Month: December 2018

Kudos

SoACE Kudos: December 2018 Edition

December 21, 2018 by 0 Comments

Every other month, we do a call out for SoACE members to submit their anonymous Kudos to colleagues that have gone above and beyond in the office, as part of a professional association, or in other ways that make life better for others.

SoACE Conference Committee
Tim Harding and the entire SoACE Conference Committee pulled off an amazing conference in ATL. What a great group of leaders!! I think over 500 members left inspired, energized and with smiles on their faces!

SoACE Conference Committee
A big shout out to the 2018 SoACE Conference team! What an outstanding job planning an information filled agenda with relevant topics for professionals in our field. Each of you exceeded your goals to make this a very meaningful and fun experience. Thank you!!!!

SoACE Silent Auction Committee
Thank you to Geneva Scott, Emily Kennelly, Krystle Graham, Sandi Ohman, and Marc Holcomb for your hard work and dedication in making this year’s silent auction a success!

SoACE Tech KG Leadership
For a well-run and informative KG meeting…and for visioning our KG’s future to stay relevant to the needs of our members

Texas State Consortium Leaders
Thanks for your work in organizing the relevant round-tables at SoACE 2018. SO much more productive and educational than meetings in the past.

Auburn University Career Center, Auburn University Career Center
Big thank you and kudos to the Auburn University Career Center crew for making the fall a big success despite being very understaffed! This office rocks!

FAMU Career and Professional Development Team, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
Thanks to the entire team of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Career and Professional Development Center for completing a successful Fall 2018 semester!

NSU Career Services, Northeastern State University
This past summer the Career Services team at NSU experienced a large transition within their office. Many individuals were leaving positions leaving those left with a heavy load to carry. While filling the positions the office overcame implementing Handshake while training three new staff members. The semester has concluded and we have settled into a normal but it was not without the hardwork of Dawn Giles, Erin Kruckenberg, and Kandra Medlin! Their grit is much appreciated from myself and the other new team members. Kudos!

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Shout out to the Career Peer supervision team at UCS for a strong first semester and making a positive impact on the peers: Stephenie, Jacquie, Kaitlyn, Tamara, Jonathan and Sheena. Thank you!

Wayne Hampton, Disney Worldwide Services
I would like to thank Wayne Hampton for leading the Employer KG and for giving me the opportunity to be his co-chair. Wayne was very helpful and was great to work with. He did an great job organizing events for the Employer KG.

Danielle Golinski, Elon University
Danielle worked diligently leading up to the annual SoACE conference with preparing to present, reaching out to new (& current) connections, and committing to the mindset of making the most of her time during the conference. As a first-time attendee, Danielle set a great example of how to navigate the conference, and I am grateful for her guidance. Also, she and her co-presenter rocked their presentation!!

Sandi Ohman, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Career Services
Awesome job, Sandi on leading a great winter CCFCC meeting at ERAU! So happy to have you as the leader of this organization!

Lauren Cavicchi, Florida International University
Kudos go to Lauren Cavicchi at Florida International University! You transitioned this semester to the campus liaison model for the Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work and have hit the ground running! Lauren has become an instant “industry expert” for our Career Office and the Stempel College. Fantastic job Lauren! The Stempel FIU students are lucky to have you as their career coach!

Emmanuela Stanislaus, Florida International University
This KUDO goes out to Emmanuela Stanislaus at Florida International University! On top of her work load this year, she serves as the SoACE Director – College Knowledge Groups and is pursuing her doctorate degree. She is the master of multitasking! Despite her office being short staffed this fall semester, Emmanuela kept the office standing and still moving at full throttle! Her commitment to FIU students and our career services industry does not go unnoticed. You did it and survived fall semester! You’re a ROCK STAR!

Myrna Hoover, Florida State University
Congratulations on your Southern Star Award! It was a highlight of my conference experience to see you accept the award and to hear your moving speech. You set an example of servant leadership for new and experienced professionals alike. Thank you for your mentorship and friendship.

Heather Scarboro, Florida State University
Heather, you knocked SoACE social media management out of the park before and during the conference! Thank you so much for all you did and continue to do! I have been so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with you during my term on the board.

