The Entrepreneurial Mindset
The role of the CALS Career Center is to offer broad support to all students in CALS in preparation for post-degree careers. The Center’s focus is to help students refine personal narratives and identify career paths that align with individual interests and needs. The resources available support students in developing the CALS Career Competencies and entrepreneurial mindset encompassing the transferable skills that allow CALS graduates to lead and innovate in any sector or industry.
What is the entrepreneurial mindset? According to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, “an entrepreneurial mindset is a set of skills that enable people to identify and make the most of opportunities, overcome and learn from setbacks, and succeed in a variety of settings.” The CALS faculty recognize the importance in preparing all students to be able to lead and innovate in the jobs of the future and strive to integrate to the entrepreneurial mindset into all courses.
What are the CALS Competencies? The CALS Competencies are the specific skills embodied in the entrepreneurial mindset that students can expect to develop throughout the CALS curriculum and extracurricular experiences. Students are encouraged to utilize the competency development plan to reflect on the skills, the ways in which the skills have been developed, and which skills need to be more fully developed.
FACULTY AND STAFF SUPPORT
The Career Center is available to collaborate with academic units to help support career development needs and initiatives. This can be everything from tutorials on the virtual career center resources, training for new staff and faculty, integrating career competencies into the curriculum, and advertising career development related events to students. Contact Career Center staff to discuss how the CALS Career Center can support your academic unit and students.
Academic Unit Initiatives – If academic units have initiatives related to career development that they need support with – brainstorming, strategic planning, employer outreach, student awareness, etc. – Career Center staff may be able to support you. Reach out to explore the ways in which the Career Center can support your initiatives.
Competency Curriculum Integration – The CALS Competencies are a cornerstone of career development in CALS and articulating how courses are integrating, supporting, and developing the competencies is a value-add for students. If faculty would like to discuss how they can integrate the competencies into their courses or discuss how they are already integrating them and how they can be articulated to students, the CALS Career Center can support this. Contact Career Center staff for a consultation.
Faculty Career Champions – As liaisons between their academic units and the CALS Career Center, Faculty Career Champions are responsible for performing select activities and tasks designed to strengthen the Career Center’s reach and impact on students. Champion activities and tasks will align with and support the Career Center’s vision to become the national model for competency-based career and entrepreneurial leadership development in colleges of agriculture and the life sciences.
Resources – Valuable and important resources related to career development will continually be updated and added to the resources section below. If there is something you would like to see added to the section, please contact Career Center staff to suggest a resource.
Request Career-Related Presentation – Career Center staff are available to discuss career-related topics to groups in the College, either virtually or in-person. All visits are coordinated to meet the specific needs of the group and are tailored to the topics you are highlighting. Please submit the request at least five business days prior to the preferred date via this form.
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