The Ball State Career Center is sponsoring a Faculty Learning Community on Equipping Faculty for Student Career Conversations during the 2026-27 academic year.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE),
64% of faculty members have been involved in career conversations with students during their time in academia. In an age where the job market has become a moving target, it is more important than ever to educate our students on their career trajectories to the fullest extent. While the Career Center is one of the touchpoints where this learning happens, we know students seek out other champions in our campus ecosystem for this advice, too. That is why we have created this community.
The Career Center hopes to use this FLC as a way to equip participants with the necessary tools to foster impactful career conversations, classroom ties to the working world after graduation, and an overall confidence with the resources that exist within the career readiness sphere. The more Career Champions we have on campus, the better prepared our students will be for successful careers and meaningful lives going forward.
The topics we will cover are:
- Career development and exploration materials
- CliftonStrengths and positive language for interviewing
- Employer engagement and industry partnerships
- AI in the workforce and how to prepare for it
- Workforce trends
- Embedding career readiness into curriculum
FLC participants will:
- Identify the NACE competencies and be introduced to how the university is embedding NACE into the curriculum.
- Hear from current BSU employer partners about their experiences with BSU graduates and have information on how to invite employers into their courses.
- Understand how to help their students create competitive and AI-compliant application materials.
- Be introduced to data surrounding the changing workforce, needs of different generations, and be better informed on how the workforce is adapting to the needs of employers and students.
- Be introduced to Career Center programs with a specific focus on career exploration resources to implement individually in career conversations with students.
- Articulate their own unique set of strengths, gain knowledge of BSU’s strength-focused initiatives, and be introduced on how to implement strengths into the classroom.
- Discuss and share their key takeaways from participation in FLC with colleagues in their department.
- Submit a deliverable demonstrating the faculty member’s commitment to embedding career conversations into their work with students. This can be an updated syllabus, in-class activity, assignment, or course modification.
This FLC is open to all full-time faculty members. Selected members should plan to meet in person for 90 minutes each month throughout the 2026-27 academic year. The meeting dates for fall will occur on the following Tuesdays from 3:30 – 5:00 pm: September 15th, October 13th, November 17th, and December 1st. Spring dates will be decided at a later date based on participant availability.
Upon completion of the FLC, participants will receive $750.00 which can be distributed in a Recognized Incentive Activity (RIA) account, or as a salary stipend. The deadline for applying is Monday, August 31st, 2026. Applicants will be notified regarding acceptance no later than Friday, September 4th.