OurMission Throughcourses,coaching, andconnections,theCenter forCareer&Professional DevelopmentempowersSt. Mary’sCollegeofMaryland studentsandalumnito navigateandsucceedintheir professionaljourneys.
Gratitude
Wewouldliketothankallofourcampuspartnersfortheircollaboration,support, andforincludingusinsomanyimpactfulprogramsthroughouttheyear,including:
AcademicAffairs
InstitutionalResearch, InternationalEducation, Registrar
EnrollmentManagement Admissions, EnrollmentOperations, StudentFinancialAssistance, StudentSuccessServices
Business&Finance
HumanResources,Business Office,Information Technology,PhysicalPlant
InstitutionalAdvancement Development,SMCMFoundation, Finance&Administration, AlumniRelations, Events&Conferences, Marketing&Communications
Greetings
Equity&StrategicInitiatives AccessibilityServices, EquitableProgramming
StudentAffairs DeanofStudents, CommunityRelations, Athletics&Recreation, HealthServices,Accessibility Services,Counseling,Public Safety
Weinviteyoutoenjoythisreflectiononourjourneyoverthe past year. Whether you are a student, faculty member, staff member, or community partner, we deeply appreciate the chance to serve and collaborate with you. Special thanks to PresidentTuajuandaC.JordanandDr.JerriHowlandfortheir unwaveringsupport.Welookforwardtoabrightfutureaswe continuetoguideourstudentsandalumnitowardssuccess.
WarmRegards, CindyGreb ExecutiveDirector
MichaelDunn DirectorofProfessionalPathways
MeganChee ProfessionalPathwaysFirstYearCoordinator
KristenPennington EmployerRelations&EventsCoordinator
DarahSchillinger ProfessionalPathwaysExternshipCoordinator
MeredithWeiers InternshipCoordinator
Introduction
Through the College's Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery (LEAD) initiative, the Center for Career and Professional Development(CCPD)ishelpingtoequipstudents with the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary for success in the professional world. Internship programs, career development services, alumni networks, and experiential learning opportunities help students explore careerpathways,buildprofessionalnetworks,and gain real-world experience in their chosen fields
Below you can see how students experience CCPD throughout their four years, followed by summariesofeachprogram.
ProfessionalPathways
TheProfessionalPathwayscoursesplayavitalroleinfosteringprofessionalliteracyskillsand knowledge among students, serving as a cornerstone of the LEAD initiative. In the spring of 2024,AcademicAffairsworkedwiththeCurriculumReviewCommitteeandtheFacultySenate to update the naming convention of all LEAD curriculum courses Now, the Professional Pathways courses known by the HEGIS code “CORE-P” will fall under the code “LEAD” along withotherLEADinitiativecourses Thisstreamlinednamingsystemwillbeeasiertotrack,will be more clear for students and faculty advisors to understand, and will reinforce the importanceoftheProfessionalPathwayscourses.
Accordingly,theProfessionalPathwayscourseswillberenamedasfollows:
CORE-P101→LEAD111
CORE-P102→LEAD112
CORE-P201→LEAD211
CORE-P301→LEAD311
In spring 2024, the CCPD launched a new pilot course, CORE-P 301: Career and Network NavigationsforTransferStudents(nowLEAD311),toprovideprofessionalliteracyeducation to students who are otherwise exempt from the Professional Pathways requirements. This upper-level course provides the professional development knowledge and skills that are the hallmarkoftheLEADinitiative,tailoredtothetransferstudentexperience.
CORE-P (LEAD)
The Professional Pathways Courses are key to the College’s signature Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery (LEAD) initiative. These courses prepare students to bridgefromcollegetocareersuccessfully.Thelearningoutcomesandcurriculaincorporate the career-readiness competencies identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) This year, we introduced 10 new sections of CORE-P 201: The Honors CollegeExternship,coveringcareerfieldsincludingpublicpolicy,projectmanagement,Navy opportunities,thelaw,andvisualarts
Table1:CORE-PEnrollment,Fall2022-Fall2024
During the academic year 2023-24, the CCPD offered 26 sections of CORE-P 201:TheHonorsCollegeExternship(now LEAD 211), serving 346 students, which included10brand-newcoursestaughtby industryexperts.
We conceptualized and implemented a newcourselessonfocusedonthecareerreadiness competency of Equity & Inclusion by engaging with the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland located on our campus.
