2000 Academy of Fellows
Jack R. Rayman
“This
is where the rubber meets the road,” Jack R. Rayman says of his work in
helping college students to translate their skills, interests, and experiences
into solid career goals. It is also a process that enables students to “exercise
control” over where the road will take them, he adds.
Rayman’s own journey has had its share of high points, including his recent induction into the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) Academy of Fellows.
The Academy recognizes career services and human resources/staffing professionals for their advancement of knowledge, leadership, and excellence in professional practice. Rayman is the Academy’s 11th inductee.
The honor accorded him befits a man with an unwavering commitment to his work.
“I’d rather walk the walk than talk the talk,” he says.
Rayman is director of career services at The Pennsylvania State University. As director, he oversees a department serving more than 40,000 students in nearly 200 majors at the university’s main and satellite campuses. He also is an affiliate professor of counseling psychology and education.
Before joining the Penn State staff, Rayman served as career development and placement center officer for the College of Science and Humanities at Iowa State University, Ames. He also was an assistant professor in research at Western Maryland College.
As a doctoral student at the University of Iowa, Rayman developed the prototype for the UNI-ACT, a unisex interest inventory that is now part of the American College Testing Program (ACT) Battery. He also was one of two major architects of DISCOVER, a computerized guidance and information system now supported and maintained by ACT.
Rayman is the editor and author of The Changing Role of Career Services, the co-author of Handbook for the College and University Career Center, and a member of the editorial board of Career Development Quarterly. He also has written book chapters and journal articles, but takes the greatest pride in a piece he wrote for the now defunct Career Waves. Its title: “Parenthood—The Greatest Occupation.” (Rayman and his wife, Barbara, are the parents of two daughters.)
Additionally, Rayman has presented at more than 150 professional conferences and conventions on career development, counseling, and placement.
In addition to the NACE Academy of Fellows, Rayman is a fellow in division
17 (counseling psychology) of the American Psychological Association. In
1992, Rayman and his staff received the NACE/Chevron Award for innovative
career services programs.
