Skill-building, networking, and turning passion into purpose
From their earliest days at Clark, to Commencement and beyond, one of the University’s highest priorities is ensuring our students are well-prepared to navigate their career-and-life journeys. A broad, dedicated Clark team oversees career readiness, bolstered by a shared network of alumni and corporate partners. That ecosystem of support has been refined and enhanced through recent changes within the Career Connections Center. With this new approach, we are more confident than ever that all students will benefit from experiential, hands-on learning and extensive career development both in and out of the classroom.
This is a foundational pledge of The Clark Experience, which brings together an exceptional undergraduate education, skill-building, and community connections with intensive career preparation and guidance. It’s also emblematic of Clark’s commitment to its graduate students, who are readying themselves for lives that will be enriched by meaningful work experiences in their chosen field.
To elevate students’ career exploration and decision-making opportunities, beginning this semester the Center has been reorganized into three distinct units, all co-located on the first floor of the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center.
- The Career Exploration and Experiential Learning Center (CEEL), overseen by the Dean of the College Office, collaborates with faculty to design and sponsor internship opportunities, develop Problems of Practice courses, and integrate workplace skills into student leadership roles. CEEL organizes two Sophomore Summits each year so that students can start their career exploration early in their college career. Working closely with academic leadership, CEEL’s goal is to ensure that every undergraduate Clark student gets one funded internship or research opportunity as part of their academic journey.
- The team in the Career and Professional Development Center works directly with students to empower them to confidently navigate their career journeys and seamlessly transition from college to career. Students build professional skills, translate academic learnings to the market, develop a strategic job/internship plan to map out personal goals, build confidence with a sense of self-advocacy, and establish lifelong career-management skills. This includes resume and cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile development, networking, interview preparation, and salary negotiation. Each student’s experience is tailored to their individual career goals, educational background, and prior work experience. The team also is expanding internship and full-time opportunities and building a vibrant hiring network of employer partners.
- The Student Employment Office continues serving as the main liaison for all student employment at Clark, overseeing job postings, student hiring, and the Handshake job portal.
“From their first year on campus through graduation and beyond, students gain personalized guidance, opportunities, resources, and connections,” said Laurie Ross, Dean of the College. “With experiential learning embedded in the curriculum and across campus life, the Center equips every student with the skills and confidence to apply their knowledge in the real world and launch meaningful lives and careers.”
The Career Connections Center restructuring has the added benefit of offering Clark undergraduate and graduate students a “one stop” resource to navigate the complex process of career planning and transition. Key to this is better integration of the alumni and corporate communities in assisting Clark students with their career exploration and strategies. For graduate students, it also presents a full suite of career planning and professional development services that enhance a student’s job search beyond graduation.
The restructuring of Career Services creates a seamless experience for students to access well-resourced services at every stage of their academic journey and continuing as alumni. It introduces high-impact experiential learning opportunities such as internships, research, and community engagement into the curriculum, helping students develop career-ready skills through hands-on experiences and personal reflection, aligning with the Clark Experience promise.
Career Communities offer group coaching and general career programming as well as industry-specific career panels, employer-led skill-building sessions, and alumni networking events, exposing students to various career pathways and facilitating connections with professionals in their fields of interest.
The restructuring streamlines operations and reduces duplication, providing a consistent career experience for students, and centralizing employer outreach.
“At the Career Connections Center,” Ross said, “every Clark student will find the support needed to turn their passion into their purpose.”
