Stop # 9 - The Career Center
September 2, 2010
September 2, 2010
Do your students know about the Career Center?
Did you know that the Career Center provides assistance with selecting a college major, making career decisions, preparing for a job search, and resources to help find a job?
The primary mission of the Career Center is to provide Parkland students and district residents with tools and resources to assist them through all phases of their career development. Additionally, the Center is to develop positive relationships with employers, and to provide strong institutional leadership and assistance in all aspects of career guidance and workforce issues. We truly have a fabulous collection of staff and resource in A175.
I hear countless tales from thankful students (and parents) about how Parkland College helped a son or daughter, husband or wife, mom or dad, figure out their academic and career goals. And in the College Center, so many of the students I talk with are undecided about what they want to do and are looking for a little guidance, so much so that I think almost every student would benefit from a visit. Whether you are a student choosing a college major, a dislocated worker, career changer, or retiree, there are resources and services designed to help.
The first person you meet is Office Assistant, Kristen Smith. Kristen greets each visitor, helps make appointments, organizes job fairs, and on the day I visited, she created a set of new posters to market the Career Center services around the campus. Kristen works with two very capable student workers, Samantha and Reagan. They are all awesome.
Mary Ann Tiedemann is the Career Specialist, helping students and alumni with resume writing, interviewing skills, and manages the online resume section of the employment database, among other duties. Mary Ann has been busy with support assessment, benchmarking our Career Center with the professional standards supplied by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The good news…we stack up very well. Congratulations on a job well done.
Director, Sandy Spencer provides direct service to students including career planning assistance, help with selecting a major, setting new career goals, making a career change, or reentering the job market. She uses a number of resources provide information such as job descriptions, outlook, salary ranges, and educational requirements for a variety of occupations. I borrowed one of her tools to use with my own son as he contemplates college decisions.
In addition, Sandy and Mary Ann offer job search assistance to students and graduates seeking full- or part-time employment. The Career Center maintains Job boards, located throughout the college, that display current job openings and on-campus recruitment notices. The JobLine, a bulletin listing new job openings, is published weekly and distributed throughout the campus.
Sandy and Mary Ann are very willing to come to your classroom to present, conduct workshops, and help you with graduate follow-up data. All you have to do is ask!
By the way, keep a look out look for the Part-Time Job Fair on Wednesday, September 15th from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Gallery Lounge. Thank you for all you do.
Stop #10 – The Adult Re-Entry Center
September 3, 2010
In the midst of a very busy day, I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Billie Mitchell, Myriah Fillenwarth, and LeAndra Vogelzang in the Adult Re-Entry Center.
Parkland’s Adult Re-entry Center, located in C120, helps busy adults find a convenient way to finish their college degrees. Billie and company provide guidance through the development of individualized learning plans, which outline exactly what is needed and which courses are necessary for degree completion. All kinds of students visit the Center, from those that have a collection of credit hours from a previous college experience to those that have fallen victim of the economic downturn and are using the opportunity to return to college. Billie and LeAndra do an excellent job, working through barriers, tracking down information, and actually walking students to other offices to ensure they find their way and make personal introductions.
Many of you are aware that several four-year universities offer advanced degrees that can be earned by taking courses through Parkland or online. The Adult Re-Entry center manages all those relationships, coordinating logistics, room scheduling, and all the little details that have potential to become big problems if not managed well. I can assure you, it is done well. You can learn more about the Adult Re-entry Center by watching Episode 123: Adult Learning on PCTV's website.
The Adult Re-Entry Center is an extraordinary resource, somewhat unique to Parkland College, and yet another example of what sets our college apart. Thank you for all you do.
An enrollment update: 8th Day of Class
As of the end of business on Wednesday, September 1st, Headcount stands at 9,932, 3.95% ahead of this point in time last Fall. 3.95% equates to an additional 377 students on campus or online.
FTE stands at 6,844, 7.63% ahead of the comparable date for Fall 2009.
If these current enrollment gains hold, they will come on top of an 8.5% headcount gain from Fall 2009. Ending headcount for Fall 2009 was 11,041.
2010 | 2009 | |||
Headcount | 9932 | 9555 | +377 | +3.95% |
FTE | 6844 | 6359 | +485 | +7.63% |
(847)
I think Billie's work with her students provides an excellent example of what we should be doing for our firs-year experience. It is great that her students know they can call her about anything and she will help them work through Parkland's and other colleges' programs to get things done.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: First-year
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