Career services leadership and advocacy

Hi, Reader, The hardest institutional systems to change are not always the ones where nothing is working. Sometimes, they are the ones where enough is working. There are successful programs to point to. Participation numbers are growing. Faculty partnerships are producing results. Students who find their way to the right opportunities have genuinely transformative experiences. Those successes matter. But they can also make it harder to see what the institution has not yet built. When leaders...

Hello there, Reader, I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July! While everyone else was watching fireworks this weekend, I found myself getting excited about…an assessment. I realize that probably confirms every stereotype about consultants. 😂 But hear me out. This isn't just another assessment. It's the culmination of years of asking one deceptively simple question: What organizational conditions actually have to exist before a career ecosystem can thrive? Recently, I introduced The Career...

Hi, Reader, Remember playing telephone as a kid? One person whispers a message into someone's ear. By the time it reaches the end of the circle, "The cat is sleeping on the porch" has somehow become "The astronaut ate a grilled cheese sandwich." Sometimes I think colleges and universities play a remarkably sophisticated version of the same game. Only instead of playground gossip, the message sounds something like this: "We need to improve career outcomes." It's a clear institutional priority....

Hi, Reader- Over the years, I've had the same conversation with campus leaders again and again. A president tells me career outcomes are a top priority. A provost describes exciting new initiatives underway. A vice president shares plans to hire additional staff, launch new employer partnerships, or invest in new technology. And all of those things sound promising. The challenge is that many institutions are still struggling to produce the outcomes they want. It’s not for lack of career,...

Hello, Reader, In my recent webinar, Career Strategy in the Accountability Era, someone asked a question that stopped us for a moment. "Can you share examples of institutions with truly high-performing career ecosystems?" I looked at my consulting partner and co-presenter, Judy Anderson. Judy looked at me. Then she said: "I think we're just at the beginning." And honestly, Reader, I agree. We've worked with institutions across the country. We've seen outstanding career centers, innovative...

Hi ya, Reader, Last week, I wrote about the growing accountability pressures facing higher education. Federal policymakers are asking tougher questions about outcomes.States are introducing workforce initiatives and performance-based funding models. Students and families are paying closer attention to return on investment. And institutions are increasingly being compared not only on enrollment, but on what happens after students graduate. The pressure is real. The response has been real, too....

Hello, Reader — Lately I've been asking institutional leaders a simple question: Who actually owns career outcomes? The answers are fascinating. Most people say some version of "everyone." But when you look at organizational structures, budgets, strategic plans, accountability measures, and reporting relationships, a different answer often emerges. Many institutions still operate as though career outcomes belong primarily to the career center. At the exact moment those outcomes are becoming...

Hello, Reader — ‘Tis the season! Commencement season is one of the best parts of higher education. The joy is real. Families cheering wildly for names they absolutely did not hear correctly. Faculty trying to maintain dignity while wearing medieval robes in questionable temperatures. Your senior leaders jumping up and down to House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” Students balancing cords, stoles, honors medallions, and at least one suspiciously tiny bottle of Fireball tucked into a pocket somewhere....

Hello, Reader — Have you noticed? Everyone’s feeling tired. It’s not the kind of tired that disappears after a long weekend or a lighter day. It’s the kind that lingers in the background and quietly reshapes how you work. Decisions take longer. Patience runs thinner. Even routine tasks feel heavier than they should, and the pace that once felt manageable now feels like a constant push. And if you pause for a moment, you’ll likely see that this isn’t just about your team. You’re carrying it,...