Hegi Family Career Development Center Strategic Plan 2020-2025

Cultivating Courageous Careers 2020-2025

HEGI FAMILY CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Strategic Plan

Mission Statement The Hegi Family Career Development Center equips students and alumni to cultivate meaningful lives through career development, continuous learning, and professional growth. We provide relevant experiential learning opportunities for students to gain tangible skills that position them for professional success.

Through these experiences, we empower students and alumni to find their passion and purpose to navigate careers for a lifetime.

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Contents Mission Statement

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The Hegi Family’s Vision

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Letter from the Executive Director

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Our Pillars

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Employer Relations Team Commitments

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Career Development Team Commitments

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Letter from the Dean

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Our Goals

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Goal One

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Goal Two

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Goal Three

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Goal Four

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Goal Five

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Goal Six

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Letter from the Vice President

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The Hegi Family’s Vision for the Future of the Center When our family was first approached by Gerald Turner in 1999 to help build a best-in-class career center on SMU’s campus, we were intrigued with the idea of constructing a career center that would support SMU students, faculty and alumni not only on campus but also throughout their careers as their vocational interests and needs evolved. With the average person changing career focus twelve times during his or her lifetime, supporting SMU students only while in college is not enough. A holistic approach to career management is needed.

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From the outset of the first meeting with Dr. Turner, our family was excited about providing transformative support to SMU students and alumni so long as SMU as an institution supported two fundamental goals, which would be the mainstays of the Career Center’s strategy. The first element of this strategy would be to recognize that the career education process would start with freshman orientation and continue throughout the alumni’s lifetime—as we all repot ourselves during our careers. This means teaching interviewing skills, developing unique and exciting internships, providing state-of-the-art interviewing and data resource technology to current students—all the way to helping alumni nearing the end of their professional careers to redirect themselves to other things. That is why the “career development” name was important to all of us. Whether we are 18 years old or 78, our career interests can be—and should be—continually developing.

Second, and equally important, we wanted a career center that would prove to be a model center for private universities nationwide. As one key measurement, we believe that having the Career Center designated consistently as a top ten private university career center is a goal that can and should be attainable. Given the leadership of this University and the Career Center, we believe this criterion will be accomplished. And the accomplishment of this Strategic Plan is critically supportive of this goal.

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LETTER FROM THE

Executive Director In partnership with launching Cultivating Courageous Change, The SMU Division of Student Affairs Strategic Plan 2018-2023, and SMU’s Second Century Strategic Plan for 2016-2025, the Hegi Family Career Development Center’s new strategic plan titled Cultivating Courageous Careers, is created as a response to our Center’s 2019-2020 CAS (Council for the Advancement of Standards) review. This review culminated in a thorough assessment including internal and external reviews of The Hegi Center against the CAS Standards, as well as highlighting strengths and opportunities that emerged through conversations with members of and stakeholders involved with the SMU community. Our strategic plan, Cultivating Courageous Careers, adapts our CAS review recommendations into a comprehensive success roadmap to build our Center and maximize our impact during the next five years.

The Hegi Center’s CAS internal program review committee first convened and commenced their review in September 2019 and finalized the report in November 2019. The internal review committee prepared an extensive comparative report addressing every component of the CAS Standards against current Hegi Center operations and practices. The internal review team included: • Kristin Smart, Associate Director, Hegi Family Career Development Center, SMU • Wendelin Donahue, Ed.D, Associate Director, Hegi Family Career Development Center, SMU • Brittany Barker, Former Coordinator, Office for Social Change & Intercultural Engagement, SMU • Andre Harris, Director of Student Athlete Development, Athletics, SMU • Maira Meki, Senior Undergraduate Advisor, Economics, SMU In January of 2020, an external review team was additionally invited to campus to conduct a two-day assessment of The Hegi Family Career Development Center. The external review team included: • Paul Fowler, PhD., Executive Director, Emory Career Center, Emory University • Nicole Van Den Heuvel, Executive Director, Center for Career Development, Rice University • Erin O’Keefe, University Partnership Manager, Handshake - Stryder Corporation

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After the completion of the external CAS review and during the summer of 2020, as Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center I formed a CAS Workgroup featuring members of the Hegi Board and key campus partners. We structured our summer meetings based on CAS priorities designated

by Hegi Center full-time staff.

