Fair. They will also discuss how they have utilized their employers on their career services advisory board to discuss plans and approaches for working with gappers, (i.e. how to include a Gap Year experience, such as volunteering for a year in Africa, on a resume). Furthermore Jennifer and Gary will share print and online resources for those interested in learning more about the Gap Year.

In addition to the resources, Jennifer and Gary will discuss how their Gap Year support program evolved from researching the area to program development and enhancement. It is worth mentioning that although other countries such as the U.K., Canada, and Australia have resources and experience working with gappers, it appears that Butler is breaking new ground since many of the resources for Gap Year students are for those students leaving high school for college, (not post college). In addition, Jennifer and Gary will discuss the increasing popularity of Gap Year experiences, (perhaps due to the economy), since 2007.

For those interested in learning more about this growing field be sure to attend. Jennifer ensures me that by the end of the workshop all in attendance will better understand: Gap Year experiences, Butler’s approach/history with their program, and things any office can do to help this increasingly popular post graduate population.

Resource: http://www.butler.edu/career/gap-year/overview

Game Plan for Establishing an Externship Program

Presenters: Ashley McArdle, IPFW and Angela Carlen IUPUI
Track: Bridges from Campus to Career

Description: Get best practices and essential resources for developing and establishing experiential learning opportunities for first and second year students through an externship program. Learn the pros and cons of two very different programs: one student driven and the other run by employer availability. We’ll share strategies, discuss results, and how the programs have grown.

Last week I spoke with my IUPUI colleague, Angie Carlen, about her upcoming presentation at the CDPI Spring Conference. Having worked and collaborated with Angie in the past I had seen and heard about the success of her Externship Program so was excited to hear that she would be sharing information about her program with a larger audience.

Although I have worked in career services in one role or another since 2001, I have to admit, when I first heard that she was coordinating an “Externship” Program, I had to google “extern” just to make sure I was on the same page. After I refreshed my understanding of externships and their utility, it is clear that they can play an important, and even critical, role for exploratory students. What’s especially interesting about her upcoming workshop is that she is co-presenting with Ashley McArdle from IPFW. IUPUI uses a student-driven model while IPFW uses an available employer-driven model. This workshop will allow career professionals to see how each type of program can help meet their students’ needs.

Both programs focus on 1st and 2nd year students that are seeking information about possible career paths whom are also interested in building professional networks. Both programs utilize university academic breaks, (i.e. spring break), to implement their programs. The IUPUI program calls for students to meet with a counselor to discuss their career aspirations before they are considered for a sponsored externship. The staff member, (Angie), then uses IUPUI’s alumni network and other resources to connect the exploratory student with a relevant employer. The IPFW program develops relationships with employers that are open to hosting externs and then encourages students to apply for the externship opportunity. Both programs have formal application procedures for employers and students to ensure that both parties are committed to the externship.

By attending this workshop you will be able to learn from both externship programs coordinators, regarding: tips on how you can develop a new program at your campus; successes/challenges they have encountered; examples of promotional materials, applications; reporting templates for assessment/evaluation.

If you are curious to learn more about externships in general or how IUPUI’s and IPFW’s different approaches have both helped exploratory students, then attending this workshop is a must.

Resources:
IUPUI: Angie’s previous year’s website can be found HERE, but please note that it is in the process of being transferred to http://uc.iupui.edu/students/career/externships.asp.
IPFW: Ashley’s site: http://www.ipfw.edu/career/students/job/Externships2010.shtml

Career Services for Non-Traditional Students

Presenter: Stephanie Oden, Indiana Wesleyan University

Track: Serving Multiple Audiences

Description: Developing programs and systems for the non-traditional student presents both challenges and opportunities for career development offices. This session will discuss how Indiana Wesleyan University uses the life purpose model as a foundation for career development when working with non-traditional students. We will also discuss ways to enhance current programs so that you can more effectively serve the diverse non-traditional student population.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Stephanie on Thursday. We discussed her upcoming workshop and it sounds like one that will appeal to just about all career professionals. Her workshop will have special relevance for those who are working with non-traditional, (older students, career changing students or alumni, or online students). I asked her about the format of workshops and she ensured me although there will be PowerPoint, she will have plenty of time for attendees to interact and share their personal experiences of working with non-traditional students. In fact, she will encourage attendees to envision themselves as non-traditional students to better understand their concerns, barriers, and strengths. Stephanie will also share observations regarding her experience working in Indiana Wesleyan University’s Center For Life Calling & Leadership and how they have adjusted their offerings to better serve non-traditional students. Furthermore she will discuss some of the areas in which she is looking to focus on going forward.

Stephanie and I chatted about how their center is implementing this approach throughout their programs and services such as their Series of Job Search Skills Workshops. It is essential that these workshops are tailored to the audience whether it is for new college grads or career changers. Her center has been intentional about maintaining focus and giving special attention to the needs of their non-traditional students and strives to implement this approach into all there programs and services.

Stephanie mentioned that since this is a cutting-edge topic, there is not much research out their covering program development for non-traditional students. So if you want to learn more about this exciting, blossoming field, be sure to attend Stephanie’s session. You will walk away 7 keys to providing transformational career services to non-traditional students.