A degree from the University of Oregon should be a launchpad
We have a responsibility to our students and families to ensure that our students’ time at the University of Oregon prepares them for the opportunities and challenges of a complex globally connected world. We will meet this responsibility by increasing connections and experiences for students in ways that more directly prepare them for successful pursuits after graduation.
Large and small businesses, start-ups, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal government all seek graduates who have developed the skills that prepare them to contribute, innovate, and lead in the modern workplace and in our broader society. Graduates are best served by cultivating such skills through both a rigorous education and opportunities to apply that education in real-world settings.
UO Definition of Career Preparation
Career preparation is an ongoing, embedded process of cultivating the self-awareness, knowledge, skills, and connections necessary for fulfilling and impactful lives after graduation. From admission to graduation, every student engages in a guided cycle of professional development that enables them to:
- Evaluate: Identify and refine personal values, goals, and professional aspirations to engage purposefully in developing knowledge, skills, experiences, and connections in career fields of interest. Use the knowledge gained to re-evaluate and define new areas of interest and opportunities to explore.
- Discover: Explore diverse career pathways to clarify professional aspirations, apply theoretical knowledge to current challenges in real-time, and build career networks. Choose courses, internships, study-abroad, research opportunities and employment opportunities, community engagement, clubs, and other experiences so students can continue refining their plans and developing their knowledge and skills.
- Practice: Develop the attitudes, habits, and tools necessary to stand out in the job market and successfully navigate workplace expectations, adapt to new challenges, and respond to feedback.
UO Definition of Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is a vital component of career preparation that involves active engagement and practice in applied learning opportunities, combined with critical reflection to deepen understanding and enhance skill development.
Experiential learning opportunities at the University of Oregon may include:
- Work-integrated Learning: Work experiences that allow students to integrate theory with meaningful practice of work.
- Research, Creative and Scholarly Projects: A mentored investigation or creative work conducted by students that seek to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.
- Service-Learning: Organized service activity that meets community-identified needs; develops understanding of a local issue and an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility.
- Engaged Campus Experiences: Students design, implement, or engage in campus experiences which both contribute to campus life and allow them to develop and/or apply knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- Intercultural Learning: Learning about, from, and/or in the context of regional or international cultures. Includes domestic or international travel or online/virtual interactions.
Key Performance Indicator
- Percent of recent degree-completers who have positive outcomes within six months of graduation
Strategies
To be a leader among the nation’s public research universities in career preparation, we will:
- Define career preparation and experiential learning to establish a common understanding and language across the university.
- Engage and support academic units, faculty, and staff to embed career-focused transferable skills into curriculum.
- Establish “career communities” to provide industry-informed career guidance for students.
- Leverage our alumni network to provide students opportunities for experiential learning, internships, and jobs.
- Adopt a campus-wide student and alumni engagement platform to facilitate student and alumni engagement.
Goal Owners
- Christopher P. Long, Provost and Senior Vice President
- Angela Chong, Vice President for Student Life
Goal Owners will work with appointed chairs to establish collaborative workgroups, representing diverse areas of the university, that will drive completion of the milestones assigned to each of the goals' multiple strategies for this academic year and beyond.
Workgroups
Dedicated teams are actively working together to help the UO become a leader in career preparation.
- Career Preparation Action Team
- Career Communities Workgroup
- Leveraging Our Alumni Network (LOAN) Workgroup
- Enterprise Engagement Platform Selection Team
- Strategy Development Team (Winter 2024)
The Career Preparation Support Structure Diagram illustrates how leadership, strategies, and workgroups align in pursuit of this goal.