In 2013, President Obama proposed a federal ranking system of American colleges. The system would report on student employment rates and whether or not students are gainfully employed in jobs that allow them to pay back their loans.
Although the system never came to be, the proposal sparked a national conversation among universities, including Azusa Pacific.
Beginning in fall 2015, the Office of Career Services was renamed the Center for Career and Calling; with the new name came a rebranding and inspiration for a career series.
In the following months, the Center for Career and Calling created new positions, planned a professional development series and found ways to help students reach their professional potential.
“With this shift in the branding of who we are, we have begun to transform everything in the office,” Phil Brazell, director for the Center for Career and Calling, said. “Even if it’s just our language, for instance, we now call [it] career consulting instead of career counseling.“
Brazell said the APU experience is foundational and transformative to the university and teaches students how to put God first in all they do. He said the office wanted to help bridge this experience with students’ future careers.
“I think sometimes people get caught up in the experience and don’t know how to connect that to what is happening next,” Brazell said. “We feel like APU students are competitive and very socially and emotionally intelligent and hardworking, so we want to help them put their best foot forward on every level.”
Coming from the rebrand this semester is a series of events hosted by the office called “Be Prepared: Professional Development Series.” The series was put in place to help prepare students for jobs, internships and networking.
“We really are working to develop all of our students professionally so they feel confident in their résumé and interview abilities,” Noel Tran, associate director of employer and alumni connections, said. “When our students feel prepared, they are eager to search and apply for new career opportunities.”
The professional development series consists of a week devoted to résumé reviews, an analysis of students’ LinkedIn profiles and mock interviews.
Adam Jan, senior communication studies major and employee connections intern at the Center for Career and Calling, said the office recently partnered with some well-known companies, which has created buzz about their office on campus.
“As an intern, I have noticed how other students are becoming more familiar with our office and what it offers. In the past years, it was easy for our office to go unnoticed. Fortunately, this is rapidly changing,” Jan said.