Skip to main content

Strategic Plan for Career Center

Mission

The GVSU Career Center empowers students and alumni to attain career goals in support of a comprehensive and integrated liberal education.

Vision

All GVSU constituents contribute to career as a University responsibility.
  • Students have short- and long-term plans related to their first destination.
  • Faculty and staff actively participate in and endorse career activities.
  • Career Center staff are subject-matter experts in current career advising, employment and industry trends.
  • Students can articulate the value of their experiences and skills related to employer needs.
  • Employers view GVSU as a recruitment destination of choice and actively engage in all phases of student talent development.
  • The Career Center has clear roles, responsibilities, and resources designed through deep analysis which are strategically allocated.

Value Statement

As members of the Career Center Office, we hold ourselves and one another accountable to the following principles:

By holding ourselves to these principles, we will make our office a rewarding place to work and visit, while enriching our communities, both Grand Valley State University and beyond.

Strategic Priorities, outcomes, and key objectives

Strategic Priority Area 1: Actively engage learners at all levels.

Outcome A: Grand Valley's learning environment is personal, challenging, and transformational, supporting excellent academic programs and co-curricular opportunities.

Objective 1.A.1

At least 75% of students enrolled in US 102, Freshman Academy and US 301 have demonstrated short- and long-term career plans as it relates to their First Destination

Baseline

0

Progress

2019 Status
Minimal Progress
Industry/major-specific online guides have been designed for each academic program and were added to the Career Center website in January of 2019. Web analytics to track activity will be analyzed at the end of each semester. Lisa Knapp and Brian Bossick are meeting to explore adding a question to US 102 & 301 pre- and post-assessments in regards to short- and long-term career planning to be implemented by Fall 2019. They will also explore course projects which will drive students to the new online guides for both US 102 and US 301. With significant changes to SASC structure in Fall 2018, Freshman Academy is not a formal cohort for the 2018-19 year.

Objective 1.A.2

Students can articulate the value of their experiences and skills related to employer needs through the implementation of at least two new advising tools.

Progress

2021 Status
Achieved
Student articulation tools have been implemented and are in wide use by Career Center constituents. Overall page views of all new online resources grew 7%, and unique page views grew 14% in 2020.

2019 Status
Substantial Progress
Distribution/use of updated resume and cover letter guides which include information how to translate leadership and High Impact Practices on career-related materials has grown significantly since implementation indicating a growth in educating students on this topic. - Ordering of print resume & cover letter guide publications since overhaul in 2018 has grown by 177% - Online resume & cover letter guide page views have grown 453% since baseline data was collected in Quarter 4 of 2018 - Major-specific career guides page views have been captured

Outcome B: Grand Valley is diverse and inclusive.

Objective 1.B.1

The Career Center has implemented intentional university partnerships which increase year-over-year career center engagement with marginalized populations by at least 1% per year.

Baseline

Mean 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 All All 15% 16% 18% 19% 21% 18% Grad Undergraduate 17% 18% 19% 21% 23% 20% Graduate 7% 9% 7% 8% 10% 8% Sex Female 14% 15% 16% 17% 20% 16% Male 16% 19% 19% 22% 24% 20% Not Reported 33% 13% 0% 0% 0% 10% First Gen No 15% 17% 18% 20% 22% 18% Yes 14% 16% 17% 18% 20% 17% Ethnicity Black or African American 16% 17% 20% 22% 24% 20% American Indian or Alaskan Native 9% 12% 13% 11% 13% 12% Asian or Pacific Islander 20% 23% 24% 26% 29% 25% Hispanic or Latino 15% 17% 18% 16% 20% 18% White 15% 16% 17% 19% 21% 18% Not Reported 12% 16% 17% 20% 18% 16% Multiethnic 11% 15% 16% 18% 21% 17% Veteran No 15% 16% 18% 19% 21% 18% Yes 15% 18% 15% 19% 21% 18% International No 15% 16% 17% 19% 21% 18% Yes 18% 23% 28% 30% 33% 27% DSR No 15% 16% 18% 19% 21% 18% Yes . . . 23% 25% 23%

Progress

2019 Status
Substantial Progress
Increase in career center utilization by all populations has increased by at least 1% in 2018-19 over prior years. Targeted outreach to Murky Middle (transfer students, sophomores with GPA between 2.0-3.0, commuter and part-time students and CE students) continued in Fall of 2019 and new outreach to FTIACs to engage with Career Center was also implemented in Fall 2019.

