Prepare Students for Work and Career
By elevating and restructuring career support, we will intentionally set students on a path toward their career start and a lifetime of continued professional and personal growth, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Through new levels of engagement with the Tommie network of more than 110,000 alumni, located across the country and around the world, our students and the entire university will benefit. In return for their engagement and service, we will provide alumni continuous education that meets their reskilling and professional development needs. Through deeper connection with alumni, as well as industry, employer and community partners, we will increase career opportunities for students, making it possible for every student to have an internship or career experience and interact with employers before graduation.
Career education will be scaled to reach every student, who will engage in meaningful career reflection and development of a career plan. Intentional and proactive programming will reach historically underserved populations, ensuring equity and access for all. Through robust quantitative and qualitative data, we will be equipped to measure and evaluate our work – continually driving stronger lifelong career outcomes for our graduates.
Related Themes
| 2025 Strategic Plan | Ever Press Forward through Innovation | Ensure Access, Achievement and Outcomes for All | Widen the Circle of Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare Students for Work and Career | Priority | Priority | Priority |
See how the Themes and Priorities of the 2025 Strategic Plan interweave.
Measuring Progress
Success Metrics
- Increase student undergraduate participation in high-impact career mobility practices, ensuring that every undergraduate student participates in at least one high-impact practice before graduation by 2025. These include development of a career plan, helpful career conversations, career-related experiences or internships and networking opportunities with employers and alumni. Measure student participation through data collection in career management system (Handshake), student surveys and First Destination Survey.
- Maintain employment levels of St. Thomas graduates in the marketplace and increase employer engagement with St. Thomas. Grow the distinctive brand of St. Thomas students in the employer market and our role as leaders in filling workforce gaps. Measure graduate employment outcomes through the First Destinations survey. Measure employer engagement utilizing career management system (Handshake) data on employer activity (i.e. participation in on-campus interviewing, information sessions, chats, career fairs, special events, job and internship postings.)
- Close career outcome equity gaps for students of color and first-generation students. Measure student participation through data collection in career management system (Handshake), student surveys and First Destination Survey.
- Increase alumni engagement for the career success of our graduates and the advancement of the university. Measure through CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metric.
- Achieve five-year fundraising goal of $5 million for programming and unpaid internships.
Progress Update, February 2022
The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:
The Alumni, Corporate and Careers (ACC) unit continues to engage with students to help them understand, plan and network for careers. The number of students engaged through career appointments and events increased by over 90% (from 1,444 to 2,749) in the first five months of FY24 compared to the same period in FY23.
Providing access to career experiences and employers to maintain the career outcomes and career success of our students remains a top priority. The number of companies at the 2023 fall fair increased by 58% (from 64 to 101) and we are poised to experience a similar increase for the spring fair taking place on Feb. 14, 2024. Additionally, the number of internships available to students through our Handshake platform increased 30% (from 9,028 to 11,746) during the first six months of FY24 versus the same period in FY23. Lastly, we launched a 12-member Employer Advisory Board to build relationships and exchange ideas with organizations representing the diverse industries and fields of interest to our graduates.
Key Leaders
- Karyn McCoy, Associate Vice President of Alumni, Corporate and Career
- Erik Thurman, Vice President, University Advancement
Success Metrics
Success Metrics
- Increase student undergraduate participation in high-impact career mobility practices, ensuring that every undergraduate student participates in at least one high-impact practice before graduation by 2025. These include development of a career plan, helpful career conversations, career-related experiences or internships and networking opportunities with employers and alumni. Measure student participation through data collection in career management system (Handshake), student surveys and First Destination Survey.
- Maintain employment levels of St. Thomas graduates in the marketplace and increase employer engagement with St. Thomas. Grow the distinctive brand of St. Thomas students in the employer market and our role as leaders in filling workforce gaps. Measure graduate employment outcomes through the First Destinations survey. Measure employer engagement utilizing career management system (Handshake) data on employer activity (i.e. participation in on-campus interviewing, information sessions, chats, career fairs, special events, job and internship postings.)
- Close career outcome equity gaps for students of color and first-generation students. Measure student participation through data collection in career management system (Handshake), student surveys and First Destination Survey.
- Increase alumni engagement for the career success of our graduates and the advancement of the university. Measure through CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metric.
- Achieve five-year fundraising goal of $5 million for programming and unpaid internships.
Progress Update
Progress Update, February 2022
The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:
The Alumni, Corporate and Careers (ACC) unit continues to engage with students to help them understand, plan and network for careers. The number of students engaged through career appointments and events increased by over 90% (from 1,444 to 2,749) in the first five months of FY24 compared to the same period in FY23.
Providing access to career experiences and employers to maintain the career outcomes and career success of our students remains a top priority. The number of companies at the 2023 fall fair increased by 58% (from 64 to 101) and we are poised to experience a similar increase for the spring fair taking place on Feb. 14, 2024. Additionally, the number of internships available to students through our Handshake platform increased 30% (from 9,028 to 11,746) during the first six months of FY24 versus the same period in FY23. Lastly, we launched a 12-member Employer Advisory Board to build relationships and exchange ideas with organizations representing the diverse industries and fields of interest to our graduates.
Key Leaders
Key Leaders
- Karyn McCoy, Associate Vice President of Alumni, Corporate and Career
- Erik Thurman, Vice President, University Advancement