Greetings from the director
As the new director of Career Services, I am pleased to present our annual report, the 2023-2024 Academic Year in Review. Our department’s mission is clear: to empower Redbirds in achieving professional success through comprehensive resources, valuable experiences, and strategic industry connections. As a result of the determination and persistence of those we serve and collaborate with, we remain steadfast in supporting Redbirds on their journey to achieving their career-centric goals.
This year marked a significant period of reflection and refinement for our team. We reevaluated our approach and developed new mission, vision, and value statements that better guide our efforts. Our focus in this report is to demonstrate how we continue preparing Redbirds for the next steps in their career paths by integrating the foundational career-readiness principles into all aspects of our work.
As leaders in the field of career services, we continue to uphold the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ core competencies as our framework for career readiness. This ensures that our programs and initiatives remain at the forefront of industry standards.
We are committed to delivering exceptional career support and fostering meaningful connections that propel Redbirds toward their professional goals. Your dedication to connecting with our Redbird community, providing learning opportunities, and hiring early career talent throughout the past academic year has been invaluable, and we look forward to further collaboration as we strive for excellence and mutual success. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.
Sincerely,
Quanisha Kumi-Darfour ’06
Quanisha Kumi-Darfour ’06
Mission
We empower and support Redbirds to achieve their professional goals by providing resources, experiences, and industry connections.
Vision
Redbirds contribute to an evolving global society through integrated career development and preparation experiences.
Values
Our values embody the importance of the differing perspectives of our constituents. We draw from the varied lived experiences of our students, employers, campus partners, and alumni. We aspire to create an environment that reflects our society with transparency and accountability in our services, resources, and processes to strengthen our influence on the Redbird community and beyond. As such, we have identified the following values in Career Services:
Collaboration: We are dedicated to working effectively to support Redbirds in their career goals by seeking diverse perspectives and remaining eager to forge meaningful relationships with internal and external partners.
Innovation: We foster an environment where creative ideas and diverse viewpoints are shared, thoughtfully considered, and intentionally applied to adapt processes and services to be inclusive, welcoming, and effective in empowering ourselves and others to succeed.
Learning and Development: As educators and learners, we seek and provide accessible career resources and experiences to equip the Redbird community and beyond with the skills and passion for lifelong growth and development.
Quality: We are committed to ensuring our services align with the needs of students, alumni, employers, and the University community. We strive for accuracy and measurable results by seeking feedback and adapting processes to ensure all constituents find value in our services.