CCPD Strategic Plan 2025–2028

Advancing Career Readiness Through the Liberal Arts: Building a Career Ecosystem

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Why Now ~ The Three Pillars ~ Implementation Timeline ~ Research and Resources

Kalamazoo College doesn’t just prepare students for the job market: we prepare them for a world in motion. In an era of rapid change and rising skepticism about higher education, students and families want more than promises. They want to see how a liberal arts education leads to real opportunity, meaningful work, and lifelong adaptability. They expect colleges to connect learning with life after graduation.

This plan is how we do that.

We believe every student should leave Kalamazoo College with the clarity, confidence, and connections they need to lead lives of purpose and impact. A liberal arts education at K builds this foundation by fostering critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration, and intercultural competence. These core learning outcomes reflect not only the College’s Institutional Learning Outcomes, but also national career readiness expectations, including the competencies outlined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Today, however, students and families increasingly want to understand how these strengths connect to life after college.

We will strengthen students’ career readiness—not by reducing the liberal arts to job training, but by showing how the K experience leads to adaptable, meaningful careers.

Over the next three years, we will strengthen students’ career readiness—not by reducing the liberal arts to job training, but by demonstrating how the K experience leads to adaptable, meaningful careers. We envision a future where career development is not an optional add-on, but a shared, integrated part of campus culture. This strategic direction reimagines the role of the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD). No longer a standalone service, the CCPD will operate as a “career connections center”, a dynamic hub that expands access to real-world opportunities through partnerships with faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and community members.

It’s not just a shift in strategy but a shift in how we think about our role. It’s about building the conditions for students to succeed, rather than convincing them to show up.

Why Now?

Higher education is undergoing rapid transformation. Colleges nationwide are grappling with the twin challenges of a shifting job market and the looming demographic and enrollment cliffs. As expectations shift, institutions must clearly demonstrate the value they offer—especially when it comes to career outcomes and support.

Optional or ‘opt-in’ models of career services often leave students behind, particularly those without strong networks, prior exposure to professional norms, or the confidence to seek support independently. When support is inconsistent or inaccessible, first-generation and underrepresented students are significantly less likely to receive mentoring, alumni connections, or internships. These gaps matter. Research shows that integrating career advising early and equitably throughout a student’s college journey is essential to boosting retention, belonging, and post-graduate success (Advising Success Network, 2021). 

Integrating career learning early, often, and equitably is no longer optional. It’s essential. 

What’s more, young professionals who feel unprepared for post-college life experience greater levels of stress and disengagement. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 51% of young professionals report needing help for emotional or mental health problems in the past year, with 43% screening positive for anxiety and 31% for depression. Nearly 40% said their college did not prepare them for the emotional or behavioral impact of transitioning to the workplace (Gray & Gatta, 2022). Embedding career learning into the student experience—early, often, and equitably—is critical not only for outcomes, but for well-being. In short: integrating career learning early, often, and equitably is no longer optional. It’s essential. 

A Strategic Shift: From Career Center to Career Ecosystem 

Rather than relying on an outdated “opt-in” approach to career development, this plan builds a campus-wide career ecosystem grounded in High Impact Career Practices: proven activities that significantly increase students’ post-graduate success. According to the 2023 National Alumni Career Mobility (NACM) report, alumni who engaged during college in practices such as building a career plan, networking with employers, and having an internship, were two to six times more likely to report positive career mobility (Career Leadership Collective & Lightcast, 2023). These findings show why career development must be integrated early and equitably not as an isolated service, but a shared institutional commitment. 

This shift mirrors a broader movement in higher education: transitioning from siloed, optional career services to integrated, institution-wide career ecosystems that connect learning with life beyond college (Podany, 2023). 

This strategic direction directly supports one of the College’s key institutional goals: to embed career and professional readiness into K’s culture, co-curriculum, and curriculum, preparing students for life after graduation. It also aligns with national best practices, which emphasize that career advising is most effective when it’s relational, proactive, and inclusive—woven throughout the student experience and embraced across campus (Advising Success Network, 2021). 

This plan lays the foundation for a sustainable, equity-driven career ecosystem that equips every student with the tools, relationships, and experiences to navigate a changing world. 

In this model: 

  • Career development is woven into students’ daily lives: into classrooms, athletics, advising, student employment, and student development. 
  • CCPD staff focus more time on building partnerships with alumni, families, and employers—opening doors for mentoring, internships, and jobs. 
  • Students engage with structured, inclusive, and empowering career guidance throughout their time at K, building confidence, belonging, and purpose.

The Three Pillars 

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What This Means for Our Community

This plan is ambitious. And, it is achievable. It builds on the strengths of the liberal arts, honors the relationships that define a K education, and reflects what today’s students need to thrive. 

We’re not layering job preparation onto the liberal arts. We’re integrating career readiness into the learning students are already doing. We’re illuminating the real-world power of a liberal arts education so that every student can confidently connect their K experience to what comes next. 

Over the next three years, we will implement this plan in close partnership with the campus and wider community. In doing so, we reaffirm Kalamazoo College’s mission: to prepare graduates to better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world. The Center for Career and Professional Development is ready to move this work forward—supporting students every step of the way and ensuring that every graduate leaves with the clarity, confidence, and connections to lead a life of purpose and impact.  

Moving forward:

  • Students will encounter career conversations and opportunities early and often—through faculty, staff, coaches, mentors, and peers. 
  • Faculty and staff will be invited to partner in ways that fit their roles, with plug-and-play resources and optional opportunities for collaboration. 
  • Alumni and employers will have more ways to open doors for students—through mentoring, networking, and professional opportunities. 
  • Families and trustees will see greater alignment between the K experience and the outcomes that matter after graduation.

Implementation Timeline 

The CCPD Strategic Plan will be implemented over three years in alignment with Kalamazoo College’s institutional goals. This timeline outlines the major milestones we aim to accomplish in each year to advance a comprehensive career ecosystem. 

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This plan reaffirms Kalamazoo College’s mission: to prepare students to lead in a diverse and rapidly changing world. It is both ambitious and achievable. This vision comes to life through relationships. Together, we’re shaping a career ecosystem rooted in the liberal arts—built on connection, experience, and purpose—that prepares every student for what comes next.

Research and Resources  

We are preparing for the future of higher education by aligning our liberal arts mission with the evolving needs of students, families, and the world of work. The following research has informed this plan:

Value of the Liberal Arts
Career Development Trends & High-Impact Practices
Changing Student Expectations
  • Career Matters
    In a 2024 survey of 12,500 first-year students, 30% prioritized internships and 28% emphasized graduate job outcomes in college selection.
    Source: EAB, 2024
  • Return on Investment (ROI) Skepticism
    • About half of Americans say having a college degree is less important today than it was 20 years ago. Source: Pew Research 2024
    • While most alumni value their education, only 44% felt their degree was worth the debt.
      Source: Lightcast, 2024 NACM Report
Equity & Wellbeing
  • Career Development Gaps
    First-generation and underrepresented students are significantly less likely to access internships, mentoring, or career guidance.
    Source: Lightcast, 2024 NACM Report
  • Stress and Disengagement After Graduation
    A significant share of young professionals report mental health struggles related to post-college transition.
    Source: Gray & Gatta, 2022
  • Integrated Career Advising
    Embedded advising improves retention, belonging, and outcomes—especially for underrepresented students.
    Source: Advising Success Network, 2021 
  • Building Social Capital
    Expanding students’ access to professional relationships reduces underemployment, particularly for those without networks.
    Source: Maurer, SHRM, 2022
Demographic Shifts