CaneCareers paves path for post-graduation success

Unheard of Job Placement Guarantee is strongest arrow in TU’s outcomes quiver

The numbers are in, and the success in undeniable: 97% of The University of Tulsa Class of 2022 report being employed or in a graduate program! These figures are historically high for TU and crushed the national placement average of 84%.

“These incredible outcomes are a testament to the hard work that our students have done and the preparedness that our faculty and staff have poured into our students,” said Christy Caves, executive director of TU’s Center for Career Development and Professional Engagement, affectionately known as CaneCareers among the Golden Hurricane family. “We couldn’t be more thrilled about this placement rate.”

Knowing that TU students are highly employable and are readily accepted to top graduate programs – including medical and law schools – made the implementation of the new CaneCareers Job Placement Guarantee an easy decision. It’s the smartest option for students who wish to secure their future.

The program is a completely free and optional undergraduate initiative that supplements the formal education students receive at TU by curating career readiness and professional development tasks that students complete each semester that they are enrolled. If a student completes all the requirements from start to finish and does not receive a job offer or get accepted into post-graduate education within six months of graduation, they are eligible to receive a tuition benefit for a semester in one of TU’s graduate programs.

“There aren’t a lot of programs like this out there right now, so this is something that we have worked hard to create,” Caves said. “We weren’t able to copy and paste from other universities, because the CaneCareers Job Placement Guarantee is completely unique.” The incoming class of fall 2022 were the first students eligible to take advantage of the guarantee. Out of 650 new students, 237 registered.

CaneCareers provides assistance with all things professional and hosts various events to prepare students for meetings with potential employers. During Career Fair week, the Cane Closet Raid and the JC Penney Suit-Up Tulsa events help students find the attire they need to impress at prices they can afford. Every month, free services like professional photos, etiquette lessons, résumé reviews, career counseling and coaching, mock interviews, workshops and so much more allow students to turn their academic lessons into successful professional endeavors.

“This has been a tough job market recently, especially post-pandemic,” Caves said. “We went back to the drawing board and looked for opportunities to get students involved with our office in as many ways as possible so they would be career-ready from Day One.”

First-year mechanical engineering major Evan Kamriguel said the CaneCareers Job Placement Guarantee is easing his stress about the next four years and, more importantly, what comes after. “The program enables students to be confident,” he said. “It’s nice to feel at ease from the very start.”

Every student is assigned a career coach to serve as a personal connection between undergraduate life and job/graduate school. Coaches assist students in finding the perfect major and then match them with internships or community service opportunities that allow them to network and “test drive” career options. Students gain invaluable real-world experience, and many receive job offers from organizations where they intern or volunteer – or at even bigger organizations.

Lincoln Hawks (BSBA ’21) had three internships – one each in marketing, research and digital strategy – as an undergraduate at TU and then took a fourth internship at a global advertising agency after commencement. He took an entry-level position at a design, branding and tech company in 2022 and this year joined ad giant Leo Burnett Worldwide in Chicago.

“Internships are your chance to dive in and apply all the concepts you’ve been taught,” Hawks said. “The internships I had let me explore my interests, gain hands-on experience, and network with others in my field. TU’s level of support and emphasis on experiential learning gave me the confidence and ability to find opportunities and set me up for success in the advertising world.”