Wasserman Center for Career Development Annual Report

MISSION AND PURPOSE

The mission of The Wasserman Center for Career Development (Career Development) is to facilitate the career development of NYU students and alumni in a supportive environment. We provide programs and services that support the core values of New York University and to actively participate in the development of the “whole student.” We focus on the academic, personal and career development needs of NYU undergraduates and graduate students, as well as those of alumni. The Wasserman Center for Career Development’s overall vision is to empower students at every stage of the career development process so that they may achieve their educational, career and professional goals. Career Development serves large numbers of students and alumni; however, the staff remains committed to assisting and supporting each individual student in their exploration and attainment of meaningful work. By working closely with students, employers and the university community, the Career Development team serves as educators, counselors, information sources, advocates and mentors by providing programs and services that teach and facilitate the lifelong learning skills associated with solid career development. The Wasserman Center for Career Development provides students with strong connections to environments outside of the university. We view ourselves as bridging the possibilities that exist both at the university and beyond. The staff of Career Development supports students in their quest for determining who they are and who they want to be, by providing the tools necessary to research, explore, experiment and secure not only a job, but also a career that is “right” for them.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2005-2006

• Oversaw the construction, relocation and renaming of The Wasserman Center for Career Development, a new state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot facility, offering expanded hours and services to undergraduate and graduate students and alumni. To help support this initiative, a $135K naming gift was secured for its Graduate Student and Alumni Center. The center has created many opportunities for collaboration with faculty, student groups, administrative units and employers; it has continued to receive rave reviews from the university community.
• Re-branded publications and online resources and content. The web site once again received over 1.2 million hits. Maintained listservs that enabled students to receive class and program specific career information (12,400 subscribers - a 32% increase).
• Designed and executed a strategic, targeted job development effort, resulting in 48,732 job listings, 12,834 on-campus recruitment interviews (up 9%), 2,512 students participating in on-campus recruitment and 700+ employers at career fairs (up 10%).
• Facilitated over 600 career-related seminars and presentations, including school and population-specific programs, with combined student attendance of over 20,000.
• Conducted 10,419 career counseling appointments with NYU students and alumni.
• Sponsored seven major career fairs (including Government and Non-Profit Expo in Washington D.C.), with a combined student attendance of 15,000.
• Sponsored 235 on-campus employer and community presentations (29% increase) involving 9,497 attendees.
• Conducted annual Life Beyond the Square survey of new (Class of 2005) bachelor degree recipients. As of January 2006, 94.6% of respondents were employed with an average staring salary of $46,500 ($1,200 increase) or enrolled in a graduate or professional school program. 80% of respondents stated that they utilized the office in their job search. 45% of respondents who were working full-time at the time of the survey indicated that they obtained their position directly through office resources.
• Coordinated Part-time Job and Internship Survey in June/July 2006 for juniors. Preliminary findings show that academic year earnings were constant at $12.75 an hour; however, summer earnings increased to $15.25. Rates of internship and part-time employment increased to 85%.
• Offered value-added recruiting services and opportunities for increased visibility and branding for employers through the Employer Partner Program. Related event sponsorship and employer fees resulted in over $130,000 in additional funding.
• As a complement to the Corporate Partner Program, Career Development has worked to bring on Public Service Employer Partners. In lieu of monetary sponsorship, these organizations will serve students interested in working in the non-profit and public service sectors and provide special programs on campus, including recruiters in residence.
• Hosted a Graduate and Professional School Fair, attracting 200 representatives from graduate and professional schools around the country. Student attendance was over 1,500.
• Increased participation of employers to 90 (up 10%) at the Job Expo for Graduate Students and Alumni. Attended by over 1,200 graduate students and alumni.
• Hosted four Industry Networking Forums highlighting specific industries (Publishing; Arts, Entertainment & Media; Real Estate & Hospitality; Advertising, Public Relations & Marketing), which were attended by 70 employers and over 800 undergraduate and graduate students.
• Initiated over 60 new recruiting relationships with employers including Macy's Home Group, BBDO, Kraft, Pepperidge Farm, TJX Companies, Edelman Public Relations, Katzenbach Partners, Boston Consulting Group and American Airlines.
• Collaborated with NYU’s Development Office on a funding proposal to create an endowment to supplement unpaid internships for students. In Spring 2005 two students were awarded the first funded internships with $750 stipends. Efforts are on-going to increase the number of stipends.
• Registered and processed 12,000+ students for Federal work-study and other campus employment.
• Sponsored 20 events, seminars and other career-related programs geared to diverse student populations, including the Career Advantage Internship Program, funded by Goldman Sachs. Produced a Diversity Resume Book of graduating students and distributed it to over 200 organizations. Recognized employers that made a special commitment to diversity.
• Graduate Student initiatives: held 40 seminars and orientations exclusively for graduate students; presented or participated in seven career panels, including four Get Your Career in Gear panels; had a mini-job fair for Econ/IO Psych/Math in Finance students that involved faculty participation from GSAS. Co-sponsored (with the New School, Baruch, Rutgers, Cornell, Teachers College, and Columbia) a joint HR and Organizational Development Job Fair (about 50 NYU IO Psych students participated). The Graduate Student Open House drew over 100 students and faculty members. Additionally, continued outreach to Directors of Graduate Studies and conducted orientations/presentations to graduate departments.
• New initiatives for alumni: joint GW/NYU Los Angeles Student/Alumni Networking Event (185 alumni attended); Career Change Support Group; panel on Arts and Communications Careers; continued collaboration with the Recent Alumni Network in conducting a workshop entitled, Generation Gap: Communicating across generations in the workplace (80 alumni participated); engaged NYU alumni in job development and mentoring initiatives.
• Coordinated annual Career Week, featuring 18 career-related panels, involving over 100 guest speakers, including NYU alumni and over 1,000 student attendees.
• Expanded First Steps: Career Reality 101 Welcome Week offerings for new students to include lectures combined with visits to employers in major job sectors such as government, financial services, entertainment, law, publishing and health care. Speakers included employers and NYU faculty in related fields.
• Participated in university orientation for international students and continued a seminar series for new international students. Maintained a mentor database of alumni working in foreign countries.
• Maintained a Work Abroad listserv to provide programmatic updates and job postings for overseas employment opportunities. Hosted Work Abroad Week for overseas employers (approximately 400 student participants). Continued discussions about job and internship opportunities for students who are studying at NYU sites abroad.
• Hosted Tech Is Back, a collaboration between faculty at CAS, Stern and GSAS, along with six Wall Street firms, to change students’ perceptions of technology job opportunities and discuss the truth about the quantity and variety of opportunities. Over 100 students attended.
• Presented Dining for Success, a program to help students refine job-related social skills, which involved 190 students. Included special sessions for NYU schools, student clubs, international students and other groups.
• Increased collaboration with student leaders and organizations, specifically Residential Education. The Center Peer Education/Ambassadors Programs involved peer educators and student government leaders as outreach representatives in their respective residence halls and schools. Implemented a seamless recruitment process, tripling the number of peer educators for the 2005-06 academic year.
• Continued collaboration with student leaders and campus organizations by contacting over 200 student organizations, resulting in increased participation in Career Development programs.
• Strengthened partnerships with NYU schools to facilitate collaboration, increase visibility and promote information sharing. Participated in class presentations and special events and increased faculty involvement in Career Development programs and activities. Worked to build and maintain individualized partnerships with NYU graduate and professional schools to offer services and programs tailored specifically to their students’ needs.

