UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A couple who has chosen to remain anonymous recently made a $50,000 gift to strengthen career readiness at Penn State Smeal College of Business, recognizing how dramatically the job search has evolved — and how important it is to prepare students to meet today’s hiring challenges.
They noted that, with the explosion of the internet and emergence of AI (artificial intelligence), the internship and job-search process is dramatically different from their own college experience.
According to Ashley Rippey, executive director of Smeal’s Business Career Center, today’s students face an increasingly complex hiring landscape — competing not only with large applicant pools, but also with automated screening tools such as applicant tracking systems, AI-driven evaluations, personality assessments and asynchronous video interviews.
They said they were impressed that Smeal was offering a corporate-sponsored one-credit career planning and strategies course (BA 297) to help students build professional skills and prepare for the recruiting process.
“Because the course shares the tools and resources students need to be successful when searching for a full-time position, we wanted to direct our gift there,” they said.
Smeal data shows that students who enroll in BA 297 are more likely to have a full-time job offer at graduation than students who do not. In the 2022-23 academic year, the gap was roughly 16 percent.
Rippey said that Business Career Center staff receive a lot of qualitative student feedback, too.
“Students report growth in areas such as networking, interviewing and personal branding, and they consistently tell us that they recommend the course to their friends,” she said.
The couple’s philanthropy is already making a difference.
This fall, resources have been used to pay speaker fees for content area experts and to allow Smeal to offer three additional sections of BA 297. Looking ahead, Rippey said she also hopes to explore alternate teaching formats, like remote learning, to expand access even further.
“The job search process is far more complicated and confusing today than it was even a decade ago,” Rippey said. “This gift allows us to share a really holistic package of resources that help students better navigate this space, and I’m incredibly grateful to the donors for their support.”
The couple agree that it’s important for Smeal students to feel comfortable navigating the business world, including understanding professionalism, leadership skills and networking. They hope their gift will help.
“Not every student has access to the same resources. It’s important to level the playing field for everyone at Smeal, and the Business Career Center is one way Smeal is doing that,” they said.
The couple added that it’s also essential for Smeal students to develop their Penn State network early so they can successfully find internships and full-time work after graduation.
“There’s no stronger identity out there than to be a Penn State alum,” they said. “There’s an immediate connection, no matter where in the world you are. We are thrilled to be in a position to help prepare students to leverage those connections for lifelong success.”
Alumni and friends of Penn State advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development; and increasing the University’s impact for students, families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.