2018 Status
Minimal Progress
The Murky Middle Committee has met several times through Fall 2018 semester to define who these students are. A targeted email was sent to 1) to transfer students to welcome to GVSU and introduce services at the beginning of Fall 2018 semester. An additional email to 1) Transfer students, 2) to sophomores with GPAs between 2.0-2.9, and 3) to sophomores who are still exploring majors to let know we can assist with career planning and other assistance. Targeted marketing flyers focused on "more than a major" are being distributed during end of Fall 2018 semester. Baseline Career Center engagement for these students has been gathered and compared to all sophomores and all student engagement. The First-Year Committee will begin meeting in January of 2018. Baseline Career Center engagement for FTIACs from Fall 2018 has also been gatherer and compared to all student engagement.

Objective 1.B.2

Winter-to-Fall retention rates for students who engage in career center activities meet or exceed overall GVSU retention rates.

Baseline

Winter-to-fall retention for students who enrolled between 2012-2016 for those who have engaged with the Career Center is 95.3% versus the general population at 89.1%. Freshman 90.9% vs. 83.8% Sophomore 95.2% vs. 88.9% Junior 96.4% vs. 91.9% Senior 96.1% vs. 93.2% Masters 91.6% vs. 79.9% Doctoral 100% vs 97.3%

Progress

2019 Status
Achieved
Winter-to-Fall retention rates for students who have engaged in career center activities have significantly exceeded rates for those who do not. For Fall 2019, a 5% increase was recorded.

2018 Status
Substantive Progress
Year-over-year student retention continues to be higher for students who engage in career services than those who do not. For 2018, a 5% increase was recorded.

Outcome C: Grand Valley has mutually beneficial relationships, partnerships, collaborations, and connections with local, state, national, and world communities.

Objective 1.C.1

Faculty and staff (with an emphasis on staff engaged in student retention programs) exposure to employer talent needs is increased through participation in career activities.

Baseline

148 faculty participated in career center activities in Fall 2017.

Progress

2021 Status
Minimal Progress
Due to the nature of virtual fairs and events, the ability for faculty/staff to participate in career activities as in past was extremely reduced. The Center was able to create new pathways for faculty/staff involvement, including co-hosted events during the Work Like a Laker Conference, virtual speed interviews in CIS and US 301 courses, employer video dissemination, and bringing an employer into conversations with faculty participating in the FTLC internship event.

2019 Status
Substantial Progress
Career Center has continued to outreach to faculty and staff to encourage faculty attendance at events and fairs with employers. Targeted invitations to engage with employers at these invites have been created and distributed, including faculty/staff Career & Internship Fair Guides and "meet me at the fair" cards for faculty to give to students.

Outcome E: Grand Valley strategically allocates its fiscal, human, and other institutional resources.

Objective 1.E.1

Career Center has physical space on Allendale and Pew Campuses that is student-centered, visible and accessible.

Progress

2019 Status
Substantial Progress
Allendale office was moved to 200 Student Services and space is now shared with TRiO which has allowed exposure for both offices to new groups of students. CareerLab (drop-in) hours have been expanded and have proven extremely popular for students, especially as a means for first-time engagement with our office. The Career Center also adopted online appointment scheduling through Handshake and began marketing phone/video appointment medium options in Fall of 2018. These changes have lead to a substantial increase in overall student and alumni appointments.

2018 Status
Minimal Progress
Retooled our student drop-in program to what is now the CareerLab utilizing more peer advisors, expanding drop-in hours, and making moderate physical changes to the Pew Campus work space to allow for a more lab-like environment. Career Center staff have been active on a space planning committee for renovation of 2nd floor Student Services building in Allendale.

