The newly named office will “go beyond service and move into a more dynamic support system” in order to meet CSU 2.0 goals
The Cleveland State University Career Services Center has been rebranded as the Office of Career Development & Exploration in an effort to meet the goals of the CSU 2.0 plan.
The five-year plan unveiled this past March included a specific mention of improved career preparation services. Reiterated in the rebranding announcement, these goals include ensuring a co-op or internship for any student who would like one, a co-op connector program, and making professional preparation a general education skill area.
Leading the transition is Brittany Wampler, CSU’s former Director of the Office of Pre-Professional Health Programs. She worked for over eight years in the office, a service under the College of Sciences & Health Professions that supports students applying for graduate health programs, such as medical school, dental school, and more.
Wampler will now serve the entire student body, overseeing the office responsible for “preparing students for life and successful careers after graduation” by offering “cradle-to-career student support” through experiential learning, according to the CSU press release.
The office’s existing staple services, such as individual and group advising, resume support services, and mock interviews, will be built out alongside efforts to “build relationships with alumni and business leaders in Cleveland and beyond,” to help students gain experience.
The university will also provide an internship or co-op opportunity for every student who wants one, as part of CSU’s Engaged Learning promise, which was initially announced in the 2019 State of the University address, and expanded under CSU 2.0. The plan additionally recommended “requiring all majors to include some form of internship or co-op placement as an elective option,” a goal hopefully aided by the expansion.
“In rebranding, we are focused on development of skills– communication, critical thinking, technology, diversity, equity, inclusion, leadership, professionalism, self-awareness, teamwork and so on– related to success,” Wampler shared. “Future professionals entering the workforce, graduate and professional pathways all need this.”