Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Often with student groups we ask them to collectively set community guidelines for learning
and working together. At Seattle U one of the staff in OMA offers this as the essential version
of community guidelines:
BRING WHAT YOU HAVE
ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED.
So as we learn together today in the large group and in break out sessions I would offer this
same invitation to each of you.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Today my invitation to you is to learn from and lean in to the wisdom of Appreciative Inquiry
which makes room for the question "WHAT'S WORKING WELL NOW?" If you're not familiar
with AI it's a method for studying and changing social systems that uses collective inquiry to
discover THE BEST OF WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW in order to IMAGINE WHAT COULD BE IN
THE FUTURE. AI was one of the precursors to the Strengths based movement in American
management.
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/whatisai.cfm
I have used AI with our Career Services team at Seattle U when we are needing to identify
what's going well in the current work, and highlight where our focus and passion lies, as well
as the focus and passion of our students, employers, alumni etc. and then identify for the
future, where we want to be putting our individual and collective resources, as limited as
they may be. This could be especially informative for those of you who don't have an ER
person or team in your office. I think it will help you get clear in designing an effective
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strategy for student professional development and success grounded in strategic
partnerships.
There is so much positive energy and passion that comes forth in teams that develop a
curiosity and value WHAT'S WORKING and INNOVATE FROM HERE versus the DEFICIT-BASED,
FIX THE PROBLEM approach.
My intent today is to share with you some of what we have learned in Career Services at
Seattle U about building PURPOSEFUL PARTNERSHIPS. I don't come as an expert but a fellow
learner.
After today (whether you are a career advisor, employer relations team member, internship
coordinator, office manager etc.) I hope you will be able to identify and celebrate the
effective, mutual partnerships that are already in place for you and your team, as well as
come away with some ideas and resources for cultivating new partnerships. My focus will
primarily be on developing partnerships with faculty and employers.
There is a richness of experience in the room today and I am grateful for this opportunity to
learn together in the spirit of appreciative inquiry.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Martha is a junior Public Affairs major in A&S who networks her way in to an internship in the
inaugural summer of tech internships at Costco and wants other SU students to have the
same opportunity.
OUTCOMES:
1) Martha brings Costco recruiters to campus for an info session in partnership with Career
Services
2) Costco hires SU summer interns and starts recruiting at fall Business and Engineering
Career Fair
3) Costco IT recruiter is now on CS Advisory Board
4) Costco just on campus a week ago for an internship info session
AND WHY DOES THIS STORY MATTER and HOW CAN IT INFORM OUR WORK IN CAREER
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DEVELOPMENT?
Regardless of whether or not you have an ER person or team, we all know Martha Palamino's
who have great excitement and passion after completing an internship, practicum or
research, that they want to share their career experience with other students. And all of a
sudden you have another advocate and voice in the work of career development and
employer Relations. And in a time of tight budgets that's a win!
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
SEATTLE U CONTEXT
Urban. Jesuit. Personal.
MISSION: Seattle University is dedicated to educating the whole person, to professional
formation, and to empowering leaders for a just and humane world.
Men and Women with and for others.
UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal Two
"Prepare our graduates to lead meaningful and successful professional lives."
Increase of internship and research opportunities.
Improve the integration of career development and professional preparation.
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DECENTRALIZED CAREER SERVICES MODEL with widely varying resources and integration in
to schools and colleges. Albers compared to Arts and Sciences
8 Schools & Colleges
STUDENTS:
SU has 7,500 students
4,700 undergraduate
95% of undergraduate students attend full-time
33% from ethnically diverse backgrounds
In the shadow of UW, large research institution with 43,000 students
The importance of really knowing who our students are and successfully promoting these
attributes to our partners.
So who are SU students and what are they known for?
1) Leadership
2) Diversity
3) Commitment to service and social justice
4) Holistically educated
5) Critical thinkers
Three out of four Seattle University undergraduate students engage in community service,
three times the national average.
ALUMNI:
71,000 alumni with 50,000 in WA state and 16,000 in the city of Seattle
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
VISION:
Every Seattle University graduate will be inspired and equipped to make intentional career
choices
STAFF: 5 FT and 2 PT staff, GA and GI
FT ED and Office Manager
2 FT career advisors
1 FT ER staff (that's me!)
1 PT ER staff
1 PT staff for mentor programs
STRUCTURE: Advising and Employer Relations liaisons to the Colleges. Two large colleges of
focus based on bandwidth.
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STORY OF ER: the work had a good foundation but was needing a refocused strategy.
MY BACKGROUND:
Elementary ed, non profit, higher ed. Consistent themes across all professional roles:
education, supporting the flourishing of others, community/partnership building across
diverse groups.
STRENGTHS QUEST:
Woo
Positivity
Communication
Connectedness
Empathy
MBTI:
ENFJ
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Faculty and employer partnerships.
What's working well right now?
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Faculty and employer partnerships.
What's working well right now?
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Hold your own example of a purposeful partnership in mind as we move in to some strategy
for developing effective employer partnerships.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
RESEARCH/ASSESS:
How do we assess student career interests?
1) Career Interests survey for A&S students to go out every other year in winter.
Here are the survey questions:
http://surveys.myinterfase.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=l4KL873LM
2) Info session and career fair attendance and surveys. Ex. State Dept, Peace Corps, Port of
Seattle.
