Career Development Social Showcases Collaborative Success

October 4, 2016, @ 8:00 AM

The Career Development Staff from across the LVAIC community gathered with colleagues from across Berks county for a social networking event on Thursday, September 29 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Fogelsville. These professionals ranged from graduate assistants to office managers to directors. The evening included a “campus spirit raffle,” for which attendees each offered a swag item from their home campus and won an item from a different attending campus.

Attendees represented Alvernia University, Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Kutztown University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Morvian College, Penn State University, and Reading Area Community College.

These same campuses gather annually with partners from Lehigh Carbon Community College, Albright College, Muhlenberg College, and Northampton Community College to plan and execute the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Career Expo, the region’s largest career fair, which is marking its 16th year this February. This group also meets on a monthly basis to share best practices, coordinate calendars, plan joint professional development programs, and share information about career planning resources.

“One of the most meaningful and beneficial opportunities for me, as a Career Development professional, is to discuss my field with like minded colleagues/peers,” explains Kristin Eicholtz, Director of the Career Development Center at DeSales University. “It is a way to celebrate each others’ accomplishments, share best practices, and let one another know we are not alone with our challenges.  One of the best things our schools could have done, was form a local professional development group.  Last Thursday’s LVAIC/BERKS Career Center social was such a fantastic kick-off to many good planning sessions and meetings to come.  It enabled me to catch up with colleagues I hadn’t seen in a long time, while meeting new individuals who have joined the local career center family.  The ‘school spirit swap’ during the social was a fun way to get some ‘swag’ from each others’ schools and the follow up list of attendees, their schools, and position titles will be very helpful in future planning and discussions.”