The Ohio State University opened the Career Center of Excellence earlier this year, a university-wide initiative designed to enhance and coordinate career services for undergraduate students, according to a May 6 announcement.
The new center seeks to better prepare students for life after graduation by improving access to resources and connecting them with industry partners. Tricia Zelaya-Leon, senior director of the center, said her goal is for every student to feel they are getting a customized experience. “Every student has a hope for their career journey, and we want them to feel like they’re getting a customized experience,” she said.
There are currently 17 career services offices across campus that provide in-person support, along with Career Studios offered by the Office of Student Life. Zelaya-Leon said the new center does not replace these offices but supports their work by developing standards for all students related to career development and industry connections. “There is nuance to be found within each of those career centers,” she said. “They are the experts for business students or engineering students. We want to develop standards that Ohio State has for all students related to career development and industry connection.”
Zelaya-Leon acknowledged that it is a challenging time for graduates entering the job market due to advances in artificial intelligence and global instability. “We have an obligation to be responsive to that,” she said. “Career services folks have always been helping to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet.” The center plans direct collaboration with industry partners so it can anticipate changing workforce needs.
While not directly student-facing, many resources developed by the Career Center of Excellence target student needs—such as Handshake, an online platform connecting employers with job seekers at Ohio State—and encourage use of faculty guidance as well as peer coaches trained on campus. “You need parents to give guidance,” Zelaya-Leon said. “We talk about parents as partners in this. Peer coaches that we train. And faculty, faculty are where students say they get the most career guidance.” She also highlighted alumni engagement: “We have more than 630,000 living alumni,” she said. “And they’re the best… How do we do that in a way that’s a good use of their time and the students’?”
The Career Center forms part of broader efforts at The Ohio State University—which operates six campuses statewide—to support academic success through facilities such as arts centers and recreation complexes while pursuing its land-grant mission through affordable education, research innovation, community outreach programs including pediatric cancer fundraising initiatives and annual global service trips according to the official website.
Zelaya-Leon concluded: “This is what the Buckeye experience will be for all students… It’s thoughtful of career but it’s also thoughtful of each student and their unique needs. It’s not one-size-fits-all.”