Ali’Yah Martin, Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business Career Advancement Center
Ali’Yah joined the undergraduate team of the Career Advancement Center in August and literally hit the ground running! With only 2 solid years of career development experience she has positively impacted our team with her work ethic, knowledge and willingness to be a team player. Not to mention that the students have fallen in love with her! Kudos Ali’Yah!

Golden Madume, Lee University
Thank you for all of your work as Chair of the Communications Committee over the last year…especially your work creating logos for all of the KGs and updating the SoACE  logo! Your time and talents are greatly appreciated and I look forward to another six months of working with you.

Sue Feinberg, LSU Olinde Career Center
28 years! Thousands of student impacted by your commitment to LSU. Dozens of colleagues blessed by your kind heart and servant attitude. Happy Retirement!

Sue Feinberg, LSU Olinde Career Center
Sue’s 28 year presence on campus comes to an end this semester and the OCC couldn’t be happier for her as she starts the next stage in her life: Retirement!! Sue is leaving a lasting impact on the LSU community and will be sorely missed by our staff and the students she impacts. Sue, you have been an inspirational peer of mine for the last decade. I wish you nothing but happiness in your retirement.

Kelly Atwood, Mississippi State University
Thank you for accepting the role of Assistant Chair in the Technology KG! You did as amazing job as our Boot Camp coordinator last year and we are all so excited to continue to work with you.

Abdullah Kader, Texas A&M University
Thank you for all of your work serving as Chair of the Technology Committee! Your expertise has been invaluable and I appreciate the extra things I see you doing for various members of SoACE through Slack (I’m sure they do too).

Dr. Elizabeth Boggs, Stetson University
Dr. Boggs continually sets the standard for across-campus collaboration while supporting her team within all their tasks and projects. Her professionalism and dedication is truly making a difference campus wide, as well as in SoACE!!

Tim Stiles, Stetson University
As the Executive Director of the Stetson CaPD office, Tim goes above and beyond his areas of work as he diligently works on multiple levels both on, and off campus. It would be a great challenge to find an individual possessing Tim’s passion and commitment to student’s advancements and the field of Career Development.

Laura Kalb, Trinity University
Laura!! Thanks for all the support as I navigated the conference this year. I’m excited to keep our conversations going about platforms and integration, and I look forward to working with you on the Tech KG!

Katie Ramirez, Trinity University
Congratulations on a great presentation at the 2018 SoACE Conference and your work with the Texas State meeting. Way to be a program superhero

LadyStacie Rimes-Boyd, Trinity University
Congratulations on your presentation at the 2018 Annual SoACE conference. Way to be a program superhero!

Shauna Strickler, University of Central Florida
Thank you for pulling together the #MomsToo panel and working with Ashley Motley to bring the conversation to life. Serving on the panel was an honor and has been a very therapeutic experience. I look forward to seeing the movement continue!

Allie Simon, University of Florida
Wanted to give a shout-out to my co-presenter at this year’s annual SoACE conference! It felt amazing to share what our teams are doing and I’m so glad that we get to work together.

Samantha Meyer, University of Georgia
Thank you so much for everything you have done for the Communications Committee – especially the brand standards guide. You have raised the bar for SoACE branding and created something special that will be invaluable for many years to come. Congratulations on your President’s Award – it was well-deserved. I hope you know how much we appreciate you!

Stephenie Wilson, UNC Chapel Hill
Kudos to Stephenie Wilson, Associate Director, for being a transformative leader. You have been a great advocate and knowledge bank and I am so glad you have joined the UCS team at UNC Chapel Hill.

Rachel King, UNC Charlotte
You have done an outstanding job these last two years as Conference Marketing Liaison! You set a high standard right out the gate with your talents and conscientiousness, going above and beyond what was expected in everything you set out to do. It has been a sincere pleasure to work with you and your President’s Award was so deserving. Wishing you all the best, always!

Tyler Wiersma, UNC Greensboro Bryan School of Business and Economics
Tyler, Thanks for making us all look so good! Your presentation with Danielle was so well received – nice work! I’m excited for all the work we’ll do together to elevate our programs. You’re the best!

Sheena Jacobs, UNC University Career Services
Congratulations on your SoACE award! It is well-deserved and you make us all proud!

Stephenie Wilson and Nadia Korobova, UNC University Career Services
You are great additions to our team. Thank you for all you’ve done and will do to help us get to the next level as an organization.

