Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development
New $15,000 internship scholarship awarded for first time
The Student Affairs Internship Fund provides students with financial support and helps them thrive while pursuing unpaid internships they may not otherwise be able to experience. This summer, the Fleishman Center awarded 40 students funds ranging in amounts from $500 to $3,000. However, through the support of an anonymous donor, the Fleishman Center was this year also able to award biological sciences student Shannon Borucke $15,000 in funding to allow participation in a wetlands restoration internship at Pae Pae O He’eia in Oahu, Hawaii. Borucke was selected due to her academic achievements, career aspirations, financial needand overall application to the Student Affairs Internship Fund. The $15,000 marked the first award of such a significant amount, and will be offered every year as a result of the new, anonymous funding.
Global Summit international innovation award for Career Champions
The Fleishman Center’s Annual Career Champions Program recognizes the critical role faculty and staff play in laying the foundation for students’ career success. Students nominate champions, detailing how they influenced the student’s career path, and nominees are invited to a reception where they are recognized for their commitment to creating a “transformative learning community that prepares students for advanced education, careers and purposeful living.” The third annual Career Champions Event was held in November 2017, with a 202 percent increase in unique nominations and a 295 percent increase in total nominations. Due to the program’s uniqueness and continued success, the Career Champions Program received an award for Innovation at the 2018 Global Career Services Summit held in the U.K. in March.
Connections for Success Retreat
Connections for Success Retreat, a Fleishman Center signature program, was recognized in March 2018 by NASPA with the Excellence Award Silver Certificate in the Careers, Academic Advising and Support, and Related category. The program is designed to engage sophomore students — a traditionally underserved campus population — in enriching personal, professional and leadership experiences. This weekend-long program, held off campus, is led by alumni and employers who develop interactive sessions to help students gain leadership and professional skills. To avoid financial barriers and welcome all students to participate in the retreat, the program is free of charge and gives priority to first-generation college students within the Educational Opportunity Program and TRIO Student Support Services. Fleishman Center staff presented details of the retreat, positive student outcomes of student-alumni collaboration and ways to adapt this program to different campus environments and budgets at the 2018 NASPA Annual Conference held in March.
Handshake implementation and increase in postings
The Fleishman Center implemented a new career management platform, hireBING powered by Handshake, just prior to the fall 2017 semester. In just one year, the new platform allowed the Fleishman Center to grow its employer base and job and internship postings exponentially, leading to a 564 percent increase in new employer access requests and a 225 percent increase in the number of job and internship postings. Nearly 6,000 internships and 18,000 jobs are posted annually in hireBING, with over 8,000 employers recruiting Binghamton University students through the system.