Carson College career readiness program receives recognition

The Carson College of Business Career Amplifier program and Michelle Chapman received an honorable mention from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) for their 2024 Career Readiness Award.

According to NACE, the honor is awarded to an individual or office for innovative best practices that support and promote the incorporation of career readiness competencies to prepare students and alumni for careers or internships.

The Career Amplifier is a required cocurricular program for Carson College majors managed by Michelle Chapman in the Carson Center for Student Success. Chapman, assistant director for student success and career development at the center, said the college competed with more than 60 institutions from across the country, including many major universities, to earn the prestigious achievement.

"The National Association of Colleges and Employers is the guiding force for career development in the nation," Chapman said. "One of the things they do is seek out colleges or universities that are doing incredible work helping students gain career competencies."

Chapman said the Amplifier program is developed from a subset of NACE competencies including communication, leadership, professionalism, and career and self-development. Students progress through the program by attending university events and other engagement opportunities and earn their business degrees on a concurrent schedule.

"We have workshops, programs, events, and activities that are a part of the program, and then the student gets to choose what part they want to do," Chapman said.

Chapman said the program ensures students will leave WSU with the career readiness competencies and soft skills needed to achieve their goals and excel in their careers.

"If we arm our students with that information before they leave us, when they're in the workforce, they make strides and create a brand for the quality of Carson graduates," she said. "Not only are our students getting hired but they're so outstanding, employers start to seek them out."

NACE is a national association of 17,000 college services professionals, including hundreds of colleges and universities.