Objective 1.E.2

Career advisor time and location are allocated to meet student demand.

Baseline

Career Center Appointments (all types) from July 1 - December 31, 2017 Allendale = 60% DeVos = 37% Seidman = 3%

Progress

2021 Status
Substantial Progress
Remote advising resources continued to be offered with minimal in-office availability to students. Most appointments were offered downtown due to pandemic safety measures - we could more easily isolate from other departments by consolidating efforts into one office downtown which is not shared as much with other units. Expanded CareerLab hours on nights and weekends were offered in the new virtual format.

2020 Status
Substantial Progress
Demand for CareerLab (drop-in advising) and appointments in Allendale had continued to increase up through the shut down due to the pandemic in March 2020. As such, more career advisors had spent some or all of their time offering appointments in Allendale locations and we increased Career Connector capacity (peer advisors) to help meet drop-in demands. The shut down of in-person classes in March of 2020 through the end of the academic year caused us to move completely to offering phone and video appointments.

Strategic Priority Area 2: Further develop exceptional personnel.

Outcome D: Grand Valley supports innovative teaching, learning, integrative scholarly and creative activity, and the use of new technologies.

Objective 2.D.1

All GVSU stakeholders have access to new First Destination Survey reports and dashboards by Fall 2018.

Baseline

953 pageviews and 662 pageviews from August 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019 on Google Analytics of www.gvsu.edu/destination.

Progress

2021 Status
Achieved
We moved to a new dissemination and analysis tool and strategies for the survey in August of 2020, and are now using Handshake. Utilizing Handshake's FDS tool allows for real-time analysis of response data to drive Center resource allocation, more targeted marketing ability, and inclusion of reported hire data into learner records. Year-over-year analytics have been gathered for accessing of www.gvsu.edu/destination information. Response and destination rates are also being monitored.

2020 Status
Substantial Progress
The Career Center continues to promote graduate outcomes throughout the university and to community stakeholders. Available statistics have been shared via GVNow articles, and with targeted email campaigns to faculty/staff and top employer partners.

Strategic Priority Area 3: Ensure the alignment of institutional structures and functions.

Strategic Priority Area 4: Enhance the institution's image and reputation.

Outcome A: Grand Valley's learning environment is personal, challenging, and transformational, supporting excellent academic programs and co-curricular opportunities.

Objective 4.A.1

Employer partners actively engage with students in all stages of career planning.

Baseline

2016-17 Statistics (as available): Job/internship postings = 4621/1618 (6239) Event/OCI participation = 1245

Progress

2021 Status
Achieved
Due to COVID-19 public health guidelines and employer restrictions, all employer engagement was conducted virtually for the 2020-21 academic year. The Center was able to shift major activities like career fairs and interviews to virtual platforms. Several strategies for engaging students on-campus had to be cancelled as no suitable replacement could be found - this included tabling and the Employer Spotlight Program. The Center implemented new ways to engage employers and alumni in the career development of students, including featuring employers in professional development sessions during the Work Like a Laker Conference, virtual practice interviews in targeted courses, engaging employers with the FTLC internship group, promoting employer-hosted virtual programs, and moving to a virtual World of Work Program. Despite the myriad challenges presented by the global pandemic and having to completely restructure all employer activities, overall employer engagement in 2020-21 was down only 1.5% over the prior year.

2020 Status
Substantial Progress
Most of 2019-20 saw a continuation of significant employer engagement. While the economy started to tighten some, employers still showed commitment to recruiting at GVSU. The COVID-19 pandemic beginning in March of 2020, however, brought significant challenges to employer engagement, with the inability in many cases to continue internships and to travel to campus for in-person activities. Employers and the Career Center had to pivot quickly to continue collaborations, and many activities that had been planned had to be cancelled. These included the Inclusive Recruitment & Retention Conference, the Winter (our most well-attended) World of Work event, as well as some Careers In and student organization programs. We moved some activities to a virtual space and implemented new ways to enable employers to engage with students even given the significant reductions in workforce the initial phases of the pandemic caused.

Back to list