Hegi Board CAS Workgroup members included: • Peter Hegi, Vice President and General Manager, Castlight Health • Lynne Bartusek, CEO, Bartusek Advisory Services, LLC • Sandy Beach Lin, Board of Directors, American Electric Power, Interface Biologics, and Avient • Kevin Hanrahan, President, Optimus Recruiting, LLC • Pat Porter, Independent Arts Management Professional • Marcy Wright, CAO, DemandBridge Working with CAS reviewers and members of the Hegi Board CAS Workgroup assisted in clarifying needs for the Center, cultivating goals for next steps, and defining action items for continued strategic planning. These discussions assisted in building a unified conversation around which external reviewer recommendations should be accepted and how to move forward with differentiating the Hegi Family Career Development Center as a premier resource for SMU students, as well as distinguishing our Center as a high performing national career services operation. As a result, pillars, goals, and commitments to the SMU community have been established, verified, and confirmed as part of a larger strategic plan for the Hegi Family Career Development Center.

I have greatly enjoyed our CAS review and strategic planning process in the SMU Hegi Family Career Development Center. The yield for the Hegi Team through guidance received and potential for positive change has been worth all the work. I look forward to continuing to serve collaboratively with the Hegi Team, Hegi Board, and campus partners to implement CAS recommendations and implement our new strategic plan, Cultivating Courageous Careers, to improve student resources and employer programming in the SMU Hegi Family Career Development Center.

Dr. Crystal Clayton Executive Director Hegi Family Career Development Center

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PREPARE EQUIP ENGAGE

Career Development Prepare students to navigate careers for a lifetime

Professional Growth Teach skills that position students for professional success

Experiential Learning Provide relevant experiential learning opportunities

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Our Pillars Our Pillars are derived directly from our Hegi Family Career Development Center Mission Statement. These pillars represent our purpose and guiding values for our Center and work in career development.

Each of these dimensions create targets for the manner in which our Center will operate in order to achieve and maintain longterm success in the SMU and Dallas communities.

CONNECT DEMOCRATIZE Employer Connections Cultivate meaningful lives through professional connections

Inclusive Support Empower all students to find their passion and purpose

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EMPLOYER RELATIONS TEAM

Commitments The work of the Hegi Family Career Development Center, Employer Relations Team (ERT) is rooted in building relationships with employers and community organizations to provide opportunities for students to gain skills that position them for professional success. The principles that guide our work are represented in the commitment statements below.

Employer Relations Team Commitments: • Recruit, develop, and expand relationships with employers • Broaden and deepen campus and community partnerships • Navigate employer relations and industry trends, best practices, and challenges

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RECRUIT, DEVELOP AND EXPAND RELATIONSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS Relationships with employers is fundamental to the work of the Employer Relations Team and are also a key tenant of the university’s strategic plan; enhancing career services for all students by expanding partnerships with employers. We lead university efforts in designing employer recruiting activities, networking events, visits to employer sites and hosting organizations on campus for employer cultivation, development and recruitment purposes. Our team focuses on the identification and strategic development of relationships with local, regional, national and international employers to increase the profile of SMU students with the employer community. The goal is that these relationships will provide students with opportunities to successfully integrate academic learning with professional experiences and support their overall career and professional development.

BROADEN AND DEEPEN CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS The Employer Relations Team collaborates extensively with campus and community partners to design and deliver career-related programs and events. We facilitate relationships between employers and the university community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni to co-create experiences for career and professional development and increase employment opportunities for students. Each member of ERT is responsible for a partnership with one or more SMU affinity groups, serving as an affiliate to a Residential Commons and becoming a subject matter expert for a set of industries. Executing these tasks effectively allow for greater visibility within the university and Dallas community and allow us to provide quality experiential learning opportunities for students.

