Resources For A Better Future

Concord may not have a career services building, however, Connie Shumate provides opportunities for students. 
Photo Courtesy of concord.edu

Concord University students are constantly working hard and doing their best to graduate. Students here know how important it is to graduate from the university in an efficient manner so they can matriculate into the workforce. Concord University has a variety of majors students can choose from, each with a path to a career. Students are oftentimes faced with a dilemma of what to do once they graduate. Career services is a program offered at universities nationwide which helps students plan and find a career once they graduate; however, Concord does not have one at this current time. Dr. Peter Viscusi, Vice President and Academic Dean and Connie Shumate, Director of J. Frank Marsh Library, discuss what is going on.

    Concord has always had a career services building until a couple of years ago. Viscusi explained that the previous director of the career services building had retired and they have been struggling to find another person to fill the position due to budget cuts around campus. He said that with Concord being such a small campus compared to places like Virginia Tech and West Virginia University, that it is hard to fill a position and a program like this as the budget keeps getting smaller and smaller. He voiced his concern by saying that the students here are just as important as the students who go there but Concord is not fortunate enough to have thousands of students attending like them. However, there is some resolution to this issue as he said Connie Shumate is helping.

    Shumate explained the small improvements being made to assist students. “A request came from the Dean’s office to pull the career related items from the general collection that were to be arranged in a separate section that was visible and easily accessible for students,” she says. Viscusi said that the section is tailored to the students on where they stand. For example, freshmen are just beginning their college career and are not in desperate need of career materials more than a junior or senior.

    Not having a career services building isn’t as damaging to the university as one may think. Viscusi made it clear that more often than not, academic advisors actually possess knowledge on careers related to a particular major. He said a lot of times, students get “mono-focused” meaning that they think they can only do one thing with a career in their field of study once they graduate. He expressed his opposition to that and gave an example about historians. He said historians are becoming more prevalent in today’s workplace. He elaborated saying that being a historian isn’t just spitting out names, dates, and facts. They study history and over a course of time, they learn how to approach things from different perspectives than other people which lead to a unique path of critical thinking. He says this type of situation doesn’t only apply to just historians, but it is a good example as to how a student majoring in something has different options than only one thing.

    Shumate elaborated on how important it is to get career-related materials in the students’ hands. “It is imperative to have a location on campus that students can explore various career options, and what better place than the library,” she said. When naming career-related topics that are available, she says that there are materials for choosing a career, graduate schools, interview skills, internships, writing cover letters and resumes, how to “dress for success,” and much more.

    There are also study guides available for the LSAT, MCAT, PRAXIS,  and the GMAT.  She discussed the options available and students have been utilizing them. “Many students do make use of the materials; especially study guides.” Shumate says that it is important for students to borrow the materials and only need to present a current student ID.

    Viscusi is making sure students can have options available to them. He explained that the university is working on fixing the program but in the meantime, career fairs are scheduled so students can take advantage of those.