Exploring Careers and Designing a Life of Consequence

An ardent believer and advocate of the value of a liberal arts education, Dr. Lawrence believes that a liberal arts education in a residential college setting provides the most transformative experience and prepares students to engage in a productive life of purpose. It helps students develop core skills that transcend fields and fosters agility and adaptability. Students educated in the tradition of the liberal arts can solve complex problems creatively, think critically, communicate effectively, and act ethically even in trying circumstances. This holistic approach to education challenges students to create their path for constructive contributions to the world at large and to be responsible global citizens. In her work as provost at Augustana College, Dr. Lawrence was instrumental in the creation of CORE (Careers Opportunities Research Exploration) Center. The primary rationale for establishing CORE was to ensure equity and access to opportunities for all students. The mission of CORE was to offer student-centered learning experiences that help students discover their purpose and passions and connect them to their career aspirations. Dr. Lawrence and her team completely revamped the traditional career development model. They moved away from a transactional model of career services to an educational and developmental model of professional development. The focus was on fostering exploration of one’s interests and passions and helping students experience opportunities as they actively designed their experiences to build towards a life of consequence. The programming offered by CORE was also woven into the work of other offices and organizations such as multi-cultural student programming, first-year experience, and AugieFirst programming, team events for athletics, and other organizations to ensure maximum access and participation.

The broader vision that Dr. Lawrence and her colleagues developed for the Office of Career Development that worked in tandem with the academic departments was to foremost create a place that supported students in learning and discovering who they are and called to be. Secondly, in preparing students over the four years to secure their first full-time job or graduate school placement in their senior year or upon graduation, and finally, to build a lifelong relationship with the alumni and actively support them throughout their careers.

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