NAVIGATE EMPLOYER RELATIONS AND INDUSTRY TRENDS, BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES Ensuring the Employer Relations Team is current with employer relations trends, best practices and challenges in various industries, we are committed to being active participants in local, regional and national consortia and professional organizations as well as D-FW area chambers of commerce.

Knowledge and insight gleaned from these activities informs our programming and event structure and our individual advising relationships with students. The D-FW market is ripe with opportunity for growth and development and as we increase our professional knowledge, we are better able to provide for our students in positioning them for professional success.

AMANDA BOBO, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYER RELATIONS

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Commitments

The work of the Hegi Family Career Development Team (CDT) focuses on educating, developing, and encouraging students in their career development journey. The principles that guide the work we do are best illuminated through our commitment statements.

Career Development Team Commitments: • Equip all students with a foundational understanding of the career development process • Guide students in identifying their passion and purpose • Build career efficacy and hone students’ professional skills

EQUIP ALL STUDENTS WITH A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROCESS The Career Development team firmly believes that all students regardless of major choice, year in school, or industry interest should receive the necessary foundational knowledge to navigate the career development process. This process includes everything from identifying internships and jobs of interest to writing excellent application materials to networking with employers to build connections and strengthen potential career opportunities. The goal of the Career Development Team is to not only provide counseling appointments and workshops, but to educate students so that they can confidently understand and navigate the career development process on their own.

GUIDE STUDENTS IN IDENTIFYING THEIR PASSION AND PURPOSE The Career Development Team works to empower students to find the major, industry, and career that will best suit their values, interests, skills, and passions. We provide counseling appointments as well as online resources like career aptitude tests, networking tools, and the latest industry research. These resources allow students to not only explore their interests, but also do in-depth career research, connect with alumni and employers, and learn more about different industries and career paths that otherwise would have been left unexplored. We strive to demystify the career process and enable students to develop a career plan that is specific for their degree, interests, and career aspirations.

BUILD CAREER EFFICACY AND HONE STUDENTS’ PROFESSIONAL SKILLS After providing students a foundational understanding of the career process and encouraging them to explore potential majors and career paths, the Career Development Team helps students polish their professional skills in order to be fully prepared to enter the workplace successfully! Through programs like Hegi Career Leaders (an intensive professional development program), Adulting 101 (a series of adult skill building workshops), and Navigating U.S. Employment (a semester long professional development program for international students) as well as through online resources like the Hegi Online Career Course (a self-paced online professional development and skill building course), and more students can build on their baseline knowledge of the career process and develop practical, professional skills that will be valuable in their career path. Through all of these efforts, students will not only have the practical tools necessary to obtain success in their future employment but will have the confidence to navigate their career for a lifetime!

EVAN SAPERSTEIN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT

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The Hegi Family Career Development Center shows Dedman College students how to prepare a terrific resume, how to execute a flawless interview, and where to look for great jobs. More important than that, though, it is a group of tireless professionals who are always willing to go the extra two miles. They show students that getting a job after college isn’t a single event that occurs some time during the spring of your senior year. It is instead a process in which you learn to understand yourself, what you bring to the table, and how to express your knowledge, aspirations, identity, and interests as you determine your next steps and your openness to change in your life. Dedman College students find rewarding positions after college, mostly because they’ve come to realize they’re not looking for a job so much as they are seeking to continue the learning they began at SMU. The Hegi Family Career Development Center is an integral part of what we do in Dedman College.

DR. TOM DIPIERO, DEAN OF DEDMAN COLLEGE OF SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

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GOAL ONE

OPTIMIZE TECHNOLOGY AND DATA MANAGEMENT

INCREASE SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL STUDENT POPULATIONS

GOAL TWO

GOAL THREE

ALIGN PRACTICES AND PROCESSES WITH CAMPUSWIDE CAREER SERVICES COMMUNITY

Our Goals

GOAL FOUR

MAXIMIZE CONNECTIONS WITH CAMPUS AND ACADEMIC PARTNERS

ENHANCE COUNSELING CAPACITY FOR CONTINUED EXPANSION OF SERVICES

GOAL FIVE

GOAL SIX

AMPLIFY STUDENT VOICE 19

GOAL ONE OPTIMIZE TECHNOLOGY AND DATA MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 1

