FSB Careers Commons created to further enhance student outcomes
An old space has new purpose as Farmer School of Business Career Development expands reach
FSB Careers Commons created to further enhance student outcomes
When students returned to Farmer School of Business this semester, they quickly noticed that the east wing of the Forsythe Commons is being turned into the new Career Commons for the Farmer School of Business Career Development Office.
Jenny Darroch, Farmer School Dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership, explained, “We want to make a statement to anyone who walks into FSB that we mean it when we say we focus on employability and ROI. That is why we placed the Career Commons at the front entrance of FSB. Our Beyond Ready commitment means that we will do everything we can to prepare and position our students for success. The Careers Commons is designed to more actively engage our students earlier in the career exploration process and to encourage students to build more meaningful relationships with employers, our careers staff, and each other, along the way.”
“The Career Commons is a reflection of the university's commitment to the “careers everywhere” strategy. We want parents and prospective students to see that commitment when they tour FSB. We want our students to regularly recognize this commitment as well and enjoy the space we created to help them engage with specialists who will help them grow and develop their careers,” Schweinfurth Director of Career Development Michael Webb said.
“When we have employers in, they will now use the Career Commons. When we have workshops that are career related, they too will now be in the Career Commons. When a department wants to host an activity that's career related, that space is open to them,” Webb said. “We specifically designed the layout and the furniture selections to not only be comfortable but be rearrangeable so we can meet a variety of employer, faculty, and staff needs.”
While installing doors and windows may give the appearance of a closed-off or private area, Webb said that when there is not an event or formal workshop, the space will continue to be available for students to lounge in, do homework and group work, and will have a small selection of complimentary snacks.
“The dean has made a commitment to be one of the nation’s top business schools, and in order to do that, we need to prepare our students completely and as much as possible to compete,” he said. “We developed the Career Commons because we wanted to have a space where we can welcome employers and give them the opportunity to show just how wonderful our students are.”