CORE-P students in Leslie Taylor’s fall 2023 course, Discover Navy Opportunities, hadthehonorandprivilegeofparticipating in an exclusive tour of the Naval Air WarfareCenterAircraftDivision(NAWCAD) facilitiesatNavalAirStationPatuxentRiver (NASPaxRiver)inOctober.
CORE-P201(LEAD211)
In addition, the CORE-P 201 courses welcomed a totalof63guestspeakersandpanelists,including established professionals and leaders from a variety of fields. In the fall, 10 of the 16 courses hadguestspeakers,andinthespringninecourses featuredguestspeakers.Highlightsinclude:
CORE-P201:BuildingStrongOrganizationalCultures,taughtbyChadReed
KevinSwitick,CEOandco-founderofAVIAN
CORE-P201:CareersinLaw,taughtbyMarshaWilliams,Esq. Hon.E.GregoryWells,ChiefJudgeoftheAppellateCourtofMaryland Hon.AmyLorenzini,Judge,St.Mary’sCountyCircuitCourt
DanArmitage,Esq.,ofArmitage&Armitage
SueAnnArmitage,Esq.,ofArmitage&Armitage
AmberWetzel,Esq.,AssistantPublicDefender
TiffanyYoung,Esq.,ofWilliams,McClernan,&Stack,LLC
CORE-P201:LeadershipMatters,taughtbyLeslieTaylor SybolAnderson,PhD.,ExecutiveDirector,LeadershipSouthernMaryland CJJaynes,RearAdmiral(Ret.)
RichardMarigliano,U.S.MarineColonel(Ret.)
RachelLaBatt,FlightTestEngineeratNAVAIR
CORE-P201:K-12Education,taughtbyCrystalDunkin
KristinaFuentes,SpanishTeacher,St.Mary’sCountyPublicSchools
KelseyKiehlmeier,Asst.Principal,St.Mary’sCountyPublicSchools
KimGoldback,Kindergartenteacher,St.Mary’sCountyPublicSchools
CliffordScruggs,RecruitmentandRetentionSpecialist,ArchdioceseofBaltimore
CORE-P201:PublicHealthCareers,taughtbyClaraRichards,’14
HeatherMoritz,EnvironmentalHealthDivision,St.Mary’sCountyHealthDept.
AshleyMowatt,PublicHealthLabScientist,St.Mary’sCountyHealthDept.
CORE-P301Pilot(LEAD311)
“Ifeelthatitreallyhelpedmeget acclimatedtothecampus.Witha smallclasssizeconsistingoffellow transferstudents,itwasmuchless intimidatinginotherclasses,andit wasoneofthefirstclassesIactually startedspeakingupin.”
-CORE-P301Student
This one-credit, upper-level course provides the professional development knowledge and skills that are the hallmark of the LEAD initiative, tailored to the transfer studentexperience.Allstudentswho completed the post-course survey said that they would recommend the classtoothers.
Inthespringof2024,welauncheda new pilot course, CORE-P 301: Career and Network Navigation for Transfer Students, to provide professional literacy education to students who are otherwise exempt from the Professional Pathways requirements.
“Ilookedforwardtothiscourse everyweek!I'mverygladIchoseto takeit,andIfeelbetterpreparedfor careerandnetworkingthrough internships,volunteering,campus connections,andfurthercareer”
-CORE-P301Student
Mentor-A-SeahawkProgram
WepartnerwiththeOfficeofAlumniRelationsto implementtheMentor-A-Seahawkprogram,inwhich studentsenrolledinCORE-P102andCORE-P301are matchedwithalumnimentors.Mentorsandmentees connectthreetimesoverthesemestertobolster students’professionalismandnetworkingskillsandto helppreparethemforlifebeyondcollege.Inspring 2024,450studentswerematchedwith276mentors.
ImpactofStudentCareerMentors
Inthefallsemester,weworkedwith32studentCareer Mentors(CMs),andinthespring,wehad36.CMs servedasTAs,heldofficehoursintheCCPDloft,and supportedinitiativeslikeCareerWeek.CMsguided studentsthroughjobandinternshipsearches, developedLinkedInandHandshakeprofiles,and refinedresumesandcoverletters.Wehadarecordbreakingnumberofstudentappointments:over470in fall2023andover780inspring2024.
