Arts Careers: Enhancing Student Support

TitleArts Careers: Enhancing Student Support
Faculty/College/UnitArts
StatusCompleted
Duration3 Years
Initiation04/01/2003
Completion03/31/2006
Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2003/2004
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorMargery Fee
Year 1: Funded Amount67,450
Year 1: Team Members

Margery Fee, Associate Dean, Students, Faculty of Arts
Una Walsh, Acting Director, Career Services
Julie Walchli, Director, Arts Co-op Program, Faculty of Arts

Year 1: Summary

The Faculty of Arts, in collaboration with UBC Career Services and the Arts Co-op Program, seeks to expand career resources and services to students throughout the Faculty by phasing in a series of options for junior and senior students over the next three years. Our goal is to better support student development by providing a range of flexible and comprehensive career resource options available to a very large number of students in Arts.

In the first year, we will add more flexibility to our co-op program by introducing a Co-op Internship option that would offer students a single work experience of four, eight, or twelve months. The Internship is aimed at senior undergraduates who did not opt for the full co-op program in their second year. We will also hire two senior co-op students who would: consult widely with Arts students to determine the kinds of career resources they would like; research other models in North American universities; plan and implement career skills workshops and a career speakers series; offer drop-in career advising to Art students within Buchanan Building. The students will work closely with Career Services and other campus partners on all activities (including Career Expo, Beyond the BA, as well as new initiatives) to enhance and expand career resources for the large body of Arts students, not to duplicate those already offered through Career Services, AMS, JobLink, and other campus groups.

In Years 2 and 3 we would expand these initiatives to include: a tri-mentoring program, through which an Arts alumnus would be matches with a senior undergraduate, who would in turn be matched with a junior student, planned in coordination with the Mentoring Manager in Career Services; in partnership with Career Services, implement an “Arts Career Kiosk” in a high visibility area in Buchanan Building (perhaps the foyer of A200 or outside Arts Academic Advising) to be a hub of career resources in Arts; build on the Career Resources currently offered on the Arts Co-op and Career Services web sites to offer comprehensive information for students in all arts disciplines; begin a student-run “Careers in Arts” publication; and contribute to the AUS’s 4-year Community Plan.

Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2004/2005
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorMargery Fee
Year 2: Funded Amount60,000
Year 2: Team Members

Margery Fee, Associate Dean, Students, Faculty of Arts
Linda Alexander, Director, Career Services
Julie Walchli, Director, Arts Co-op Program, Faculty of Arts
Susanne Goodison, Associate Director, Arts Student Development, Faculty of Arts

Year 2: Summary

The Faculty of Arts, in collaboration with UBC Career Services, Arts Academic Advising, and the Arts Co-op Program, seeks a second year of funding to continue to expand career resources and services to students throughout the Faculty by phasing in a series of options for junior and senior students over the next two years. Our goal is to better support student development by providing a range of flexible and comprehensive career resource options available to a very large number of students in Arts that are sustainable in the long-run.

We are on track with the plans and goals outlined in our TLEF proposal last year. Specifically: we have modified admission requirements to the Arts Co-op Program to make it available to senior undergraduate Arts students, and anticipate a higher number of placements this year as result; two co-op students were hired in September to consult widely with Arts students to determine the kinds of career resources they would like, research other models in North American universities, and plan and implement new career initiatives in Arts. We anticipate launching a Career Kiosk, mentoring program, improved career information on the Arts web site, and are exploring an Arts career course in Year 2.

Year 3: Project YearYear 3
Year 3: Funding Year2005/2006
Year 3: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 3: Principal InvestigatorJohn Cooper
Year 3: Funded Amount16,887
Year 3: Team Members

John Cooper, Associate Dean, Students, Faculty of Arts
Linda Alexander, Director, Career Services
Julie Walchli, Director, Arts Co-op Program, Faculty of Arts
Wendy Trigg, Director, Arts Academic Advising, Faculty of Arts

Year 3: Summary

During the 2003/04 year, the Faculty of Arts, in collaboration with UBC Career Services, Arts Academic Advising, and the Arts Co-op Program, sought to expand current career resources and services to students by developing customized and new programs for students throughout the Faculty phased in over a three year period. Our goal was to build on and enhance current campus resources and expertise by providing a range of flexible and comprehensive career resource options tailored to the needs of a very large number of students in Arts, while developing resources within the faculty to sustain the programs over time.

In the first year (2003/04), two senior co-op students undertook the foundational work for the project. They consulted widely with Arts students to determine the kinds of career resources they would like; researched other models in North American universities; and planned three programs to respond to students' needs and best practices. In the second year (2004/05), the Faculty implemented three new initiatives in partnership with UBC Career Services, the Arts Co-op Program, and Arts Academic Advising: a tri-mentoring program, through which 20 Arts alumni were matched with 20 senior undergraduates, who were in tum matched with 20 junior students; an Arts Career Information Kiosk in a high visibility area in Buchanan Building (the foyer of A200 or outside Arts Academic Advising) to provide a hub of career resources for Arts students which is staffed by 15 Arts student volunteers; and a Careers in Arts website to offer comprehensive information for students in all Arts disciplines.

A final year of funding is imperative to enable us to evaluate the success of the three pilot projects, adapt and expand them accordingly, plan for further resources (such as tri-mentorship programs aimed at International students and First Nations students in Arts, a for-credit careers course, and expanded Career Information Kiosk services), and plan for the integration of these projects in existing Faculty of Arts positions in Arts Academic Advising and/or the Arts Co-op Program art of a larger Faculty visioning exercise enabled by planned renovations to the Buchanan complex.