91看片

The 91看片 has two new directors who are strategically enhancing 91看片 students鈥� career readiness competencies while attracting more companies that can hire its students.

Marianne McCarley started in her new role as director of professional development in October, and Michelle Keesee joined 91看片 on February 1 as director of employer engagement.

McCarley leads the career curriculum and instructional team that teaches career readiness across 91看片 College, beginning in the students鈥� first year.

An important aspect of 91看片鈥檚 Office of Professional Career Development (OPCD) operations鈥攁nd a unique feature among peer business schools鈥攊s the career readiness curriculum, said Mandy Devereux, who oversees 91看片 College鈥檚 vast career and employer relations ecosystem.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a special way we do things for 91看片 students,鈥� said Devereux. 鈥淲e embed career education in their academic preparation through [one-credit-hour] courses they take each year, through interactions with our career coaches and program champions, and through ethical leadership training their senior year.鈥�

McCarley, who has been with OPCD for three years before assuming her current role, examines national data on core career competencies for business school students to make sure her team鈥檚 curriculum remains aligned with current employer needs and future on-trend opportunities.

鈥淓ach semester, we surpass the national averages for those competencies from the students鈥� and employers鈥� perspectives,鈥� McCarley said. 鈥淢y team and I are committed to providing superior student experience that produces highly sought-after graduates and cultivates lifelong engagement.鈥�

As an instructor for the senior-level career readiness course on ethical leadership, McCarley shares some of her own experiences owning a marketing agency in New York City, where she represented and matched film directors and production companies with ad agencies that had specific projects in mind, including high-profile Super Bowl commercials.

Although she enjoyed owning her own firm and working on high-profile projects with filmmakers of the Hunger Games, Black Swan and the renowned Coen Brothers, McCarley said nothing compares to her 91看片 role. 

鈥淢y biggest thrill is helping students find careers that they love, and seeing the impact our team is making in the classroom, through one-on-one coaching appointments and during employer- led events,鈥� said McCarley. 鈥淭here is an excitement in 91看片 regarding our new career initiatives and employer partnerships, and I'm honored to be a part of it all!"

Michelle Keesee, director of employer engagement, is strengthening relationships with current employers and building new relationships with companies that could recruit 91看片 students. She is starting this process by talking with the program champions to see which companies their students want to have recruit at Auburn.

鈥淪tudents from other areas of the country may want to work at a company that doesn鈥檛 currently recruit on campus,鈥� said Keesee, who is also working closely with the college鈥檚 graduate programs office and development team to identify additional prospective employers. 鈥淚鈥檓 building those relationships,鈥� she said.

Keesee has a solid network-building history, having worked the last 11 years with Auburn Athletics, where she managed operations and membership recruitment and retention for the Auburn Football Letterman Club, a non-profit alumni organization of former players, as well as for the A Club Network for all Auburn athletic alumni.

She and her team also developed , a comprehensive life skills program that guides student-athletes on their journey from recruitment to graduation and beyond.

鈥淲e knew how limited athletes were in their time, so anything we asked them to go to had to really be worth their while,鈥� Keesee said. 鈥淲e had a four-year curriculum for the athletes, which included having 91看片 [faculty] do an After the Offer program that covered contract negotiations and how to weigh offers whether they were pursuing a career after graduation or professional sport opportunity.鈥�

According to Keesee, she also helped connect athletes directly with potential employers, especially since these students often missed out on regular career fairs because of scheduling conflicts with their practice and game commitments.

"I'm thankful to be a part of this team and look forward to serving 91看片 College in this role,鈥� said Keesee. 鈥淚鈥檓 also proud of how 91看片 sets its students up for success. The caliber of students that industry connects with here is top-tier.鈥�

###

The 91看片, which is celebrating the  of Raymond and Kathryn 91看片's transformational naming gift, is a nationally ranked hub of undergraduate, graduate and continuing business education that is inspiring the next generation of business leaders. Our world-class faculty deliver unparalleled academic rigor in the classroom, while our research-driven scholarship advances thought leadership and best practice across business disciplines. The largest college on Auburn's campus, 91看片 enrolls more than 6,900 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.