If you woke up with the opportunity to help empower the next generation of change makers, how would you maximize that opportunity? That’s the question we have the privilege of answering every day for our students.
In the 150 years since Vanderbilt University’s founding, we’ve grown from a regional university into a globally recognized institution with students, faculty and alumni who are changing the world. Today, the university – ranked 13th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report – boasts 10 schools and more than 60 graduate programs. One in ten Vanderbilt graduates currently serve as senior executives across a wide range of sectors – from finance, tech and healthcare to arts and nonprofits.
Discovery is part of who we are – from original research to new ways of approaching traditional ideas – the Vanderbilt community pursues bold new ideas through disciplined, rigorous inquiry.
Vanderbilt is unique. As a university, we seek ways to ensure every student learns through research – affirmed high – impact practices including individual research, experiential learning and career journey mapping. Students select this institution ready to be shaped and molded in unique ways.
Despite the significance students and parents place on career outcomes after graduation, many universities do not prioritize this work as a strategic focus. Not Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt made it a central part of the university structure, creating a Vice Provost role and division focused on every student’s career journey. In addition to a career center in the heart of the student life center,
Vanderbilt career coaches meet students where they are – literally through programming in the residential colleges and figuratively by providing tailored tools to support each unique journey.
Strategically, Vanderbilt’s career engagement team embraces four guiding principles to deliver success:
1. It is our responsibility to reach every student (and postdoc), meet them where they are, and provide them with a compelling reason to believe our team can best support their unique career empowerment pathway.
2. It is our responsibility to proactively collaborate with every internal and external stakeholder who shares our career empowerment aspirations.
3. We must embrace data, analytics, technology and innovation to be precise in our actions, scale our efforts, and build our credibility with students and stakeholders.
4. Our team is ever evolving, growing, improving and innovating, and is our most important asset, worthy of deep levels of development, investment, and support.
Combining our unique methods and principles, we foster individuals with unique skills and perspectives ready to influence the world. We refer to this process as “making our students and alumni Vandy Ready. ” It’s not just first – Job ready. It’s change the world ready.
CAREER CENTER
The Vanderbilt Career Center empowers students to consider myriad options related to career discovery and connects student aspirations to successful career outcomes.
“Vanderbilt students embody the idea of matching your skills and passions to the needs you see in the world,”
— Alayna Hayes, assistant provost and senior director of the career center.
“Our innovative career center helps students address these needs through considering all career pathways – from continuing education to common and unique next steps. We provide these services to students throughout their time on campus and for the first two years after they graduate.”
In our day – to – day efforts and our overarching goals, we strive to make every student ready for whatever comes next — not just the next job, but the path to a future that lives out the Vanderbilt mission of daring to grow.
“Making meaningful connections with industry experts provides our students with a vital opportunity to discover, learn and grow,” said Alex Sevilla, vice provost for career advancement and engagement. “We aim to maximize the support from alumni, parents and employer partners to deliver unique experiences across many career pathways. The expertise, insight and dedication from these leaders will play a vital role in preparing our students for the careers they seek and increasing their clarity and confidence in the path they have chosen.”
— Recent Examples of Innovative Career Center Initiatives to Connect Students, Alumni and Industry Experts
• Vandy Meets the Street Immersion Treks
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Impact Chats
• Black VU Real Talk Conference
• Vandy in Hollywood Internship Program
• Vandy on Madison Avenue Immersion Trek
• Vandy for Employers LinkedIn Live Sessions
• Commodore Career Week
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS
The newly created Office of Corporate Partnerships (CP@VU) housed within the Division of Career Advancement and Engagement at Vanderbilt University, establishes a critical new enterprise capability for holistic university engagement with the business community.
“Vanderbilt has the career ready graduates and world – class faculty expertise to align critical talent pipelines and generate timely solutions to real – world problems faced by every level of organizations around the world,” said Scott Paja, assistant provost and executive director of corporate partnerships. “As we build this team and continue to advance relationships within the business community, I am impressed with the impactful industry collaborations already underway across the universities’ portfolio, and excited to see what additional value we can symbiotically create with and for our corporate partners.”
This team will serve as connective tissue to steward and facilitate all corporate opportunities with the appropriate resources across the VU enterprise (Talent Acquisition/Hiring, Classroom Engagement, R&D Projects, Tech Transfer & Commercialization, Skilling / Executive Education, Athletics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sponsorships & Business Engagements, etc.).
CP@VU will convene key corporate partnerships to identify needs, align solutions and advance highly coordinated organizational relationships. This new approach will be further accelerated through strategic alignment in the new VU Regional Hubs, working in concert with VU Enrollment Affairs and Development & Alumni Relations to optimize an approach capitalizing on proximity of critical mass for key corporate relationships in Hub markets.
EXPANDING THROUGH REGIONAL HUBS
While Nashville is our home, Vanderbilt dares to grow by establishing our first VU Hubs in Atlanta, Houston, New York City and Miami. These hubs will further enable prospective students, current students, families, alumni, friends, as well as corporate and community partners to connect with Vanderbilt through professional opportunities and custom programming. This approach is designed to establish and strengthen ties between Vanderbilt and the distinct constituencies of these cities that align with our dedication to collaboration and world – changing discoveries.
HUB GOALS
• Deploy support services to members of local communities from the time they initiate interest throughout their enrollment in the university and beyond in their lives as alumni, donors and potential employment or organizational partnership connections.
• Provide local, dedicated Vanderbilt resources to connect with prospective and current students and their families, alumni, donors and corporate partners.
• Increase the ease with which partners can access Vanderbilt services, utilize Vanderbilt resources and continue to strengthen the Vanderbilt network nationwide.
• Advance Vanderbilt in these key markets, initiate custom programming and leverage alumni and partner energy to amplify the impact of Vanderbilt’s influence in that region, nationally, and around the world.
JOIN US
To reach our goals and provide Vanderbilt students with best – in – class career empowerment support, we need partners across the university and the world. Whether you are a student seeking help, a family member ready to support Vanderbilt graduates, an alum looking to share your expertise, an employer seeking talent or a faculty member directing students to the best resources for their future, please partner with us by reaching out to [email protected] to connect with and empower every student to be Vandy Ready.
