OU has recently made some efforts to help students prepare for their futures after graduation.
Recently, Susan Webb, director of career services and student employment, and Suzette Wright, Associate Professor of Psychology, held a graduate school workshop.
Webb said the workshop was to help students interested in graduate school with the entire process of finding, applying for and being accepted at a graduate program.
Webb said she worked together with Wright for the common purpose of helping students.
“We did it together so that they get different perspectives towards the search,” she said. “And Dr. Wright went through the process of what she went through to get her experience.
My hope was that we provided students with the information that they needed to be successful in their graduate school process.”
Jocelyn Clardy, freshman human services major, said she thinks the event was lead by the two most qualified people.
“I went to the event because I wanted to expand my knowledge about the graduate school process, she said. “I feel that it was extremely helpful. There should be more information on meetings such as these.”
There will be another graduate school workshop in the fall semester. That event has not had a date set, but Webb did say that there would be a representative from Washburn University.
“Keep in mind, even if you’re not anticipating going into law school, they’re going to be talking about the process as well that can be used in all disciplines,” she said.
Another aspect of the University’s efforts to help students prepare for the future involves a new position in the Adawe Lifeplan Center. Nori Hale, a 1971 graduate of OU, was recently hired to the new position of director of corporate relations.
Hale said she works closely with Susan Webb. Her job is building relationships with businesses in Ottawa and other local areas to find placement opportunities for students.
“That might entail shadowing, mentoring, internships or part time work, all the way to full-time employment at graduation,” she said.
Hale said she wants to allow students to work with local businesses, so they can understand how jobs work in the real world. She said that any job helps students to learn and gain new information.
“If I will take that information and knowledge or a student will take that information and knowledge and apply it, they will be better able to fend for themselves in a very competitive and global workplace,” she said. “We’re not going to college to stay in school for our whole lives. At some point you’re going to enter the real world with skills that contribute to mankind.”
Hale hopes to be able to work with faculty and staff who have already established relationships with businesses in their fields that can yield internships and other kinds of student employment, so that students who come to her can be made aware of those opportunities as well.
Hale also said students need to be actively seeking out employment. One thing she mentioned is the career services database at http://collegecentral.com/ottawa.
Hale said many local businesses have a great desire to work with OU students, but that students aren’t seeking the opportunities available to them.
“One of the internships I’m aware of, they hire in the fall for the following summer work,” she said. “And it’s so easy to procrastinate, but they need to be thinking what they need to do next summer. Now is getting pretty late to find good Summer work.”