Success Beyond Baylor

Year after year, students graduate from Baylor prepared for worldwide leadership and service by a top-tier education. And under the leadership of Executive Director Marjorie Ellis, the Office of Career and Professional Development (CPD) has seen the number of successful post-graduate placements soar. Students who graduated from Baylor during the 2015-16 academic year were employed or accepted to graduate programs at an astonishing rate of 86.5 percent within three months of graduation. That figure has climbed from 66.2 percent since the 2011-12 school year.

“Our goal is to get to 90 percent,” Ellis said. “It may take us a little while, but to see where we’ve come in such a short amount of time, I have no doubt we can meet and surpass 90 percent.”

Recruited to Baylor in 2013, Ellis saw an opportunity to transform CPD into the kind of full-service professional resource center Baylor students and alumni deserve.

“People know you need a career center, but they only think about it on their way out, right before graduation,” she said. “I had the opportunity to design a strategic plan that makes an impact on students from the moment they arrive on campus—not waiting until the last minute, but starting as freshmen—and to be involved throughout their years here.”

The dramatic uptick in post-graduate job placements in recent years underscores the value of a Baylor University education out in the marketplace, CPD’s unwavering commitment to students’ career success beyond Baylor and the efficacy of Ellis’ improvements.

“We are continuing to build a vibrant, dedicated and proactive team in CPD,” said Kevin Nall, director of operations. “We are committed to building relationships with the best employers throughout the United States and beyond, so our students have the opportunity to begin their careers after Baylor wherever they want—whether they’re on to graduate school or that first job.”

“Recent growth allows us to give Baylor students the best R.O.I. [return on investment],” added Carolyn Muska, director of professional development. “I mean the R.O.I. they deserve from a school like Baylor, with a reputation for excellence and attracting the best and the brightest. Growth allows us in CPD to step up our game with innovative and customized services and resources.”

In five years, a CDP staff of only seven has grown to 31 employees, better able to address four distinct areas: career exploration through counseling and career assessment; professional development, including skill-building workshops, mock interviews and campus career fairs; employer relations, bringing top companies to facilitate student interviews and presentations; and alumni career engagement, drawing on the professional experience and insight of a vast and dynamic alumni network to provide personalized consultation, guidance on résumés, job-search strategies and professional branding.

“We are proud because this measurable growth shows that CPD, students, faculty and alumni are working together to better position Baylor students for success when they graduate,” said Adam Kaye, director of employer relations. “These numbers indicate that Baylor’s reputation is growing. As our students start and move through their careers, their many successes are associated with Baylor.”