Matt Vaghi
Opinions Editor
As the first few weeks of school roll out, there are countless fresh, new images seen on campus, such as bemused freshmen trying to get acquainted, the reconstructed track and tennis courts, and even the smaller, sleeker Cheney plates. In addition, there are newly-hired faculty members seeking to settle into the swing of the Springfield College way of life. Found at the Career Center, located in the Student Union, is one of these new faces: Jeanette Doyle.
Although she may seem new, Doyle is a Springfield College alumnus who received a graduate degree in Student Personnel Administration in 1994. Starting September 10, Doyle took over as Career Center director. The position was previously held by Barbara Kautz for the last 25 years until she retired last spring. With a firm connection to Springfield College, Doyle was more than willing to take over the position.
“This has always been a great school and has a great reputation,” Doyle said. “My passion is [being] around students; I enjoy helping students. I was a student here myself, so I knew a lot about the curriculum and the majors here.”
Doyle enters the role of Career Center director with over 18 years of prior experience in career services. She had worked at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for the past 10 years in the Career Development Center and served as director for five of those years. In addition, she has worked in career development centers at George Washington University, Fitchburg State College, Westfield State University and Endicott College.
As a matter of fact, Doyle’s first position in career services was as a graduate assistant at the Springfield College Career Center back in the early 1990s during graduate school. Despite being well-versed with Springfield College, she has currently been assessing the school’s Career Center. Doyle hopes to strategize and develop a plan to improve its effectiveness in helping students with majors, resumes, interviews, internships, graduate schools and jobs.
“I’m trying to take an assessment of what are we doing well, and what are some things we need to improve upon,” Doyle said.
Thus far, she has identified two areas she hopes she, along with the rest of the Career Center staff, can improve upon: student marketing and technology.
In regards to marketing, Doyle feels that the Career Center needs to be publicized, so students are aware of what it can offer them.
“Having students know more about the office is a big priority so that they know what we do and feel welcome, and know they can come in to talk with us,” Doyle said.
Organizing student focus groups to come in and assess the Career Center is one strategy that Doyle plans on implementing in the future in order to gain an insight to different students’ perspectives.
“Everyone has a different perspective, and it’s helpful to hear what that perspective is,” Doyle said. “We’re here for the students, so we need to hear their feedback.”
Collaboration with other faculty and staff is another vital aspect of Doyle’s involvement. Meeting with the various academic departments, clubs, sports teams and student activities can be useful in giving all students career advice and making them aware that the Career Center is an invaluable resource on campus.
“Collaboration as a whole is very essential to this office,” Doyle said. “There are so many different people that we need to and want to collaborate with.”
Technology is another area in which Doyle hopes to expand upon. After working at WPI and observing different forms of technology that were used by their career center, such as software designed to be used in mobile devices for career service information, she is a believer that Springfield College can possibly implement similar technologies.
“I know from my own experience that there are products out there that can streamline information to students so they can access it easily,” Doyle said.
With a well-suited skill set and mindset, Jeanette Doyle looks to bring new ideas and strategies from her previous experience to build upon the existing Springfield College Career Center. Above all else, Doyle simply wants to help students grow and see them excel in whichever career path they decide to embark on.
“There’s nothing better than a student coming back [who you’ve worked with] who tells you of a successful venture that they have gotten themselves into,” Doyle said. “Hearing the success stories from students is really the biggest reason why I go into this work.”
For any students interested in setting up an appointment at the Career Center, please call 413-748-3110. For any students interested in being part of a future Career Center focus group, contact Jeanette Doyle at jdoyle2@springfieldcollege.edu.