IUP’s Career and Professional Development Center Finds a New Home on Campus

Creating meaningful connections with students, begins with inviting them to a welcoming environment. This past fall semester, IUP’s Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) made an exciting move to a brand-new space. This newly renovated office suite includes individual offices for staff, a collaborative office for graduate assistants, a workshop space for student workers, mock interview and career coaching rooms, a conference room, a media room for presentations, and a common area with couches and tables open for students. Located centrally on campus within Stabley Library, the new office location positions our services at the heart of the campus and has afforded us newfound visibility and accessibility for students.

Since the move, our team has introduced the space to students through events. The suite accommodates staples in our programming, such as our monthly Professional Panel Series, which allows students to interact with professionals from a rotating focus on different industries. The wide-open space, tables, and couches have also enabled us to create events that allow students more informal interactions with CPDC staff members and their peers with our new program series: Coffee and Career Conversations. Increasing the students’ interaction with the space and the staff helps them feel safe and encouraged to make appointments to explore their career-related questions.

Beyond structured programming, the CPDC has encouraged students to take advantage of the common area to relax, study, and feel connected to the space. Students are welcome during all hours of our operation, not just when they have an appointment on their calendars. Although our team has enjoyed the new space, the move has been student-centered in its purpose and everyday operation.

Bennett Nesley

Graduate Assistant

Indiana University of Pennsylvania