Career Services Launches Career Champion Program for Faculty and Staff

St. John Fisher University’s Career Services team has launched the Career Champion program for faculty and staff who want to play an even greater role in supporting students’ career development.

The program provides faculty and staff with the resources and responses to help students move forward in meaningful ways as they navigate their studies as well as their job search.

As defined by the team, a Career Champion is someone who goes above and beyond their primary role to support students’ career exploration and growth. Through specialized training, they will gain the knowledge and resources needed to answer common career questions, guide meaningful conversations, and help students through the twists and turns of their career journey.

“By equipping campus partners to have career-related conversations and a readily available knowledge of relevant resources, we can all help students make connections between what they are learning and where they want to go, especially if they are facing indecision or uncertainty,” said Laurie Valentino, associate director of career services. 

The program is open to all faculty and staff, with the Advocate Track focusing on the most common career-related questions students ask and providing practical tools and resources to help guide them effectively. Faculty members who want to further integrate career readiness into their courses can also participate in the Instructor Track.

“I would encourage faculty and staff to participate because they are likely already having conversations that influence students’ career development, whether they realize it or not,” she added. “When a student has concerns about their next steps, a Career Champion not only helps to support them through that moment, they can inspire forward action through knowledge of resources, conversational prompts, and overall demonstrated care for the career development of each student.”

The Advocate Track is available as a self-paced Brightspace course and includes four modules aligned with the Career Development Process: Explore, Prepare, Practice, and Pursue. Each module features a brief video, supplemental resources, a Champion Challenge, optional LinkedIn Learning content, and a short knowledge check. Participants can also attend optional in-person sessions offered throughout the semester and can complete the program at their own pace during the semester in which they begin.

Participants who complete the program will receive recognition for their achievement, an invitation to a celebration event, and be among the first cohort to support students’ career readiness across campus.

Interested faculty and staff can log into Brightspace to access the Career Champion: Advocate Track to begin, or contact Valentino at lvalentino@sjf.edu with questions or to discuss the Instructor Track.