ATLANTA ALUMNI & NETWORKING DAYBrought to you collaboratively by the offices of

Career Services, Alumni Affairs, & Developmentand sponsored by

The QEP

PRESENTED BY MICHAEL DESPEAUX, CHRIS MUELLER, MARTY RAMSEY,

& STUDENTS

MANY THANKS TO:THE QEP STEERING COMMITTEE

DR. CAROL BURTONMR. RICKY LANNING

EVERY EDUCATOR WHO NOMINATED A STUDENTMS. FREYA KINNER

DR. ROBERT CROWEMR. GREG BAUGUESS

MS. MARDY ASHEMR. WHIT FRANCE-KELLY

MS. CINDI MAGILLMS. Jill INGRAM

MS. ASHLEY EVANSTHE WESTERN CLUB OF GEORGIA

SELECTION

–CALL FOR NOMINATIONS–28 RECEIVED–21 APPLIED–16 SELECTED

THE DAY

• BOARDED VANS AT 6:30 AM• MET MENTORS AT THE PERIMETER MALL• STUDENTS LUNCHED WITH HOSTS• GATHERED AT THE DALE CARNEGIE TRAINING

CENTER• REFLECTED ON EXPERIENCE WITH ALUMNI

PANEL• DINNER WITH ALUMNI• HOME BY 2:00 AM

WESTERN CLUB OF GEORGIAWESTERN CAROLINA ALUMNI BENEFIT FROM NETWORKING WITH ONE

ANOTHER, AND SEEK WAYS TO STAY INVOLVED

HOSTSKicks 101.5 FM

Genuine Parts, Inc.Physical Therapy

Professional Probation ServicesCoca-Cola Customer Business Services

EIS, Inc.Conditioned Air Systems, Inc.Riverside Military Academy

Merrill LynchU.S. Department of Labor

Cobb County Sheriff’s Office

HOSTS SAID… “It exposed the students to real time work

experiences. It also provided those of us who were shadowed to provide such information through work experiences.”

“[The most positive thing was] providing exposure to the student of the business environments, hearing and seeing a small bit about the “real world”, providing the student with a frame of reference for the future job search, as well as helping the build a network of contacts.”

“My student was very informed and articulate. He had a good sense of who he is and where he wanted to go.”

“I thought that that I got as much from this as they did. A group of enthusiastic young folks , not touched by cynicism and ready to go out into the world was incredibly uplifting for me. From their standpoint, seeing the reality of the world and hearing us comment on our own experiences was very good as well. You chose the candidates wisely and I believe you should replicate this in Atlanta again and well as other southeastern cities.”

“My student had a great ability to listen. Plus he tried to look at my field of work from my perspective.”

“I hope you have other shadow days scheduled in other cities such as Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. Smaller cities should not be overlooked, but until the program gets well established, this would be excellent.”

HOW DID THIS PROGRAM QUALIFY FOR SUPPORT FROM THE QEP?

GOALSIntegrate information from a variety of contexts – Students will connect

their academic and career interests to ‘real world’ scenarios by shadowing a professional in the field.

Communicate effectively and responsibly – Students will communicate their career interests first in an application letter, and then in a meeting with an alumni mentor who will guide their shadowing experience. They will also participate in both formal and informal reflection activities requiring verbal communication skills.

Clarify and act on purpose and values – Student will observe and spend time with career role models and gain perspective to help them intentionally use knowledge gained from their learning experience to make informed judgments about their future plans, and bring those plans into action.

OUTCOMES

• Concretely, students will gain knowledge and perspective regarding the workplaces associated with their chosen career areas.

• They will become more knowledgeable about how to proceed in the real-world application of skills gained in their curricular and co-curricular experiences and in the implementation of their careers.

• They will gain important mentorship and networking contacts with regional alumni based in the largest metropolitan area in proximity to WCU.

ASSESSMENT

THE COULTER FACULTY COMMONS CREATED A STUDENT EVALUATION BUILT AROUND THE THREE QEP OUTCOMES AS WELL AS COMMON STUDENT GOALS THAT WERE HARVESTED FROM THEIR APPLICATION LETTERS

6.67%

93.33%Agree Strongly agree

Participating in the Atlanta Networking Day has been a positive experience for me.

"The openness of our hosts and how they welcomed us into their corporate offices in such a willing man-

ner."

6.25%93.75%

Agree

Strongly agree

Participating in the Atlanta Networking Day has given me insight into my future career plans.

"The greatest benefit I gained from participating in Atlanta Networking Day was knowledge of what a

day in the life of a [professional] is like."

100.00%

Strongly agree

"Shadowing" a working professional helped me gain useful professional advice.

"The greatest benefit I gained from participating in Atlanta Networking Day was having seasoned profes-sionals mentor me about what is necessary to be suc-

cessful in a career."

26.67%

73.33%

Agree

Strongly agree

Atlanta Networking Day helped me connect my WCU experience to my career interests.

"The greatest benefit I gained from participating in Atlanta Networking Day was making connections and

apply[ing] some of the concepts I have learned in class."

13.33%

13.33%

73.33%

Disagree Agree

Strongly agree

Participation in Atlanta Networking Day has al-lowed me to "network" (i.e., make connections

with industry professionals).

"The greatest benefit I gained from participating in Atlanta Networking Day was forming connections and

understanding the procedures taken in [my field]."

The “hands-on” aspect of Atlanta Networking Day helped me…

66.67%

22.22%

11.11%

Better understand my chosen careerMake career de-cisionsApply classroom learning

The greatest benefit I gained from participating in Atlanta Networking Day was…

38.89%

38.89%

16.67%

5.56%

Real-world knowledgeNetworkingProfessional adviceCareer decisions

One thing that surprised me about participating in Atlanta Networking Day was…

43.75%

31.25%

25.00%

Real-world knowledgeAffective outcomesOther "surprises"

To improve next year’s Atlanta Networking Day, I suggest…

37.50%

25.00%

12.50%

12.50%

12.50%

More timeNo changesProgram expansionLess timeOther suggestions

2011 STUDENT CONTINGENCYANTHONY BALLARD, ACCOUNTING, FINANCE, & ECONOMICS

DANIEL BARNES, CRIMINAL JUSTICE TONY EAVES, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & LAW

CHRISTINA FOSTER, PSYCHOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICERENE GAMEZ, ACCOUNTING

NATE HUNZAKER, COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS & MARKETINGSTEPHEN KUMMER, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & LAWREBECCA LAUTIER, COMMERCIAL & ELECTRONIC MUSIC

BRITTANY LYSIK, SPORT MANAGEMENT JEREMIAH MOSTELLER, POLITICAL SCIENCE

REBECCA OATES, CRIMINAL JUSTICESHANNON OWEN, FINANCIAL PLANNING

MICHAEL MCLAMB, MANAGEMENT & FINANCEZACHARY RUMBLE, PSYCHOLOGY

ASHLEY VANDENHEUVEL, FORENSIC, CRIMINAL JUSTICE & SPANISHBEN WARD, ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE•EARLIER CALL FOR NOMINATIONS & APPLICATIONS•IDENTIFY CANDIDATES IN FALL•POSSIBLY TRAVEL TO MORE THAN ONE CITY AFTER MATCHING CANDIDATES WITH HOSTS•STUDENTS MAY HAVE TO PAY, BUT THE COST WILL BE NOMINAL•RETURN DEPARTURE TIME WILL BE REASONABLE•DEVELOP APPLICATION CRITERIA (GPA, RECOMMENDATIONS) AND PROCESS FOR INDIVIDUAL-BASIS OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT YEAR