CCE launches Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program

Career readiness does not begin when students start applying for jobs. At WashU, it is increasingly becoming part of the learning experience itself.

The Center for Career Engagement (CCE) recently completed the pilot year of its Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program, an initiative designed to help faculty integrate career development directly into their courses. With a second cohort already underway, the program is helping students connect what they learn in the classroom with the skills, experiences and confidence they need to navigate life after graduation.

“We’re creating a career ecosystem that brings everyone together—faculty members, advisers, coaches, and other WashU community members who care about students’ career success,” said Director of Academic Partnerships Nan Barnes. “We’re building partnerships that make that kind of integration possible.”

The program helps faculty partner with CCE professionals to embed career development into coursework, creating academic partnerships that link disciplinary learning with career competencies. The effort reflects a university-wide approach to ensuring that career thinking becomes part of students’ academic journey rather than an activity that happens separately from it.

“The overall goal of our academic partnerships is to create meaningful points of connection between academic content and career competencies,” explained Barnes.

The overall goal of our academic partnerships is to create meaningful points of connection between academic content and career competencies.

– Director of Academic Partnerships Nan Barnes

Molly Thompson, assistant director of academic partnerships, said those connections create opportunities for students to more intentionally reflect on their growth and future goals.

“What excites me most is that students will have more moments to pause and say, ‘This is what I’m learning. This is what I’m good at, and this is one next step I could take to keep developing,’” Thompson said. “That kind of reflection can be incredibly empowering.”

The initiative grew out of a comprehensive needs assessment conducted across WashU’s academic divisions to identify opportunities for collaboration and areas where students needed additional support. From that work emerged two strategic priorities: the Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program and the Career Partners Network.

A measurable impact in the classroom

During its pilot year, the fellows program reached 154 students across participating courses. Of those students, 114 completed both pre- and post-assignment surveys that measured changes in career confidence, understanding and engagement.

The findings were encouraging. Students reported growth across a range of career competencies, with communication emerging as the most frequently developed skill (95 responses), followed by professionalism (84), self-awareness (77), leadership (63) and critical thinking (57).

I think this assignment reminded me of my transferable strengths, which gave me the confidence I had been lacking recently.

– Maya Tharoo, student

Survey data also showed increases in students’ career confidence, understanding of career pathways and perception that their education was preparing them for future opportunities.

Perhaps most notably, 85% of students said they found career-related assignments beneficial when integrated into academic coursework, and 79%, indicated they would like to see more career-focused assignments incorporated into future classes.

Student feedback underscored the value of the experience.

“I think this assignment reminded me of my transferable strengths, which gave me the confidence I had been lacking recently,” said student Maya Tharoo.

Students also identified areas they would like to see incorporated into future coursework, with interview practice, networking, professional communication, job search strategies and resume development topping the list.

Partnerships across disciplines

Practical examples of this integration are already emerging across disciplines.

Joe Jez, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Spencer T. Olin Professor in Biology and a member of the inaugural cohort of Career Innovation Faculty Fellows, collaborated with the CCE’s career coaching team to design and review an interview-based assignment, providing students with hands-on experience articulating their skills and interests.

English faculty member, Heather McPherson, also an inaugural Career Innovation Faculty Fellow, incorporated publishing assignments to help students translate personal interests and academic learning into a coherent professional narrative. 

Meanwhile, three faculty members in Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering—Ray Ehrhard, Marcus Foston, and Trent Silbaugh—integrated career-focused assignments into their courses, guiding students through key stages of the career development process: self-reflection on values and skills, networking with professionals, and navigating the job search process.

“These examples illustrate how academic partnerships are helping students see the career relevance of their classroom experiences, reinforcing that career readiness is not a separate process, but an extension of their academic journey,” said Barnes.

Thompson said the impact extends beyond individual assignments, helping students recognize skills they are already developing throughout their academic experiences.

“This approach helps students feel seen and supported at multiple points in their journey,” Thompson said. “It also gives them language for the skills and strengths they’re already developing, which can build confidence and clarity as they think about their futures.”

Building a campus-wide network

The CCE is expanding those efforts through the launch of the Career Partners Network, a community of faculty and staff committed to advancing career engagement across WashU.

The network provides members with access to a growing library of career-focused resources and tools, while also creating opportunities for faculty and staff to share successful practices, collaborate on initiatives and contribute new content that supports student career development.

By fostering partnerships between educators and career professionals, the CCE is creating a sustainable framework for weaving professional growth into the academic fabric of the university.

– Director of Academic Partnerships Nan Barnes

“By fostering partnerships between educators and career professionals, the CCE is creating a sustainable framework for weaving professional growth into the academic fabric of the university,” said Barnes. “The effort not only prepares students for life after graduation but also strengthens the culture of exploration across campus—encouraging students to view their coursework as a space for discovering purpose, values and pathways beyond the classroom.”

Together, the Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program and the Career Partners Network represent a broader vision for career development at WashU, one that positions career readiness as a shared responsibility and creates meaningful connections between learning, reflection and future opportunity.