The Office of Career Strategies (OCS) at Franklin was established in Fall 2020 by the Office of Alumni Relations at the Taylor Institute in order to elevate our career services program to Franklin’s growing student body and to foster a deeper engagement with our alumni. By aligning career services and alumni relations with the Taylor Institute, Franklin creates an important network of students, alumni, and potential employers that foster valuable connections, relationships, and comprehensive career development.
According to Tara Bracher, Assistant Dean of Alumni and Parent Relations “moving the Office of Career Strategy under Alumni Relations allowed us to harness our loyal alumni base and connect alumni to students in a way that would bring about more career-related opportunities for both groups. We are excited to continue our work to bring more career resources to students and alumni while fostering and cultivating new and existing relationships.” As a matter of fact, as of today, the OCS reports to the Office of Advancement.
Anne Marie Judge, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, states that “Integrating Career Strategy and Alumni Relations just made sense for us. From a practical perspective, helping our students succeed after Franklin is one of the best gifts we can ask for. The gift of an internship, job, or mentoring pays back dividends in ways that are immeasurable. Our goal is to keep our alumni forever engaged with Franklin. If that means volunteering your time and talents, we would love to help make that possible.”
The OCS will soon be housed within a three-suite space in our new building on campus that will also include the Taylor Institute and Innovation Hub. This new suite will include state-of-the-art smart rooms for virtual interviewing, conferencing, guest speakers, mentoring programs, and much more. The OCS in its new location will provide a welcoming environment that greatly enhances our campus by providing a much-needed state-of-the-art facility to our growing student body and fulfill our collective vision of an enriched career services program. It will also help to create greater access to the many speakers and relationships affiliated with the Taylor Institute; increase alumni engagement via student mentoring programs, mock interview sessions, and speaking opportunities; facilitate local business community engagement; and improve overall organizational efficiency and outcomes.
The OCS Mission Statement states: the Office of Career Strategies supports current and past students. We work every day to connect our undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni through collaboration, mentoring, and global networking. Always considering the future and the next steps of our students’ professional paths, we provide the tools so they can reach their professional goals.
For more information about the activities of the Office of Career Strategies, please contact Ebonie Rayford, M.Ed., Assistant Dean of Student Life and Career Strategy, or Leslie Tedoldi '18, Project Manager for Academic Affairs and Advancement.