Erin Boswell, ’07, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½’s newly hired director for the Office of Career Success and Professional Development, looks forward to helping current students and alumni achieve their career goals.
“Erin Boswell is a phenomenal addition to the Division of Student Success,â€� says Jen McCluskey, PhD, vice president for student success. “With her leadership, I am confident both students and alumni will experience innovative improvements in both career services and engagement opportunities.”
Boswell will implement new technology and expand Ģ¹½´«Ã½’s life coach model to better assist graduates as they work their way into the professional realm.
Through a program focused on the whole student, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½â€™s life coaches go far beyond career counseling. They develop a personalized learning profile for each student which is instrumental in preparing them for a successful career.
“It’s really about bringing services to the student in a personalized way, instead of waiting for the student to reach out to us,â€� Boswell says.
“My end goal is to place each student in a job they want within a year of graduating,� Boswell says.
Currently, each Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ traditional first-year and sophomore student works with a life coach. As they move into their junior and senior years, they’ll retain that individual, establishing a model in which every student has a life coach throughout their college experience.
Office of Career Success and Professional Development
The career office comes into play the minute a first-year student steps onto campus. Students begin building résumés and LinkedIn profiles, participate in mock interviews and assist with academic decisions such as changing majors. They’re also introduced to Ä¢¹½´«Ã½â€™s online network, which will help them find internships and full- and part-time work.
Boswell wants to create a more robust alumni website focused on expanding networking and job openings. The site could also link Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ graduates to current students.
“It would ideally be a place for alumni to be able to connect and recruit current students for internships and careers,� she says.
Boswell hopes these changes will result in higher student retention rates as well as better career outcomes.
“My end goal is to place each student in a job they want within a year of graduating,� Boswell says.
Boswell previously worked as director of Undergraduate Student Services at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and is working on a PhD in educational leadership.
The Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ graduate is certain she’s found her own ideal job.
“Coming back to Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ is like coming home,â€� Boswell says. “I like being in a place where students come first.â€�
Boswell.H