NEWSLETTER Fall 2022 -
Center for Professional Pathways
Career Outcomes are a Metric for Commitment to Equity & Inclusion Students from historically underrepresented groups (HUGs – borrowed from Becka Morgan) are more likely to be underemployed upon graduation, than white and Asian graduates. Meaning they have jobs where a bachelor degree is not required. Reasons are complex, but lack of social capital and lack of relevant experience, such as internship, are largely to blame. HUGs depend on the university to provide them connections and high impact experiences.
Table of Contents: Content Page Career Outcomes and DEI 1 Internships and DEI 1 Leverage CPP 2 Fall Calendar 4
While access and completion for students of color are important, what happens to graduates afterwards, most defines how well higher education lives up to the role in creating a more equitable society. Center for Professional Pathways has a myriad ways to help you contribute to student post-graduation success: • See Fall 2022 calendar for engagement events and experiences (page 3) • See ways to leverage our office in your classroom or program (page 2)
Internships and DEI A recent sociological study shows that while participation in internship has doubled over the last thirty years, there is persistent inequality for for lower income students, first-generation students, public school students, and students from less selective schools. This describes WOU and many of our students.
These ongoing participation gaps for students with less individual and institutional privilege underscore the need to consider internship access as a form of educational and labor market disadvantage.
The Center for Professional Pathways invites you to a conversation about small steps the WOU community can take to close the gap for our students. Please add your name to our invite list: https://forms.gle/CKwRxCKRtqx4JCN48 Examples of small steps: Converting student employment or volunteering into internship, micro-internships