Deidre Leslie, University of North Texas Career Center
Deidre leads the largest team within the UNT Career Center. Recently she has done amazing work to lead that team as they have faced a number of challenges. She has continued to lead excellent service to students without skipping a beat.

Erica Lake, University of South Carolina
Congratulations on being slated for President-Elect! Thanks for everything you do for our association, we are fortunate to have you in our community!

LaTasha Saunders, University of South Carolina
Thank you for your positive spirit! Your hard work and dedication shine bright all year round.

Annie Shealy, University of South Carolina Career Center
Welcome, Annie! We’re excited to have you as part of the Employer Relations team!

Katlyn Kurtz, University of South Florida
Katlyn has been a quiet force behind the scenes here at USF this past semester, helping to keep our marketing efforts on track as our team shuffled duties and responsibilities around. We appreciate ALL you do for us here at USF and your contributions to our work at Florida ACE and SoACE! Thank you!!

Peter Thorsett, University of South Florida
Thank you for all of your past and continued work with the Technology KG! You will always be our communication rock star.

Peter Thorsett, University of South Florida
Peter! Thanks for everything you did to make this one heck of a conference for me. I was thrilled to meet you at our site visit, and am so glad our paths continued to cross during our time in Atlanta. I look forward to working with you through the Tech KG! Keep your eyes open for a glitter bomb! See you at Graceland?

Mark Colvenbach, The University of Tampa
Thanks to Mark for his excellent leadership as the SoACE President this year. He has successfully continued to lead our association in providing timely and relevant information and opportunities for discussion as to how best to move our profession forward!

Tim Harding, The University of Tampa
Thank you for leading the charge to assure an incredible conference experience for all! I truly believe that there is nothing that you cannot accomplish. You are a phenomenal leader, mentor, and friend. I hope you know how much you are appreciated.

Ashley Graham Phipps, Wake Forest University
Thank you for continuing to work as the Coordinator for Emerging Technologies with the Technology KG! Your work with the CRM survey is incredible and your Handshake training expertise is out of this world.

Lori Brasile, Wingate University
The last two years have been very busy, as Wingate University admitted very large classes of incoming students both years. Lori manages her time well and stays on top of increasing workloads. So I wanted to offer kudos to her!!

KG Spotlights - Technology KG

Spotlight on the Technology Knowledge Group

December 14, 2018 by 0 Comments

by Laura Kalb and Peter Thorsett, Technology KG Assistant Chair and Chair

The Technology Knowledge Group (Tech KG) is currently focused on helping SoACE members who have an interest in learning how to better use technology, marketing, and communications tools and resources. Many of our members balance technology and marketing in addition to their primary career services related functional area (such as career planning, employer relations, or experiential learning).

We typically host bi-monthly meetings via GoToMeeting so that members can get together and share ideas and explore these areas in a friendly environment. We also host webinars throughout the year on specific topics of interest to our membership. At the Annual Conference, you can find us at the KG introduction session, our annual membership meeting, and as hosts of special programming.

Over the past two years, we have offered all SoACE members the opportunity to participate in our Annual Summer Technology Boot Camp!  The Boot Camp is a free, two-day event featuring multiple, live webinars on a variety of topics. The sessions provide members with a great educational program, without all of the expenses associated with an in-person conference. (As an added bonus, they are all recorded and posted on the SoACE website in the member section, so you can watch them on-demand at any time!)

Joining the Tech KG gives you a place to explore new technologies and marketing ideas, connect with other SoACE members who share these responsibilities, and become a part of a community to share information and resources. Joining the Tech KG also gives you an opportunity to give back to SoACE by becoming a member of the leadership team. Currently, we have a team that includes an Assistant Chair, a Chair, and a Past Chair, as well as Coordinators for our Boot Camp, Emerging Technologies & Research, and Professional Development.

As Chair, and someone who has day to day responsibilities for marketing and communications functions in our office, I know that becoming a member of the Tech KG has given me a professional home within the Association and a team of colleagues I can reach out to with questions about challenges I am facing or to get ideas for approaching an issue in a new (to me!) way. It has also given me a chance to gain a better appreciation for my adopted profession of career services. While I have worked in higher education for more than 20 years, this is my first role within career services. The members of the Tech KG have not only made me feel welcome and connected, but have also been there to help me gain a deeper and richer appreciation for the work we do!

