Embedding Career Development into Curriculum: A Model for Experiential Education

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services and university relations and recruiting professionals
Competency: Job and experiential learning opportunity development
Fee: $69 (member); $89 (nonmember);

Summary
Dominican University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution outside of Chicago, launched its successful career development program in 2017 in the Brennan School of Business. The program, composed of four required career development courses, a required internship, and built-in mentorship with executives in residence, was embedded into the curriculum for all undergraduate business students with faculty, administrative, and staff support. Since the program launch, graduate outcomes have increased exponentially, with 77% of 2021 Brennan graduates employed or attending graduate programs three months post-graduation. Dominican is now looking to expand this program across the university and piloting new career development courses this fall.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Understand the benefits of embedding career development classes into the curriculum as a requirement for graduation;
- Develop strategies for working with faculty and university leadership to embed career services into the curriculum; and
- Create a model for developing a scalable required internship and learn how to leverage grants in order to achieve programmatic goals.
Presenters

Lisa Malvin, Director, Career Curriculum and Employer Relations, [ARCHIVES]
Lisa Malvin is the Assistant Director of Career Programs and Internships at Dominican University. Lisa is responsible for overseeing Dominican’s Career Development Program, composed of four required career development classes and a required internship. In her role, Lisa works with students on internship placement and career advising, including managing the Executive in Residence program in which six top-tier industry professionals mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Lisa recruits and manages numerous employer engagement opportunities each semester. Prior to her role at Dominican, Lisa was the Assistant Director of Professional Development Programs at the University of Chicago, where she ran multiple certificate programs and initiated all of the career development programming for over 900 certificate students. Lisa is a passionate advocate for non-traditional students and has extensive experience in career development, student advising, and program administration. She holds a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jamie Shaw, Executive Director of Career Programs, Dominican University
In her position, Jamie Shaw oversees a $3 million U.S. Department of Education Title V grant designed to advance educational opportunities for Hispanic students, specifically relating to career development and financial literacy. Since January 2021, Shaw and her team have expanded financial literacy resources to enhance the financial wellness of Dominican students and increased employment and internship opportunities through the addition of career development courses taught by industry professionals. She has extensive experience serving first-generation college students, having spent more than 10 years working in higher education at institutions committed to social justice. She holds a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and a Master of Science in higher education administration and policy from Northwestern University. She regularly presents on topics related to career development, embedding professional development into curricula, employer engagement, and serving first-generation college students.