{"id":73780,"date":"2025-01-27T13:59:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T20:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=73780"},"modified":"2025-01-27T14:37:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T21:37:07","slug":"strada-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/strada-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"NAU\u2019s president pledges to match grant funds aimed at transforming career support for students"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to career support for NAU students, resources abound\u2014but many Lumberjacks don\u2019t know exactly where to turn for help. That\u2019s all about to change.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a grant from the Strada Education Foundation and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the university will make it easier for students to access job fairs, career counseling and mentorship opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The foundation\u2019s $299,979 Innovation in Career Services grant<\/a>, given to NAU and seven other public universities throughout the country, will fund initiatives that will meet students where they are with career-readiness resources, arming them with program-specific, information-rich and action-oriented career roadmaps at every stage of their educational journey, from pre-matriculation to post-graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ruth Watkins, Strada\u2019s president of postsecondary education, said NAU and the seven other universities received Innovation in Career Services grants because they are \u201ccommitted to rethinking and reinvigorating their approaches to career services. Using the education-to-career principles as their guide, they will demonstrate how career advising and guidance can make the difference in improving post-completion outcomes for students, particularly those who have traditionally faced the greatest challenges.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A dollar-for-dollar match from the office of NAU President Jos\u00e9 Luis Cruz Rivera<\/strong> will double the impact of the grant, putting a grand total of $599,985 toward strengthening career readiness over the next two years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNAU\u2019s most important objective is to become a preeminent engine of opportunity, a vehicle of upward mobility and a driver of social impact,\u201d Cruz Rivera said. \u201cThis generous grant from the Strada Education Foundation and AASCU, along with a dollar-for-dollar match from my office, will go a long way toward preparing graduates for lives of purpose and careers of consequence.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Provost Karen Pugliesi <\/strong>said the infusion of funds will help NAU make huge headway on its <\/span>100% Career Ready<\/span><\/a> initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis grant, and the matching funds from the Office of the President, allow us to expand the scale and impact of career readiness at NAU,\u201d Pugliesi said. \u201cBy integrating career readiness into every facet of life at NAU, we\u2019re preparing students like never before to make meaningful contributions to the workforce in Arizona and beyond.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Together with academic leaders across campus, Maribeth Watwood<\/strong>, vice provost for academic programming and graduate studies, and Yimin Wang<\/strong>, vice provost for global affairs, will lead the effort to build a university-wide ecosystem of career readiness with the grant funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNAU\u2019s Career Council, which includes professionals from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and the Office of Alumni Engagement, will work together to implement the initiatives outlined in this grant proposal through a unified, collaborative approach,\u201d Wang said. \u201cStrengthening the university-wide ecosystem for career readiness is truly a collective effort.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time they\u2019re done, they hope to:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n