MAY 2023 — Career Confidence, Change Leadership Toolkit....and More!

Promoting Equity in Higher Education

May 2023

"Career Pathways & Transitions"

Guest Editor Joseph Kitchen, Associate Research Professor

Dear Colleagues,

As another school year closes and we send a new batch of graduates out into the world to pursue their journeys, I reflect on the continued scrutiny, mixed-attitudes, and questions about the value of a college degree from policymakers, the general public — even many students— and what that means for the future of this enterprise. A college education continues to yield significant benefits for degree-earners ranging from higher wages to greater employment opportunities to personal growth and development. Still, recent public opinion surveys show growing skepticism among the American public about the value of a college degree, and it seems not a day goes by without a headline questioning higher ed’s purpose.

As a scholar of higher ed, I'm left wondering where the disconnect is. A Pew Research Center report offers one troubling explanation — only around half of college graduates actually thought their college experience was very useful in preparing for their job or expanding career opportunities.

I argue that the long-term survival and success of higher education depends — in part —on conveying the value of earning a degree and better supporting student development and preparation for meaningful, fulfilling and successful career paths. This newsletter shares promising approaches for better supporting students’ career development gleaned from two major projects: the Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) project and a nationwide study of STEM career aspirations.

With appreciation,

Joseph Kitchen

Associate Research Professor, USC Rossier School of Education and the Pullias Center for Higher Education

An Ecological Approach to Career Development in College

By Joseph Kitchen

Higher education is costly — and it also requires a great deal of time and sacrifice for many students. College educators owe it to students to ensure that they are getting the support they need to make this investment well-worth it.

More needs to be done to support students’ career development during the college years to fully realize the promise of higher education. As part of the Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) study, my colleagues and I have identified one promising model of career development support that rises to this challenge.

Developing and Supporting Students' STEM Career Aspirations

Inspiring the next generation of talent to pursue careers in STEM is a national policy objective, an economic imperative, and an opportunity for students to pursue fulfilling, well-paying careers that meaningfully help solve pressing issues affecting our communities. In support of these aims, Pullias’ Joseph Kitchen has partnered with colleagues at Harvard’s Science Education Department as part of a nationwide NSF-funded study to identify promising STEM initiatives that effectively inspire students’ STEM career aspirations.

Pursuing a lucrative, meaningful career is one important reason why students choose to attend college. Careers in STEM can provide both a well-paying job while also enabling students to leverage STEM knowledge and skills to solve the many challenges that face our communities. Boosting students’ pursuit of STEM careers is also a top priority for policymakers and billions of dollars are spent on STEM education initiatives and interventions with the goal of increasing the number and diversity of students pursuing STEM careers.

SPOTLIGHT

Pullias Expands 'Change Leadership Toolkit' with Support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

The Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California (USC) is launching an expansion of the Change Leadership Toolkit, with a $250,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The Change Leadership Toolkit (CLT) project, initially funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a guide and resource library that helps support institutions in leading systemic change in higher education. With this additional support from the Sloan Foundation, Pullias researchers will be offering a series of professional development webinars tailored specifically to campuses seeking equity-focused, systemic change, using the CLT as a foundation.

Pullias Center and PASS Team Host National Summit Focused on At-Promise Students

More than 60 thought-leaders, policy experts, foundation leaders, researchers and practitioners convened last week at the Pullias Center’s “National Summit on Transformative efforts to support the Postsecondary Success of At-promise Students.” The summit was organized and led by researchers from the Pullias Center’s Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) project, and supported by a grant from the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation.

Adrianna Kezar Shares Views on Assessment in New Podcast

Dr. Adrianna Kezar, Director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education, is featured in a new podcast from Next Generation Assessment (NGA) as part of their Web Bites video series. Dr. Kezar discusses her work at the Pullias Center and the role of assessment in benchmarking and accountability for those institutions that are looking to effect change.

Watch the Podcast

Delphi Award Applications Closing Soon!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to receive $15,000 for your institution!

The annual Delphi Award, now in its sixth year, presents a $15,000 cash award to two universitie s annually that support non-tenure-track, contingent and/or adjunct faculty in pursuing strategic priorities such as student learning and community engagement. The Delphi Award application closes this year on July 14.

Learn more about the Delphi Award, presented by the USC Pullias Center and AAC&U. The Delphi Award is generously sponsored by TIAA Institute.

MORE NEWS

Zoë Corwin, Alan Green, Rafael Angulo (Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work) and Neftalie Williams (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) co-presented findings from their Mattering in the Margins study alongside eight skater-researchers at San Diego State University’s Stoke Sessions: An International Conference on the Culture, History and Politics of Surfing and Skateboarding

González, Á.D.J., Holcombe, E., Elrod, S., & Kezar, A., (2023, April 3). Transforming Higher Education through an Ecosystem Model of Systemic Change Leadership. Academic Leader. https://www.academic-leader.com/topics/leadership/transforming-higher-education-through-an-ecosystem-model-of-systemic-change-leadership/

Royel M. Johnson is co-editor of a new special issue of Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, “Expanding our Understanding of Student Experiences and the Supports and Programs for College Students with Foster Care Experience”

Kitchen, J.A. (2023). Developing low-income college students’ sense of belonging. The role of validation. Journal of College Student Development, 64(2).

Jordan Harper was interviewed and quoted in The Harvard Crimson article “‘Undervalued, but Highly Utilized’: CAs, TFs, and the Quality of a Harvard Education”

Elif Yucel is a recipient of USC’s Grayson and Judith Manning Endowed Fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year.

THE PULLIAS CENTER FOR

HIGHER EDUCATION

Promoting Equity in Higher Education

pullias.usc.edu

The World's Leading Research Center on Student Access and Success in Higher Education