Prioritizing Successful Outcomes: The Center for Career and Calling
Published: April 13, 2021
Patrick Miller '99 has seen the light and changed his ways. Hallelujah!
His enlightenment, however, has little to do with personal transformation and much to do with the bright new look and convenient location of the Center for Career and Calling that he leads. It also has to do with the new ways he helps students transition from college to career.
Miller, associate dean for career and calling, recently oversaw the move of GC's career services from an easily overlooked space in the library to welcome exposure near campus-center in Snyder Hall. Students frequenting the two most-used classrooms on campus can't miss it. Neither can those who take the high-traffic walkway each day to the Dining Commons and Greenville Central, the newly renovated hub of student services.
The career center's easy accessibility and expanded offerings are sure to draw hallelujahs from three parties - current students overwhelmed with the prospect of finding a job, prospective students who increasingly factor career preparation into their college choices and parents.
Jobs are very much on the minds of today's parents according to the 3,000 parents of pre-college students that responded to Inside Higher Ed's Gallup poll last year. They overwhelmingly identified employability as the most important reason for their children to go to college.
Students enrolled in member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) echoed similar sentiments in the CCCU's ongoing study of college choices. Prior to 2009, students listed faith factors like Christian atmosphere and the integration of faith and learning as top influences in their college choices. After the economic meltdown, however, they listed factors like career preparation and the quality of programs and faculty.
The CCCU research also revealed that families tend to select several schools based on practical criteria and then look to faith fit as a determinant.
Meeting the needs of today's students is paramount. It requires guiding their discoveries not only of life calling, but also their pursuits of gainful employment. "We have to make sure that our students are really well prepared for the labor market," President Filby told faculty and staff last fall after sharing these trends. "How can we reinvent or rethink what we do?"
The relocation and expansion of its career services are just one part of GC's response to that question. If you are interested in knowing more about GC career fairs or interviewing potential job or intern candidates on campus, contact Patrick Miller at patrick.miller@greenville.edu.
Today, when Patrick Miller walks a new path to work, he is reminded that the prominent location of the Center for Career and Calling echoes the prominence of career issues in the minds of today's students and parents.
This article originally appeared in The RECORD Fall 2014.