Utilize Handshake to collect career engagement data and as a CRM to track employer relationships

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Review First Destination Survey processes

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Report career outcomes data to NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Key Metrics • Number of completed student profiles on Handshake • Collection of annual SMU student employment placement data • Perform comparative analytics based on reporting annual employment placement data to NACE (National Association of Colleges & Employers)

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1 Expand online career resources and tools available for all students 2 Create quality international student focused career programming 3 Cultivate relationships with employers open to hiring international students 4 Ensure programming is inclusive of underserved student populations Key Metrics • Establish paid internship program for historically underrepresented students • Identify and Track employers who sponsor International Students • Evaluate all major career development programs and services focused on special student populations

OBJECTIVES INCREASE SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL STUDENT POPULATIONS

GOAL TWO

GOAL THREE ALIGN PRACTICES AND PROCESSES WITH CAMPUS-WIDE CAREER SERVICES COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES 1 Delineate all students to their dedicated career counselor based on major and career interest 2 Explore different counseling models to determine how to best impact undergraduate and graduate students’ professional and career development 3 Unify campus-wide employer relationships Key Metrics • Conduct five-year counseling models benchmarking assessment • Increase collaborations with campus employer relations partners

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1 Track impact and share outcomes on student engagement with campus partners 2 Create a defined liaison and campus partner outreach plan to increase student engagement 3 Collaborate with academic advising to support student success initiatives Key Metrics • Number of interdisciplinary partnerships • Number of faculty and staff Handshake accounts • Track students’ achieved career development milestoness

OBJECTIVES MAXIMIZE CONNECTIONS WITH CAMPUS AND ACADEMIC PARTNERS

GOAL FOUR

GOAL FIVE ENHANCE COUNSELING CAPACITY FOR CONTINUED EXPANSION OF SERVICES OBJECTIVES 1 Conduct career services benchmarking to determine appropriate counselor load 2 Scale traditional Career Center types of appointments (resume reviews, professional correspondence) into working labs 3 Increase responsibilities for undergraduate student career consultants Key Metrics • Number of student touch points engaging with career appointments and events • Number of student career consultants • Results from NACE Peer Institution Comparison Report 24

1 Leverage the Student Advisory Board to provide student perspective and program advocacy 2 Continue to use Hegi Career Leaders as influencers in the student community 3 Utilize Career Development Ambassadors to provide career and professional development programming with student organizations Key Metrics • Number of engaged campus partners and students cultivated through student leader connections • Increase participation in career development assessment • Number of career development events led by student leaders • Increase year over year retention in the Hegi Career Leaders Program

OBJECTIVES AMPLIFY STUDENT VOICE

GOAL SIX

LETTER FROM THE

Vice President The Hegi Family Career Development Center is the premiere career development resource serving all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of majors. The center offers a wide array of programs and services designed to assist students in exploring their career/professional goals while equipping them with foundational skills that make them career-ready upon graduation and serve them long after their SMU experience.

With the unwavering generous support of the Hegi Family, and under Dr. Clayton’s visionary leadership, the Hegi Family Career Development Center continues to innovate by providing programs and services that are responsive to the evolving needs of SMU’s students and alumni. The center’s exciting new strategic plan, Cultivating Courageous Careers, charts a comprehensive success roadmap that will maximize the center’s impact on students and alumni, strengthen critical relationships with DFW-area employers, and distinguish SMU’s Hegi Family Career Development Center as a national leader in the delivery of career development programs and services.

The goals outlined in Cultivating Courageous Careers, ensure the Hegi Family Career Development Center will continue to play a vital role in shaping world changers. I am beyond excited to support the Hegi Family Career Development Center’s continued growth and success. I look forward to celebrating the transformational impact the center has not only on the lives of SMU students and alumni, but also the greater DFW community.

Dr. K.C. Mmeje Vice President for Student Affairs

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Contact Us SMU.EDU/CAREERS 214-768-2266