URI center seen as bridge from campus to employment

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Kimberly S. Washor, director of the Center for Career and Experiential Education at URI’s Center for Career and Experiential Education, said, “the university is making a shift to try and be very inclusive of our industry partners.” / COURTESY URI/ MICAHEL SALERNO PHOTOGRAPHY
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Kimberly S. Washor, director of the Center for Career and Experiential Education at URI’s Center for Career and Experiential Education, said, “the university is making a shift to try and be very inclusive of our industry partners.” / COURTESY URI/ MICAHEL SALERNO PHOTOGRAPHY

Kimberly S. Washor in June became the first director of the University of Rhode Island’s new Center for Career and Experiential Education. The center combines the missions of two formerly separate offices: Experiential Learning and Community Engagement, along with Career Services and Employer Relations. The change is more than superficial, says Washor, who discusses how it will enhance experiential learning as it informs students’ eventual job searches.

PBN: Why merge these two offices now?
WASHOR: It was the optimal time. The university is making a shift to try and be very inclusive of our industry partners, which is what brought about the formation of the Business Engagement Center, and [this center] complements the role of the BEC. When employers are trying to gain access to the university, having one hub for them to reach us is ideal.

PBN: What are URI’s strengths in experiential learning and career services?
WASHOR: Right now, we’ve been able to create a system where we have career and experiential staff working with each of the degree-granting colleges. What that does is: it allows us to focus industry-specific education and resources for students in specific majors. The career adviser is able to work with the faculty member to support either career education or project-based learning and support the faculty in their work with industry partners.
We are implementing a new database system that provides students with additional resources and tools in their internship and job-search functions. And there are increased partnerships across campuses. So, there are advisers who may work specifically with leadership or honor students, LBGT students or other groups.

PBN: What tools are being retained from the two offices and which ones are being eliminated or revamped?
WASHOR: We’re implementing the new database that meets the needs of both career and internship advising, because when you think about career and internship advisement it also holistically involves academic advising. In this new database, advisers are able to track and keep notes on industry partners, and we can review information that’s been [provided] by other people.

PBN: What keeps you up at night when it comes to helping students pursue paths that will lead to satisfying employment or careers?
WASHOR: I have to continually think how to strategically provide students with the resources and tools I know will support them. Right now, ideally, the best pathway to students is through their curriculum. So, for me, it’s how can we use course credit or work with all faculty members to give them information so they can be partners with the center in delivering these messages to students? For example, we have an alumnus who works at LinkedIn and I asked him to come out and present to our career and education staff the best way to navigate LinkedIn job-search functions and networks. He did this. Now the question is: how do I get this to 15,000 students across campus? I believe it’s through curriculum.

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PBN: How do you help students get the most out of their academic experience and avoid panicking about getting jobs to support themselves and repay student loans?
WASHOR: Well, I think the key is to conduct some self-assessments with students. We spend a good amount of time understanding their innate skills and knowing their personality and connecting that back to the right career niche for them. If they can actualize that this is the right niche, it helps them to select the right classes that are going to complement and enrich that career goal.

PBN: How does the university gather job-placement and graduate-school acceptance data now and what needs to change?
WASHOR: Right now we send out six-month graduate-survey requests to our alums and the link is emailed out a couple of times. It’s voluntary. So, the response rate has been low, this past year it was 13 percent, [though] it’s been higher than that, and we were in transition between directors. That said, moving forward we have to actually have a game plan. I’ve pulled together a team to help me: and that includes institutional research, our assessment office and enrollment services. We’re going to start with something required: the intent-to-graduate form and front-load some questions there. And that has a 100 percent response rate because you have to do it in order to graduate. Then, after a six-month email, there will be follow-up phone calls to alumni and their parents to use this information, as well as using tools like LinkedIn to discover where alums are.

PBN: How do you see the new Center for Career and Experiential Education’s mission 10 years from now?
WASHOR: I want the center to be an integral part of curriculum in all majors. I see us as partners with faculty and employers. I really believe this is a model for what other schools will be doing. If we can truly be partners with our faculty in bridging education to employment, I think we have met our mission for the center now and into the future. •

INTERVIEW
Kimberly S. Washor
POSITION: Director of the Center for Career and Experiential Education at the University of Rhode Island
BACKGROUND: Previously the URI director of the former Experiential Learning and Community Engagement Center, Washor has been employed at the University of Rhode Island since 1996. She is also a liaison to the Governor’s Workforce Board, R.I. Department of Labor and Training, Rhode Island Student Loan Authority and URI Business Engagement Center.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in coastal policy from URI, 1996; master’s in college student personnel from URI, 2002
FIRST JOB: Waitressing at Friendly’s Restaurants
RESIDENCE: Hopkinton
AGE: 39

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