Earlier this year, Academic Affairs introduced a new regional model for academic advising and career coaching as part of the Student Experience Project (SEP). Designed to better connect advising and career coaching through a regional model, the new structure ensures students receive coordinated support throughout their academic journey and into their careers.

This month, Academic Affairs reached another milestone by posting eight new Career Coach I positions across the three regions. These positions represent a significant investment in career development and will help expand students’ access to career coaching across the university.

Expanding access to career coaching

As part of the regional model, Academic Affairs evaluated student-to-career-coach ratios to ensure students have greater access to career support throughout their time at the university. The eight new career coaching positions were distributed across the three regions using a process similar to the one used for academic advising, creating a more balanced allocation of coaching resources across campus.

Career development is most effective when it begins early, rather than only as students prepare to graduate. Expanding career coaching capacity allows students to connect their academic experiences with career exploration, experiential learning, internships, and long-term career planning from the start of their university experience.

Building a more coordinated student experience

Each region has a dedicated career success director who reports to the region’s senior director of advising and career success. This structure places advising and career coaching under shared regional leadership, supporting closer coordination between the two functions.

The Early Career Coaching team will continue to report directly through U Career Success. That team and the regional career coaching teams will work in close partnership to provide coordinated, high-quality career support throughout students’ time at the university.

Students benefit when academic advising and career coaching work together. Academic advisors help students navigate degree requirements, academic planning and university resources, while career coaches help students connect those academic experiences to career exploration, experiential learning and life after graduation. Together, they provide coordinated guidance that supports both academic achievement and career readiness.

Looking ahead

Implementation of the regional model will continue throughout the coming months. In addition to expanding career coaching capacity, teams are developing a career ladder for career coaching professionals, identifying shared measures of success, and establishing common practices that will support consistency and professional growth across the regional coaching teams.

These efforts reflect the broader goals of the Student Experience Project: creating a more connected student support system where advising, career coaching, navigational support, communications, technology, scholarship processes, and other student-facing services work together to help every student succeed. We look forward to sharing additional updates on this work and the impact it is having on the student experience.