CONWAY, Ark. (May 19, 2020) – The four-year Hendrix
College Odyssey Program and sophomore-focused Career Term experience are
featured in “Careers in a Changing Era: How Higher Ed Can
Fight the Skills Gap and Prepare Students for a Dynamic World of Work,” a new special
report available for purchase from Inside Higher Ed.
In addition to Career Term’s focus on
building career competencies, the Odyssey Program has included the Professional
and Leadership Development category of experiential learning since its
inception in 2005. Many student experiences within the other five Odyssey
categories also cultivate career competencies, just as classroom experiences so
often do. Faculty in various departments—art, physics, and English turn up as
examples in the Inside Higher Ed report—highlight how the day-to-day teaching
and learning process at Hendrix cultivates valuable skills that students will
carry with them into the workplace.
“We are very well known for our quality
academics, but with this career competencies initiative we are helping students
understand how that academic rigor translates into professional skills the
world of work is looking for,” said Leigh Lassiter-Counts ’01, director of
career services for the College. “Skills such as problem solving,
communication, and teamwork are all things our students learn both academically
and beyond the classroom during their time at Hendrix.”
It isn’t just faculty highlighting how
students develop career competencies, either. Hendrix staff whose roles include
serving as student employment supervisors often get the opportunity to
highlight how a student’s paid work on campus helps build skills valued by
future employers.
“These students’ day-to-day experiences outside
of class offer more in the way of preparation than many might think at first
glance,” Lassiter-Counts said. “We’re grateful that Inside Higher Ed
took notice of the value in this coordinated effort across the Hendrix
community and chose to tell our story.”
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College
consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts
institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.