CORE-PAssessment
The Professional Pathways team analyzed the pre- and post-course surveys completed by CORE-P students in fall 2023 The team assessed students’ perceptions of their own strengthsintheNACEcareerreadinesscompetenciesbeforeandafterthecourse Theteam alsoassessedstudents’knowledgerelatedtothecourselearningoutcomes,beforeandafter thecourse.
Table3:Fall2023CORE-P101Pre-andPost-CourseAssessmentofLearning-OutcomeKnowledgeandBehaviors
AtSt.Mary’sCollege,theHonorsCollegePromiseguaranteeseverystudentthe opportunity to pursue an internship, research experience or international study. The LEAD initiative (Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery) supports the Honors College Promise in blending together a thoughtful and purposeful academic experience with professional skill development, weaving credit-bearingcoursesandhands-onopportunitiesintoeveryprogramofstudy.
The Signature Honors Internship Program (SHIP) offers students the chance to gain practical, hands-on experience in their chosen fields, with the added benefits of compensationandpotentialacademiccredit Ourdedicatedteamisfocusedonenhancing thesuccessofSHIPbycollaboratingwithbothon-campusandoff-campuspartners.Weaim tobroadenthescopeandvarietyofinternshipopportunitiesavailabletoourstudents.
535 internships filled out of the 745 opportunities of
ExceptionalInternshipOpportunities
Thisyear,ourteamhasbeendedicatedtobuildingnewandstrengtheningexisting partnerships with employers and organizations at local, regional, and national levels.Ouraimwastoexpandthenumberandvarietyofinternshipsandresearch opportunities for our students. As a result of these efforts, over 535 SMCM students have engaged in unique, impactful, and personally enriching internships,significantlyboostingtheiremployability.
We have successfully managed a growing network of partners and employers, helping them post job and internship opportunities, recruit on campus, and hire our students. We actively invited these partners to participate in Career Week events and connect with the College on Handshake. Consequently, our active employerconnectionsonHandshakehavesurgedtoanimpressive4,532.
Champions of Opportunity
NARCD Summer Sails Internship Program Highlights
SUMMER ‘24: St Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) has teamed up with the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils (NARCDC) to launch the SMCM NARCDC Summer Sails Internship Program. This initiative provided 12 exclusive summer internship opportunities for SMCM students nationwide. Due to its success, the program will expand in spring 2025 and again in summer 2025. As a key partner in the NationalConservationPartnership(NCP),theNARCDCplaysacrucialroleindevelopingand implementingresourceconservationprogramsessentialforthesustainabilityofournatural resources
North Carolina Internships: Natural Resource Improvement, Recreation and Tourism, Economic Development, Community Improvement, and Education
West Virginia internship: Grant Writing, Research, Community Gardens, Youth Engagement, Urban Agriculture
California Internship: Social Media Management and Community Outreach for an Organization involved in Forestry, Fire Mitigation, Pollinators, Youth Engagement
Alabama Internship: Urban Agriculture: Event Planning, Community Gardens, Website and Social Media Management, Youth Engagement, Community Development
"Iamsogratefultohavehadthisopportunitytolearn aboutthenonprofitworldandworkwithsomany importantcouncilsacrossthestateofAlabama I designedandimplementedapollinatorhabitatfollowing guidelinesandcriteriaestablishedbytheUSDAand NaturalResourcesConservationService(NRCS); instructedfieldtripgroupsconsistingofK-5thgradersin freshwaterturtlebiodiversityandwetlandsinAlabama; and,assistedleadingdeafhighschoolersintheirfirst wetlandscanoetrip,promotinginclusionandaccessfor all Finally,Ishadowedlocal,state,andnationalcouncil employeesbasedinAlabamatolearnabouttheir missionsandcurrentprojects,andparticipatedin workshopsandmeetingsdesignedtogrowthecouncil’s partnershipsandincreasecommunitydevelopment”
-MadeleinePhillips‘26
Alabama Internships: Non-profit Management: Community Development, Grant Research, Grant Management; Youth Engagement: Conservation Education, Youth Ambassador Program, Social Justice (Unity Starts with You Tour/Hate Ends Now)
“Thereal-worldscenariosandindependentaswellasteam-basedprojects allowedthestudentstoapplycriticalthinkinginmeaningfulways.The levelofprofessionalismandpreparednesstheybroughttotheirwork waskeytotheirsuccess Weareexcitedabouttheprospectofexpanding opportunitiesforfutureinternsatRC&Dcouncilsandlookforward tocontinuingthisenrichingcollaboration”
-AnnaCornelius,ChiefOperatingOfficer,NationalAssociationof
ResourceConservation&DevelopmentCouncils(NARCDC)
Pennsylvania internships: Community Development, Garden Events (Garden to Table), Community Outreach, Youth Summer Program
Georgia internships: Land Conservation, Water Management, Land Management, and Community Development
WorkforceDevelopmentProgram
SoMD 2030 is focused on building our STEM pipeline, increasing career opportunities, and expanding partnership with government, industry, and academia This collaborative effort is funded by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division (NAWCAD). The Patuxent Partnership (TPP) is accomplishing this work under their Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with NAWCAD. It creates college internship opportunities with local industry, government, and nonprofits, leading to additional education and careeropportunities
Following a highly competitive application process that started in the fall of 2023, 43 exceptionallyqualifiedcollegestudentsfromacrossthestatewereselected.Outofover 200 applicants for this summer season, 11 of the selected students are proud SMCM Seahawks!
