Nichols' Curriculum Linked to Career Success

Keynote speakers Vogt and Blanck flank Nichols College President, Dr. Debra M. Townsley	(L to R) Laura Zurowski, career counselor from Marist College; Lori Smith, Nichols' assistant director of career services; Maureen Butler, PDS event coordinator

Terese Corey Blanck and Peter Vogt challenged the crowd of college career service directors on Nichols' campus: "If not you, then who?" The keynote speakers, employment experts and career coaches who help grads find entry level positions, are passionate about the need for a career planning program on the college level. "It's time for a revolution," Blanck stated at the career conference held August 4^th and 5^th.

Blanck and Vogt are co-authors of The College to Career Road Map. "Students are looking for a return on their educational investment and hoping to secure passionate career employment - not just a job," says Vogt. Campus career counselors attending from 15 states agree that there's significant pressure to make sure their fourth-year students find jobs in today's difficult economy.

U.S. Education Secretary Spelling promotes the need for measurable higher education learning outcomes. A recent survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education supports a stronger career focus: 92 percent of Americans think that it's important to prepare undergraduate students for careers, and 88 percent believe it's important to provide adults with coursework to help them qualify for better jobs.

The career conference provided an opportunity for Nichols' staff to highlight its own Professional Development Seminar (PDS) Program, the first of its kind in the United States, which was implemented in 2000 on a directive from President Debra M. Townsley. The four-year Program ensures that Nichols students have an opportunity to make intelligent career decisions by taking incremental, critical steps in honing their talents and skills.

Nichols' PDS coursework of 1-credit courses logically builds on the prior year, with first-year students getting help with the transition to college; second-year students exploring majors and internship opportunities; third-year students refining their professional skills (e.g. interviewing, writing resumes and developing portfolios); and fourth-year students launching successful careers.

"I'm a big fan of Nichols' PDS Program," stated Vogt, "because of my own story."  Vogt told the career directors that he chose to be a math major because his mother thought he would be a good teacher. "It's one thing to be good at something and another thing to enjoy it," says Vogt, who apparently has a disdain for differential equations. To his chagrin, a year after graduation, he was living back home with his parents.

In many higher education environments, students can drift aimlessly and then panic at the end of their senior year, taking whatever jobs they can find. Vogt gave attendees examples from his own experience coaching graduates. "I call the process career dentistry," says Vogt, "because I have to pull-out of students where their talents and passions lie." Blanck adds that even the most directed of students need career coaching.

Nichols' PDS Program has improved retention and academic success and provided graduates with a competitive advantage when entering the workforce. As of graduation 2007, over 1,000 Nichols students have successfully completed the Program, with 96 percent of the Class of 2007 employed within six months of graduation with a starting salary close to $40,000.

"Regardless of major or career choice, our PDS coursework provides students with the skills and tools needed to be fruitful in their career development process, from introduction to execution," says Heather Maietta, director of Nichols' Career Services. "We acknowledge that it takes four years for college students to find a career path."

As an exploratory journey designed to connect passions with career and life purpose, Nichols' PDS Program ensures that Nichols students are those who strategically plan to get what they want.

Conference organizer Dawn Sherman, assistant dean for special academic programs stands next to Dr. Edward Kolek, Nichols' assistant dean for learning services	Professor Rick Hilliard (seated) with career service directors