Georgia State is a participating institution of the University Innovation Alliance, which is made up of 11 major public research universities. Together, this group of universities make up about 22 percent of all undergraduate students enrolled at research schools.
The UIA received a $2.4 million grant from the Strada Education Network to be used at the discretion of the alliance.
At Georgia State, the grant is meant to help the University Career Services, specifically with the College to Career Pathway program.
According to Catherine Neiner, director of Career Services, a College to Career Pathway is “coursework combined with activities such as internships or research that a student follows to achieve his or her goal.”
“This will help students graduate on time with as little debt as possible as well as be career ready,” Neiner said. “Students can be intentional and strategic about the courses they take and the activities they engage in.”
Ryan Maltese, project director and fellow for the UIA, considers the pathway program to be the first step towards a student’s career journey that allows them to understand the value in their journey towards a degree and career.
“What you do throughout your undergraduate experience are steps along the way that prepare you for what ultimately you want to be as your career,” Maltese said.
The program provides resources for students who are looking to connect their college curriculum to their career search.
“We’ve dedicated a number of resources in the career readiness space across all of the campuses, two year and four year, and are supporting those initiatives with grant funding and with university funding,” Maltese said.
In the opinion of Maltese, the ultimate goal of the Career Services’ College to Career Pathway is to help students identify opportunities that they’re already a part of.
That’s along with preparing them in career readiness so that they are able to showcase their skills and experience in a way that will increase their likelihood of being hired when they sit in front of a prospective employer.
Maltese also mentioned how the Georgia State’s provision of Portfolium is also a component of the career preparation initiative. Portfolium is a student success and social media platform for students to display their past academic work and achievements as well as get in touch with employers and businesses.
“The Strada funding is for a new college to career initiative. This is a different initiative than previous or current UIA scale projects happening at Georgia State,” Jamie Seger, design lead for the Bridging the Gap from Education to Employment project, funded by Strada, said.
The program focuses on helping students who may not have the resources to achieve what they want in college.
“The UIA focus on serving low income, first generation students and other underserved populations of students. The project is currently focusing on undergraduate students,” Seger said.
According to Neiner, “The grant will help us enhance the work [Georgia State is] already doing and will allow us to be more innovative than traditional.”
“Without a doubt, the impact of the work this grant is supporting will last well into future generations of Georgia State students,” said Neiner.
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