Each year two Career Advising Fellows assist in all aspects of the Student Professional Development Center's operations, including student professional development programs, events, advising and more.
The Student Professional Development Center will soon select the newest class of its Career Advising Fellowship program, marking the fellowship’s 10th year of providing career service assistance to Elon students.
The Career Advising Fellowship is a full-time, 10-month position available to recent graduates of master’s degree programs. Each year, two new fellows assist in all aspects of the SPDC’s operations, including supporting career advising staff with student professional development programming, events, classes, advising and employer relations. The program was brought to life in 2010 by Ross Wade, senior associate director of career services for the School of Communications.
Career Advising Fellows receive a monthly stipend, a campus meal plan and free on-campus housing, giving them better access to Elon students in search of career advice.
“From the student perspective, it’s a win-win,” said Danielle Golinski, a 2014-15 fellow and current assistant director of career services in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. “The fellows are eager to get in front of students and to meet them where they are. They can relate to students, which I think is a huge advantage in better serving the student population and also backing and supporting the SPDC.”
Golinski is one of seven former fellows to turn their fellowship into full-time employment at Elon. She applied to the program after grad school because she wanted to work at a great university and have an impact on its student population. Golinski found the fellowship to be the perfect combination, as it allowed her and other young professionals to explore the world of higher education and career services.
The fellowship begins in August with a month of training, including presentations and opportunities for fellows to shadow career services appointments, before the fellows begin advising students across campus at the start of the academic year.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to support emerging professionals who are curious about higher education and career services and give them an opportunity with a fantastic structure, a fantastic team, at a fantastic university,” Golinski said. “It’s an opportunity to learn and grow and see if career services is a fit for them.”
Other development opportunities for the Fellows include funding for professional and personal growth in the form of trainings, conferences and service-learning programs.
“The Career Advising Fellowship program has been a huge success since it began in 2011,” said Tom Brinkley, executive director of the SPDC. “This post-graduate fellowship opportunity has allowed graduates of Master of Higher Education programs to gain hands-on experience in working in one of the top career services organizations in the country.”
Applications for the 2020-21 SPDC Career Advising Fellowship are due to the SPDC by March 1 and selections will be made by the end of April. For more information about the fellowship and the application process, click here.