Life After College (Pilot Program)

Life After College (Pilot Program) Prepared by: Kayla Stamps 5154 State University Drive USU, 203 Los Angeles, 90032 p. 323.343.4792 aspires@calstatela.edu www.asicalstatela.org

Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary... 2 2. Program Purpose... 2 3. Project s Scope... 3 4. Participants... 3 5. Process... 3 6. Project Costs... 6 7. Development Schedule... 6 8. Project Timeline... 7 9. Partners/Stakeholders... 7 10. Research Components... 7 11. Conclusion... 7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Currently our students are facing several concerns in regards to their success after receiving their undergraduate degree. According to Payscale.com, Cal State LA students are ranked 508 th Nationally in income scale after college. The early career pay average (0-5years of experience) after graduation is $42,200. The mid pay career (10+years of experience) is $73,600. The percentage of this that is awarded to STEM degrees are 12%. In doing further research on the Cal State LA website, it was noted that in 2015 52.5% of our graduating students made less than $30,000. This is extremely troubling when comparing the cost of living to the cost of our students earning income. According to Investopedia, In Los Angles on a monthly income of $3,500, which is $42,000 per year, you can probably meet basic necessities, but your budget is stretched to the limit, and an unexpected expense, such as a car breakdown or medical issue, puts you in the hole quickly. Therefore, a yearly income of $50,000 or greater is recommended to be financially secure as a professional in Los Angeles. These alarming numbers clearly indicate the critical need for a campus wide effort to partake in a plan of action. When 82% of our students are first generation college attendees it is imperative that we do our part as a university to further equip them with the resources needed to succeed after college. As you will read throughout this proposal, this plan of action program will work towards preparing our students with information and training in order to help get them ready for life after college. PROGRAM PURPOSE The purpose of the Life After College program is to create a structured system that will inform, empower, and prepare students for the next steps for life after college. This program will consist of collaboration from different entities on campus. These include, but are not limited to, the Career Center, Administration, the Academic Senate, the Alumni Association, and Associated Students Incorporated. This program will include a research LIFE AFTER COLLEGE PROPOSAL - NOVEMBER 2016 2

team who will survey, evaluate, and analyze the participants within the program. We will articulate that data to get a better sense of individual needs, program effectiveness, and program success. PROJECT S SCOPE The project s scope is to put students through a program in which several steps will properly prepare them for life after college. These steps will also provide beneficial incentives that will encourage the pursuit and retention within the program. We want to ensure that the marketing of the program will be executed effectively so that students will want to participate in the program. The more students who participate in the program, the more effective the program will be. PARTICIPANTS The participation will eventually be accessible to everyone. However, the pilot program will consist of a beginning cap of 10 students per college, creating a possible total of 60 students. This cap is for the purpose of a quality pilot program with a manageable ratio of students needs to the resources allotted. Again, this small sample size will only pertain to the pilot program. The participants who will be extensively studied within the pilot program will consist of 26 students in total. The students will consist of: 1 Freshman 1 Sophomore 2 Juniors from each college 2 Seniors from each college These students will be selected through recruitment efforts. A.S.I. will reach out to college club councils, give out flyers to the student body, as well as to clubs and organizations. Any other recruitment efforts by faculty, administration, and staff are also strongly encouraged. PROCESS The process is extensive, yet rewarding. In this part of the proposal I will touch base and break down the process of what the pilot program entails. 1. The First Aid to Career Development- This step is the beginning of the journey for the participants in the program. They will each get an actual first aid kit that will have requirements for their next steps for career development. a. Partnership: For this component of the program, it is beneficial to partner up with the Career Center. The programs that the Career Center offer are appropriate for the First Aid to Career Development. b. Examples of programs required to take by participants: i. Interviewing 101 LIFE AFTER COLLEGE PROPOSAL - NOVEMBER 2016 3

ii. Resume building iii. Financial literacy iv. Career training v. Dress for success vi. Pay scale information. vii. How does your degree translate into the modern day economy? c. Completion: The student will turn in a component of their first aid kit to the Career Center in order to get credit for that activity. i. Example: A Band-Aid may have interviewing 101 labeled on it. A gauze may have resume building labeled on it. They turn those items in once they complete that training or course. The Career Center can recycle those items for the next group of participants. This creative objective is to make it fun and appealing to the participants. ii. Once they complete all required components in the First Aid to Career Development they will move forward to the next part of the program. iii. This part of the program s completion will usually take place in the beginning of the year (Fall Semester). d. Symbolic meaning behind the first aid kit: The colors of a first aid kit are red and white, and create images to the mind of immediate assistance. When anyone is in need of help they turn to a first aid kit. This will serve as a constant mental reminder that you need to continue to dedicate yourself to assisting your need for career development. 2. Show Me the Way Guide- Once the student has successfully completed the First Aid to Career Development they will move along to the show me the way guide. This step is a Mentor/Mentee program that will help students build a relationship with faculty, alumni, and administration. The participant will receive a guide in which they will get matched with a mentor. The mentor and mentee will meet for coffee once a month. Upon completion of the program the mentee will receive a letter of recommendation from their mentor. The mentor can also serve as a reference on the mentee s future job application. a. Partnership: It would be beneficial for the partnership to consist of willing and eager faculty (Academic Senate), administration, and alumni. b. Program: You are partnered with the mentor based upon similarities. As the program transitions from pilot to fully functioning, a mentor may receive a bigger number of students. Instead of one on one coffee it could be a lunch or dinner where students can mingle with mentor and other students. i. Example: When I attended Former Secretary of Defense Panetta s Institute there were 26 of us being mentored by him. During his dinners we had time to each talk with him one on one, while mingling with other students. It was also beneficial because we got the satisfaction of knowing that we all would receive a guaranteed letter of recommendation from Panetta. LIFE AFTER COLLEGE PROPOSAL - NOVEMBER 2016 4

