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STEPHENVILLE (March 24, 2015) — Tarleton State University’s Career Services Center will transition from the Division of Student Life to the Academic Affairs Division with the Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives area, starting this Fall 2015.
The transition will take place over the next several months. The mission of Career Services will not change, as the department will continue to empower students and alumni to leverage their academic and co-curricular knowledge for careers in their industry. Students can expect new workshops and services in the future, such as a Part-Time Job Fair and Hire-A-Texan demonstration for online students.
Moving to Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives will allow cross-departmental training to enhance the holistic academic and career advising for students. The transition also will afford a more targeted approach to recruiting employers on campus through faculty relationships.
“Realignment and integration of Career Services into the Academic Affairs Division in general and the Office of Student Success in particular will enhance our ability to provide exemplary service to our students and movement toward realization of our vision of becoming the premier student-focused institution in Texas and beyond,” said Dr. Karen Murray, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “It will enhance career advising and major selection, increase our engagement with employers in our communities and support expansion of student internship opportunities.”
The Career Services Center spends most of its time working collaboratively with academic colleges and departments to provide career development, exploration and employer interactions to its students, said Alana Hefner, director of the Career Services Center. “The transition to Academic Affairs will allow the Career Services Center to increase intentional collaborations with faculty to best serve the students.”
Integrating Career Services into Advising Services and Academic Affairs has been a topic of discussion at Tarleton for several years, said Darla Doty, interim vice president of the Division of Student Life. “Looking at the trending models and best practices across the country supports the move as one that not only promotes student retention, but aligns with Tarleton’s vision to become the premier student-focused university in Texas and beyond.”
Dr. Jennifer Edwards, assistant vice president for Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives (SSMI), said she was thrilled with the opportunity to incorporate the Career Services Center into SSMI.
“Ms. Hefner and her staff are phenomenal and we cannot wait to officially welcome them to our team in the fall semester,” said Edwards. “Tarleton students and alumni will be able to experience additional programs and services through Ms. Hefner’s collaboration efforts with academic colleges, academic advising, diversity and inclusion, disability services, academic readiness and success, and other SSMI efforts.”
“The transition of Career Services into the Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives area will only strengthen the institution’s strategic planning objective focused on proactive academic advising,” said Dr. Rusty Freed, executive director for the Academic Advising Center. “We want to provide students with a holistic approach to career exploration and the development of a four-year academic advisement plan to graduation.”
To learn more about the Career Services Center at Tarleton, visit www.tarleton.edu/careerservices.
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