At Adelphi’s Career Center, the Door Is Now Open to First-Year Students

While other colleges and universities encourage career planning in students' senior year, more and more students are beginning career planning in their first year at Adelphi.

The Adelphi University Center for Career and Professional Development is available to help any student at any time to provide professional development experiences, internships and employment opportunities. Most people assume it's seniors who come through the doors.

But Maria Casey '89, associate director of alumni and graduate student career services, and Thomas Ward '93, assistant vice president for career development and strategic partnerships, have recently noticed an interesting change.

Over the last five to seven years, there has been a noticeable increase in first-year students who have been engaging with the center. "Many students need an on-campus job or an additional part-time job to fund their education, and they want to be prepared for that as soon as possible," Casey said. "They reach out to us to get assistance with career readiness." And for many first-year students, this process begins on day one.

Job Expos and Career Exploration

The Center for Career and Professional Development hosts job and internship expos every year during Adelphi's Orientation Weekend. Specifically targeted at first-year students, these expos highlight on-campus employment opportunities, particularly at on-campus departments with available student worker positions. Last year, 150 students attended the Job Expo. This year, that number increased to more than 250 students, underscoring how this is a growing need and interest among many first-year students. Also during Orientation Weekend, the Center for Career and Professional Development hosts a session specifically for parents, where the team discusses their available services and all the ways they support first-year students. More than 100 parents attended this year's session.

The center's engagement with first-year students extends well beyond Orientation Weekend.

• It partners with the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business Winning Edge Program and meets with its first-year classes, informing students of their services and helping them build their LinkedIn profiles.
• The center also reviews first-year students' résumés, getting them to a place where students can confidently apply for on-campus jobs and internships.
• Additionally, the team encourages first-year students to register for the Internship Preparation Seminar, a 1-credit, pass/fail course that prepares students to apply for and succeed in their first internship experience.

More Internships, More Options

"Jobs that are considered entry level require more and more skills," Casey said. "The more experience that students can acquire with jobs and internships, the better they can position themselves to employers and to showcase their skills and talents."

First-year students aren't just approaching the career center for on-campus opportunities. Many of them are also looking ahead to the future, at post-college careers. Some first-year students, particularly nursing students, head into the center with career tracks and specific plans in mind. Most students, however, utilize the Center for Career and Professional Development to explore different options. "All students are given individualized attention and career support at Adelphi," Casey explained. "What differentiates working with first-years is also navigating the transition to college, the 'pressure' of picking a career and managing all their new responsibilities."

From Work-Study to Career Fairs

The Center for Career and Professional Development isn't just doing things to help first-year students.

• The Center successfully restarted the Panthers with a Purpose Program for work-study students who are interested in working at local nonprofits during the academic year.
• The team also helped revise and refine current campus employment policies and procedures, including enhancing University Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging efforts, to make campus employment opportunities more equitable and accessible for all students.
• Since 2024, the center has hosted five different career fairs.
• It also led the third annual Career Readiness Boot Camp, which was co-sponsored by the Student Affairs Advisory Board, the Faculty in Residence Program and the Graduate Student Council. This event included in-person and virtual sessions on topics such as networking, résumé and LinkedIn profile reviews, and interview preparation. Attendees at this event received professional headshots for their LinkedIn profiles.

Over the years, the center has hosted more than 2,400 career counseling and résumé review sessions for students and alumni. On top of that, a staggering 16,800 employers have posted jobs and internships on Handshake, Adelphi's career portal. "We encourage students to come to the Center for Career and Professional Development early and often!" said Casey. " We want to get to know students and their career interests early on in their time at Adelphi, so we can work together to customize their experience and help them build their résumé specific to their plan."