NEW INITIATIVES FOR 2006-2007

• Developed a partnership with The New York Times for the 2006-2007 year. The Times will be sponsoring the always popular Dining for Success program and hosting a program for recent alumni. In addition, the Times has worked with the peer educators to develop a curriculum using the Times for career development. This program will be facilitated throughout the year and serve as a model for other colleges and universities.
• Launched new NYU CareerNet in July 2006, a more robust software for student and employer users with greater tracking and reporting capabilities.
• As a part of the Employer Partner Program, Career Development has secured three non-profit/public service employer partners. These partners will provide days on campus where students can consult with them on non-profit careers, as well as their specific programs, facilitate seminars and participate in a variety of programs. This initiative will further the goals of our office to serve students interested in all career fields.
• Based on input from students, Career Development has changed the format of Career Week for the 2006-2007 academic year to Career Fest, a month-long event where students have the opportunity to learn about various career fields in a fun and interactive way. There are four weeks as part of the series, each with panels, site visits, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities.
• Career Development wrote and secured funding to establish a Peace Corps Recruiter in Residence program. The recruiter will outreach to various campus constituencies regarding both the Peace Corps and The Wasserman Center for Career Development. The recruiter is housed in The Wasserman Center for Career Development and will be work 20 hours per week.
• Expanded Recruiter and Expert in Residence Program allowing students to interact directly with professionals from a variety of fields. Some participating Recruiters in Residence are the Department of State, Kaplan and Teach for America. In addition, there is an Expert in Residence who will talk with students about Careers in Human Resources and will present a few specialized seminars.

CONCLUSION

The Wasserman Center for Career Development is committed to providing comprehensive programs and services that support the career development of NYU students. The Career Development staff recognizes that each student is an individual with different talents, skills, experiences and aspirations, and therefore, has different needs in the career exploration process. We work diligently to personalize services, provide programs and target employers to meet students’ needs. Career Development actively seeks collaborations with student organizations, NYU faculty, administrators and employers in order to foster learning and to create diverse and numerous opportunities for NYU students. Career Development's mission facilitates lifelong learning and skill development, which ultimately results in increased and limitless career opportunities for NYU students.