A routine assessment of Syracuse University’s career services offerings is essential to the post-graduation success of students. But it is equally the responsibility of the student body to make the most these resources during their collegiate careers.

Representatives from TruMann Consulting, a higher education consulting group, will arrive at SU later this month to begin a review of the career service centers of SU’s 11 schools and colleges in addition to the centralized Career Services unit in partnership with university officials.

Manny Contomanolis, the senior associate vice president for Enrollment Management and Career Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Trudy Steinfeld, the assistant vice president and executive director of New York University’s Wasserman Center for Career Development, will use data and informational interviews to provide SU with constructive feedback on how to enhance on-campus career services operations.

At this time, there is not a fixed process the university follows to assess career resources. In this case, a lapse was identified and university officials are now working closely with experts to solve it. By evaluating the individual career centers of SU in addition to the more encompassing system of Career Services, the university is paving the way for a cohesive environment across the distinctive atmospheres of each school and college.

But career assistance is one of the most important services a university can offer, considering students earn a higher education with the common end goal of attaining a position in a given industry. And because the availability and expectations of these jobs are subject to the fluidity of the job market, the adaptability of on-campus resources should be comprehensively gauged on a regular basis — a measure that should be implemented by the university.

As a shared responsibility, students should also work to ensure they are informed of the employment realities in their respective fields by taking advantage of these resources. Not only would this engagement aid students in their prospective careers but, in a system of checks and balances, would prove to be another way to measure the effectiveness and general student satisfaction with these services.

This collaboration would also safeguard that students in distinctive situations do not fall through the cracks, considering those in dual programs may be seeking a balanced career between two different fields.

While the components of securing employment differ greatly between different schools and colleges, a joint effort to enhance and utilize career services between Syracuse University and its students would establish a progressive system that would prepare all students for life beyond the hill.

Published on February 18, 2016 at 3:01 am

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