Hello, alumni! I have been at Kentucky Wesleyan just under two years now and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your welcome and for your help. You have all been wonderful! As we approach the beginning of a new academic year, I wanted to take the time to share a few updates from my office with you.
Last year (2018-2019), we started a program called Wesleyan into the World. This program is mainly for juniors but we have also invited seniors to participate. Its purpose is to help students prepare for the “real world” after Wesleyan, not only in their careers, but for life in general. Many of you have volunteered for this program and offered guidance for our students in areas including financial planning, renting an apartment/buying a house, purchasing a vehicle, applying for graduate school, entrepreneurship, etiquette in the workplace and more. This program takes place at the beginning of January each year and has been extremely well-received by students. With your continued assistance, I am hopeful we can grow this into a flagship program for our institution.
Another new program we’ve introduced is The Wesleyan Edge. This initiative was launched this past fall with freshman and will be a four-year plan. We provide students with steps to be completed each year and reward them for completion. For example, when a student completes freshman year requirements, they earn a $500 grant toward tuition in sophomore year. Last year, 43 freshman completed the requirements and will continue moving forward in the program as sophomores. More information on The Wesleyan Edge can be found by CLICKING HERE.
Lastly, we are excited to announce that this summer we will be launching Handshake. Handshake is a career management program designed specifically with colleges and universities in mind. It allows the institution and students to organize the job search, track programs, make appointments and post/view jobs and is completely free for employers to use. If your employer uses Handshake, please add Kentucky Wesleyan as one of the schools you choose when posting. It will be important for students to see promising opportunities if we want them to actively engage with the system. Once we officially launch, we will follow up with additional information. In the meantime, employer information can be found by CLICKING HERE.
As we move forward and navigate this world of uncertainty, your help will continue to be invaluable. The format of this academic year’s career development programs is still taking shape, and I appreciate your willingness to continue to give back, as well as your flexibility. Hopefully next year, in-person programs will return in a big way, and your continued engagement will be vital and appreciated. Thank you for all your support and remember to “Hire a Panther!”
Sincerely,
Deb Jones
Director of Career Development
270-852-3302
deborah.jones@kwc.edu