3) Career Outcomes data (internships and FT jobs)
4) Registrar's quarterly list of students in academic internships and practica.
5) Information gathered from faculty, staff and academic advisors
EMPLOYER RESEARCH
1) Who's already engaged but could broaden engagement and set an academic year
engagement strategy? e.g. host a trek, professional in residence, mock interviews, resume
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reviews, Premier Employer Program. Ex. Wells Fargo
2)Who's posting consistently by otherwise not engaged?
3) Who is a natural mission fit for our students? Ex. Physio Control
4)Industry resources. Who's growing and hiring? Puget Sound Business Journal and Book of
Lists. etc.
5) Consult with faculty
6) Which employers have a solid alumni base? And alums in diverse roles (execs, technical
and HR)
BENCHMARKING: Consultation calls with other schools to see what's working. just did this for
A&S strategy as this continues to be a challenge!
PROMOTE:
"It's Our SU Advantage/Connecting Purpose with Potential" brand.
Employers tell us consistently who our students are and why they want to recruit them. We
promote this with employers who don't know us through alumni connections. We ask alums
to help us tell the SU student story. We search for alums on LinkedIn and reach out for an
introduction to HR.
We also promote our capacity to CUSTOMIZE EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT. One size does not fit
all. We offer a strategy that makes the best sense for our students and the employer.
Employers are relieved to not have to solve the recruiting puzzle themselves.
FOLLOW UP! We send an immediate follow up email documenting the follow up action items
and who is responsible for which between the CS team and the employer. I put a note on my
cal to follow up with the employer a few weeks later if I haven't received their posting,
registration for career fair etc.
Always look for other opportunities to loop in employers on campus. One of our Advisory
Board members told us that the most successful recruiters are the ones who students
recognize because they are consistently engaged on campus so much so that students
recognize them after a while.
Advisory board, networking events, treks, professional in residence etc.
EVALUATE and REFLECT
Quarterly reports. We take time each quarter to reflect on our outcomes both quantitative
and qualititative, strategy and fruitful partnerships. What worked well for us? What might we
need to let go of?
Ex. Spring Break Externship
Ex. Marketing Post Grad Service Networking Night with emphasis on Peace Corps.
We continue to adapt and refine our employer partnership strategy accordingly, incorporating
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data from ongoing student career interests survey, student career event assessments,
faculty and staff feedback etc.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
SPECIFIC CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS and EVENTS: Offers faculty and students up-to-date
information on industry and hiring trends, as well as best practices and resources for career
development.
DEVELOP MAJOR SPECIFIC RESOURCES:
Offer a one-page summary of the most recent Career Outcomes Survey data for each major
or department and a list of student internship opportunities and employers who are
consistently posting internships and recruiting specific majors.
Also advising and career event survey data outcomes for students.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS:
Alumni as a resource for panels, networking nights, mock interviews, job leads and recruiting
trends etc.
Arts and Sciences Career Night collaboration. Reaching out to dept chairs for names of alums
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to invite for networking.
We are partnering with faculty to develop structured academic mentor programs that match
students with alums in their field.
COLLABORATE ON INTERNSHIPS:
Inform faculty of internship resources in CS. (Postings in RHN, internship search guidelines,
interview prep etc.)
We are encouraging faculty to can send over internship opportunities to be posted in RHN.
SHARE ASSESSMENT DATA:
Career event survey outcomes (info sessions, OCIs, career fairs which includes employer
feedback)
Advising data
Career Outcomes Survey data which can be used for accreditation. The hope is to combine
department specific career outcomes survey with University wide Career Outcomes survey
Career Interests survey for A&S
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
EXAMPLES:
1)First Year Leadership Institute
2)Careers in International Development Night.
3) Collaboration with Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability.
4) Puget Sound Energy
tech talks,
resume review and how to prep for a career fair with employers and career advisers with
mechanical engineering students. 50% increase in ME students at the BECF, 80% of ME
seniors in attendance.
STRUCTURES & PROCESSES
1) Liaison model
2)Review two handout docs:
* Effective employer strategy meetings
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* Arts and Sciences employer development strategy
*Employer outreach packet
Moving away from satisfaction based surveys to OUTCOMES-BASED ASSESSMENTS. What do
we want students to learn by going on this trek? What do we want students to learn and
understand about their career path and career opportunities by being at this info session?
Handout: info session assessment
The value of QUARTERLY and ANNUAL REPORTING.
Increases accountability for staff, drives adaptations and supports goal setting.
Highlight FY13 Annual Report
http://www.seattleu.edu/uploadedFiles/Career_Services/Content/About/CS%20Annual%20Rep
ort%20FY13(2).pdf
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Where is the return on investment? What is currently working?
What partnerships can be enhanced that already exist?
Do you have employers posting jobs but not engaged on campus in other ways.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Guiding questions:
What is currently working?
What partnerships can be enhanced that already exist?
Where is the return on investment?
Do you have alums/employers posting jobs but not engaged on campus in other ways?
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Build off Appreciative Inquiry
Focus on 1-2 areas where you have energy as starting point to further or start a purposeful
partnership.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
Martha accepts a full time job at Costco and is promoted to a Business Analyst. She returns to
campus this winter for the inaugural Women of Seattle U alumni networking event.
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Purposeful Partnerships: MCUCSA. Spring 2014
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