About Us

Center for Student Professional Development Overview

Our Mission

 

Undergraduate Students

The Center for Student Professional Development, formerly Vanderbilt Career Center, serves undergraduates enrolled full-time in the Blair School of Music, College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering, and Peabody College and also will provide full-services to recent graduates (0-2 years out).

The Center provides many opportunities for students to learn about and explore professional opportunities, including career coaching appointments, workshops, career panels, Industry Career Days, and field trips.

Through exploration, students can begin to identify the right professional fit within the world of work.

To begin mapping out a life direction, students are encouraged to drop by the Center during Coaching Express to meet with one of the professional career coaches or peer career advocates on staff. During this 20-minute session, the staff member assists the student in determining next steps in the exploration process, or, if the student already has a field in mind, will connect the student with one of our Industry Clusters (groups of related industries and/or career fields).

Professional pursuits of Vanderbilt graduates are varied and often not directly tied to a students major. For example, English majors sometimes find themselves in the music industry and Engineering majors find themselves on Wall Street. By providing coaching based on career clusters, students can explore their interests in various fields and see how they can apply what they have learned through their curricular and co-curricular experiences to a field of interest. Additionally, this approach provides students with more targeted information in their life mapping process.

As students begin to develop their professional persona, there are many resources they can leverage through the Center that will help them prepare for the world of work. A key resource is meeting with a Career Coach in a one-on-one coaching appointment where students are supported in their professional development including ways to conduct a strategic internship or job search. The goal is for students to develop their professional toolbox during their four years at the university which will provide a strong foundation to build upon after graduation.

For students not quite clear on their career interests, the Center offers career coaching and resources to assist students with clarification of goals. This process often leads students to explore professional development opportunities through participation in activities offered through the Center.

Graduate Students

The Center for Student Professional Development partners with the Career Development Services office of the Graduate School to provide career resources to graduate students.

The Graduate School offers career services to all PhD, MS, MA, MLAS and MFA students. Additional information including walk-in hours is available on the Graduate School Career Development website.

Additional on-campus resources available to graduate students include:

BRET Office of Career Development
The School of Medicine's Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training (BRET) offers services for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the biomedical and biological sciences.

Owen Career Management Center
For master’s students enrolled at the Owen Graduate School of Management.

Vanderbilt Law School Career Services
For Law School students.

Vanderbilt Peabody Career Services
For students in professional programs (Master’s and Ed.D.) at Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

 

Meet Our Staff

The Center employs staff members to support you in your journey. Below you will find the staff with their titles. Our staff includes individuals dedicated to:

• coaching you in your life path decisions
• establishing relationships with potential employers
• evaluating and implementing the best technology and resources to support you

 

Center Staff:

Cindy Funk Director		Jim Bellar Associate Director		Megan Nicklaus Associate Director
Daravanh Weeks Office Manager		Joy Nobles Office Assistant		Angie Beason Communications Strategist
Anne Reed Assistant Director/Coach		Brook Meissner Assistant Director/Coach		Cathy Weisbrodt Assistant Director/Coach
Dorrie Presson Assistant Director/Coach		Cynthia Washington Assistant Director/Coach		Keilani Goggins Assistant Director/Coach
Nancy Sibole Assistant Director/Coach		Tiffany Franklin Assistant Director/Coach		Tim Grubbs Assistant Director/Coach
Sarah Kittrell Recruiting Coordinator		Grace Janoski Recruiting Coordinator

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Located on the second floor of the Student Life Center, our office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the academic year. Stop by and visit us during our walk-in hours to meet with one of our coaches. View current walk-in times on our homepage.