As Assistant Chair, I have been able to explore a part of the career services world that was outside of the scope of my first position in the field. I am introduced to new technologies, best practices, and challenges that allow me to provide insights to my office team and other colleagues in my local San Antonio area. The KG has given me the opportunity to constantly learn and build confidence in this profession, in addition to an incredible group of colleagues that answer my endless questions with a smile and work to make our profession great each day! My involvement in the KG ignited my passion for technology in higher education and provided me with the opportunity to serve as both a connector and leader. I leveraged the knowledge and skills I gained through the KG to serve as the assistant project manager for our transition to Handshake and add responsibilities involving technology to my promotion to an assistant director position.

We hope that you will consider joining the Tech KG and look forward to “seeing” you at one of our events in the near future! If we can answer any questions for you, please do not hesitate to contact either one of us directly.

__________

 

Laura Kalb
Assistant Chair, SoACE Tech KG
Assistant Director, Office of Career Services
Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success
Trinity University

Peter Thorsett
Chair, SoACE Tech KG
Director, Strategic Initiatives, Communications, & Research
Division of Community Engagement & Career Readiness
University of South Florida

Member Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Bethany Ferrall

December 7, 2018 by 0 Comments

Bethany Ferrall is the Assistant Director of Career Development at Texas A&M University-Commerce. She spends the bulk of her time managing Handshake and working with employers who hire Lions. This includes, but is definitely not limited to, planning all annual on-campus recruiting events and overseeing the training and development of four college-specific career coaches and the graduate/undergraduate student staff.

In 2018, Bethany also served as President of the Metroplex Area Consortium of Career Centers (MAC3) and the chair of the SoACE Employer Relations Summit. She received a MS in Higher Education administration (2017) from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a BA in Public Relations (2005) from the University of South Carolina. She lives in Sulphur Springs, Texas with her husband, Chris, and daughter, Charlotte (3).

Fun Facts: She loves attending sporting events, going to concerts, and spending time with her husband, Chris, daughter, Charlotte, and cheering on the South Carolina Gamecocks, 2017 National Champion A&M-Commerce Lions, & Oklahoma Sooners’ football teams.

How did you get into the Career Services profession?
When I graduated from the University of South Carolina, I had a great career services experience and knew it was something I wanted to do, but couldn’t get my head around using my PR degree for anything other than my passion of non-profit communications. Fast forward 6 years and I began work at a recruiting firm, then moved to Campus Recruitment. In 2013, my husband’s job transferred us to Texas and the traveling recruiter life became less and less glamorous! I decide that I would start looking for work at local colleges and try to get into Career Services. Luckily, a job as employer relations coordinator came open and two interviews later, the rest is history!

Describe your SoACE Experience. How did you get involved and how has that experience influenced you?
I got involved with SoACE after I went to my first SoACE conference in December 2014. It was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by people who totally “get” what you do. I made multiple friends right off the bat and tried to find my footing of involvement right away. I really began to get involved at the end of 2016 when I met Jill Boatright in a session. She and Claire Childress were coordinating the Employer Relations Summit and I volunteered to assist with the implementation. I became the co-chair shortly after and then chair for 2018. The experience of being involved in SoACE has changed me completely. It has given me a sense of belonging, confidence, and passion that I always dreamed of in a career.

What advice do you have for new professionals who aspire to get more involved in the profession?
My advice to new professionals is three-fold:

  1. Don’t forget that it is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes it is hard to remember that the career seeds we plant for students as freshman don’t blossom until their senior year or, sometimes, even after. We make a difference in student’s lives daily and if we remember that in every task we do, it makes the difficult times fewer and farther between.
  2. Get involved and find your “people”! The thing that changed SoACE for me was finding people who do what I do, both new to the profession and seasoned professionals. I love being able to learn new things, implement change on my campus, and have a professional sounding board of colleagues across the country. Engage in the webinars, attend the tweet chats, and join a knowledge group. Your experience will be exponentially improved if you make the most of your connections and build your network.
  3. Keep learning and be open to change. Attending professional development events, whether in person or online has made the biggest impact for me professionally. I come back with a million new ideas and ways to improve our processes and that excites me. Make the most of professional development opportunities and be open to new ideas you might not have previously considered.