BelowisthelistofSeahawksandtheirinternshiptitles:
MorganAnderson‘26,NonprofitAssistantatLaunchingEducational AssistanceProgramsForwardInc(LEAPForwardInc), KellyBryne‘26,SoftwareTechnicalDataInternatACEConsultingGroup, LLC
ClaraDivjak‘26,DataScientist/DataAnalystatBoozAllenHamilton JuliaGarms‘26,DataAnalyst/DataIntegrityInternatAVIAN
LaurenLovejoy‘27,MuseumAssistant-St.Mary’sCountyMuseumDivision BrigidMulholland‘25,MuseumInternatPatuxentRiverNavalAirMuseum Association
ArthurSchugam‘27,SoftwareEngineeringInternatKBR
JoshSwanon‘26,SystemsAdministratorInternatD&LServices
MaxVassallo‘25,SystemsEngineerInternatCogitoInnovations,LLC KaseyWheeler‘27,MarketResearchInternatSmartRide,Inc
JeffreyWood‘25,SoftwareEngineeringInternatKBR
SignatureEvents
On February 27, 10 outstanding students had the opportunity to visittheGreaterWashingtonoffice of J.P. Morgan Private Bank for a glimpse into the world of finance and wealth management. Special thanks to alumna Meg Gesner (‘17),whoisnowworkingwithJ.P. Morgan as a Private Bank Associate.
Through this event, students gained valuable insights from successful professionals through panel discussions including “Mastering the Markets” and “AcingtheApplication&InterviewProcess”,SMCMAlumniPanel,andmore!
JCPenneySuit-UpEvent
Each fall, our team collaborates with JCPenney atWildewoodShoppingCenterinCalifornia,MD for our annual JCPenney Suit-Up Event. SMCM students, faculty, and staff enjoy exclusive discounts of up to 50% on select career wear, shoes, and accessories, helping them dress for success.
In FY24, two Career & Internship Fairs attracted 155 local, regional, and national employers to our campus to network with students Atotalof635studentsattendedthefall2023Fair,and 563 attended the spring 2024 Fair. Over 33% of attendees receivedimmediateoffersforinterviews,internships,orjobs!
DuringCareerWeek,studentsparticipatedinevents suchastheDressforSuccessFashionShow,the InternshipFilmFestival,theCareer&InternshipFair, andProfessionalPanels.
Aswelookforwardtofall2024,our commitment to enhancing our services remains strong, with the ultimate goal of launching our students into meaningful and successful careers. To achieve this, we are implementing several strategic initiatives Our team is boosting outreach for internships and post-graduation opportunities by engaging with the Board of Trustees, College alumni, campus andcommunitypartners,andother keystakeholders.Weareenriching
the Professional Pathways curriculum, particularly our LEAD 211 offerings, and expanding career development opportunities to integrate the theoretical and practical experiences that define theLEADcurriculum.Additionally, we are excited to expand sponsorship opportunities for boththeCareer&InternshipFairs, as well as the spring Internship FilmFestivalwhereweshowcase our students’ remarkable experiencesfromaroundthe
globe. Throughout our efforts, we will implement the bold vision outlinedintheCollege’sRisingTide strategic plan. On behalf of the entireteam,wearegratefulforthe privilege and opportunity to serve the SMCM community in this special role. Join us as we continue to support our students and alumni in navigating their professionaljourneys,startingright hereonthebanksoftheSt.Mary’s River.
smcm.edu/career-center•careercenter@smcm.edu•linkedin.com/company/smcm-ccpd