c. Completion: The completion of this part of the program will be ongoing while the student is within the program. The requirement is to attend a mentor/mentee welcoming/introduction session. d. Pilot program caveats: The pilot program will assess and analyze the effectiveness of the level of mentorship. i. Example: We will test students paired off with faculty such as a Professor, an Academic Senator, or a Dean. We will also test another student paired with an Administrator, and finally we will test another student paired with an Alumni. The purpose of this experiment is to see if there are benefits as well as differences in effectiveness by each group. 3. Networking to Success Guide: After students complete the First Aid Kit, they are eligible to attend networking events. These events will range variously. Some of the events will specifically pertain to each particular college, and others will be inclusive to everyone (like the Social Impact networking breakfast that USC hosts every month). This will help students understand the power of placing themselves in the right circles. We all know that in this day in time it s not always about what you know, but who you know. a. Partnership: A.S.I. will have a team of people who will constantly reach out to find the right events for the students to attend. This will be done through college reps of that particular college and their Deans. The partnership will also consist of the Alumni Association. Partnering up with the Alumni center to allow students access in networking with previous alumni is important. These are the benefits that contribute to the success of USC s Alumni Association. b. Program: Before attending the networking event A.S.I. will host a fun, live, networking training event. Students will come together with faculty, staff, and professionals to learn how to effectively network. A.S.I. will provide business cards to those students who are registered to attend the events. c. Completion: Students must attend 3 networking events per year to continue to move forward towards actual completion of the overall program. 4. VIP members (pilot program): a. In addition, students who complete a volunteer opportunity through EPIC can apply for VIP membership. The pilot program will assess the benefit of this component to determine whether or not it should be used for the actual program. b. Program: Participants will get access to guest speakers up close and personal. As part of this program, A.S.I. will host a series of guest speakers who will discuss career development, working within the industry, and more. There will be a dinner or lunch that the students will attend. They will get the opportunity to chat with the guest speaker one on one. They will also get the guest speakers information or a staff member of the guest, to further connect with. LIFE AFTER COLLEGE PROPOSAL - NOVEMBER 2016 5

i. Example: We have the President of NBC coming to Cal State LA. Participants that are apart of the VIP program will get access to speak to him, and ask more personal questions about his path towards his career. 5. Speaker Series: A.S.I. will bring 2-3 big speakers to come and talk to the students about the importance of life after college. These speakers will consist of people within top corporate fields (i.e. Presidents Council) who are either connected with Cal State LA, or have great advice, and can be motivational to the students. 6. Graduation: This part of the program is a ceremony at the end of the year that will grant completion of the program. After completing the program, they will have received the following: 1. Career development training/information 2. Mentorship 3. Networking training 4. Networking experience 5. Insightful speakers 6. Business cards 7. Letter of recommendation/job reference 8. Certificate The graduation will consist of a pinning and certificate ceremony. Students can invite mentors, family, and friends. PROJECT COSTS We are currently looking into project costs for speakers, partnerships, and programs. Upon breaking down the costs by November 21 st, we would love to talk about a campus partnership. The more stakeholders the more effective the program. DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE November 1 st : Propose first draft to President Covino. November 1-January 9th: Gather feedback from President Covino, Faculty, A.S.I. Career Center, alumni, and students. Budget the project costs. Build research team. Conduct research for each component of the program. Have a blueprint for how each part will be carried out, and the fine tuned details. Determine the students who will participate in the pilot program. By January 9t h : Propose second draft of proposal to President Covino for further feedback. January 12 th - 13th: Propose final draft of proposal to stakeholders. LIFE AFTER COLLEGE PROPOSAL - NOVEMBER 2016 6

January 13 th -23 rd : Prepare for launch date for program. All hands on deck. Pilot program will be expedited due to time Second draft of proposal will have the remaining dates after discussing with stakeholders, and partners. PROJECT TIMELINE January 23 rd : KICK OFF In between dates will be solidified. By May 10th: Graduation of the Program PARTNERS/STAKEHOLDERS 1. Administration 2. A.S.I. 3. Career Center 4. Alumni Association 5. Academic Senate 6. Faculty RESEARCH COMPONENTS OF OVERALL PURPOSE AND EFFECTIVENESS 1. Research students overall attitude and feelings before, during, and after completing this program. 2. Research the time, effort, energy, and effectiveness of the program. 3. Research the program benefits. 4. Research each area of the program and its effectiveness. 5. Research each students demographics, backgrounds, majors, and academic standing/status in correlation to the program. 6. Follow up research with seniors participating in program. 7. Research time commitment to the program and how that effects commuter and non commuter students. 8. Research program attraction and marketing. CONCLUSION In conclusion, Cal State L.A. students are facing a crisis. The amount of students solidifying jobs, and/or understanding what it means to merge into the career field is not at the level it should be. In order for students to value the importance of their education we must help contribute to extensively preparing them for what is expected for life after college. LIFE AFTER COLLEGE PROPOSAL - NOVEMBER 2016 7