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Taking on the challenge to guide Miami University students along the road of professionalism, the Office of Diversity Affairs has launched a new program called Professional Mondays.
The program, which began Monday, is tentatively scheduled to occur at least once a month. It'll cover an array of career-related issues from perfecting one's handshake to networking skills.
The program hopes to bring in lecturers each week from higher education, the corporate world, and entrepreneurships to offer an "insider's perspective" on the future paths of Miami students.
Gerald Yearwood, senior administrative director of the Office of Diversity Affairs, said the program is designed to prepare students for the professional world in a unique, proactive way.
"Each Professional Monday offers a keen sense of what students need to understand about the current job market, the environments they are going into and how to best prepare," Yearwood said. "We're hoping to bring some high profile people to campus related to diversity, career professional development and intercultural literacy."
Eloiza Domingo-Snyder, coordinator of Professional Mondays, said the program will go beyond exploration of corporate careers.
"It's about setting you up with the skills needed for the career you want," Domingo-Snyder said.
Domingo-Snyder wants the program to make students start thinking of themselves as professionals now rather than later.
"This is the real world and we're hoping students will see themselves as a student but also a professional person moving into something larger than Miami," Domingo-Snyder said.
Professional Mondays is a collaboration between the Office of Diversity Affairs and Career Services, therefore Yearwood said the program is designed to compliment and not overlap the events and services Career Services already offers.
Domingo-Snyder said by utilizing the relationship between multicultural students and the Office of Diversity Affairs, she hopes to see more multicultural students taking advantage of Professional Mondays and assistance from Career Services.
"Some of the things we're specifically doing are targeting the multicultural population," Domingo-Snyder said. "And because Career Services has admittedly not been able to connect with them, we're trying to bridge that gap."
The program also attempts to create stronger relationships with companies that look to Miami for future employees.
"Recruiters are going to have a better sense that Miami is being proactive about preparing their grads," Domingo-Snyder said.
Senior Whitney Pribble, a psychology major, attended the program Monday and said it was 100 percent worth her time.
"It wouldn't hurt for more people to come and spend an hour here," Pribble said. "The viewpoint from an employer, someone who is doing the interviewing instead of Career Services or a professor, is valuable."
The program is open to everyone.
