Welcome to our dedicated community for UM Faculty & Staff!
At UM, 78% of students seek career guidance from faculty. By providing students with explicit connections and experiences aligned with their academic and career aspirations, we enhance their success and personal satisfaction post-graduation. From integrating career readiness competencies to connecting students with hands-on learning opportunities, ELCS is here to help build career readiness skills both inside and outside the classroom.
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Foundations for Career Readiness
ElevateU is your ally in helping students Explore their interests, Enhance their skill sets, and Embark on career excellence. These components provide a variety of opportunities that can be seamlessly integrated into curricula, enriching students’ skill development by making explicit connections between academic concepts and real-world applications.
- Incorporate activities to help students gain information about careers that interest them at O*NET Online.
- Embed activities that have students reflect on their interests and values by taking a Values assessment or interest inventory.
- Have students explore What can you do with your major? to see what career pathways align with their major/studies.
- Encourage students to take electives and/or a career readiness class to investigate their interests .
- Share the diverse student clubs available at UM and encourage students to get involved. Better yet, add points for participation!
- Invite Griz alum to your classroom as guest speakers for a story share or panel discussion.
- Share the importance of students setting up their UM Handshake account (UM’s main platform for finding internships and employment).
- Consider opportunities to integrate career related assignments into your classes for either grades or extra credit (I.e., attendance at relevant career fairs and reflecting on experience).
- Embed career readiness topics into classwork so students can translate course experiences into resume content
- Assign students to explore career paths of Griz Alums who graduated from your program on LinkedIn.
- Request a classroom presentation on a course relevant topic.
- Create opportunities for students to complete an informational interview (career conversation) and/or job shadow.
- Encourage students to cultivate leadership skills by taking on more responsibilities in clubs, service projects, and group projects.
- Share opportunities for students to participate in a study abroad program, National Student Exchange, or volunteer/work internationally.
- Invite in the Office of Undergraduate Research to connect students with world-class research and creative faculty mentors – no matter the discipline!
- Encourage students to build relationships for professional purposes with alumni, potential employers, faculty, and friends.
- Have students create and fine-tune their LinkedIn profile.
- Provide all students with information about internships, micro-internships, virtual career experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities (i.e. learning by doing, volunteer or service work).
- Create assignments where students draft application materials, prepare e-portfolios, or join professional associations.
- Have students practice interview skills with a career advising appointment, or online with Big Interview.
- Confirm degree requirements for graduation.
- Promote a Start SMART Salary Negotiation Workshop.
- Encourage students to complete the First Destination Graduation Survey.
- Offer resources for applying for jobs, graduate/professional school, or national/international service. Refer students to ELCS for a career coaching appointment to help with their applications.
UM’s Faculty Senate-approved Career Readiness Competencies include skills like communication, critical thinking, leadership, and workplace performance, which are essential for student success in both the classroom and the workforce.
Integrating these competencies into your courses helps students:
- Build confidence for post-graduation success.
- Recognize the value of what they’re learning.
- Translate academic experiences into workplace language.
Read more about the national framework at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
How to Apply a CRC Attribute:
- Add a CRC course attribute in CLSS with guidance from the Registrar’s instructions.
- Learn more about this process on UM’s Central Career Center site.
The University of Montana supports faculty in integrating High Impact Practices (HIPs) to foster student retention, engagement, and equity. Faculty Senate-approved HIP definitions and attributes help identify courses in the catalog.
Why apply a HIP attribute?
- HIPs highlight high-impact learning opportunities for students to meet their learning goals.
- They support institutional tracking and recognition.
- They encourage best practices in experiential, inclusive instruction.
Example: Service Learning
Students work with local organizations on community-identified needs while applying course content through structured reflection and community engagement. This model emphasizes mutual benefit, sustained partnerships, and reciprocity, key to UM’s leadership in national service.
UM is the #1 ranked university in the country for community and national service for the third year in a row.
How to apply a HIP attribute:
- Use CLSS to add or edit course attributes. View Registrar instructions.
- Visit the Central Career Center site for more guidance.
- Learn more about HIPs from AAC&U.
Ways to Get Involved
The Career Readiness Community of Practice (CoP) provides a collaborative space for Career Champions to explore innovative strategies for connecting curricular and co-curricular experiences with future opportunities. All Career Champions are welcome, and we encourage you to invite a colleague to join the conversation!
What to Expect:
- Access to tools, resources, and examples for integrating career-connected learning,
- Opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration with colleagues.
- Space for conversation, idea-sharing, reflection, and strategy focused on student success and career development.
We are excited to launch a refreshed Career Champions Community of Practice this fall. This interdisciplinary community will bring together faculty and staff who support students in a wide range of roles and settings across campus.
Each session will begin as a full community, creating space to learn about relevant resources and hear from colleagues about opportunities related to student career readiness. Participants will then move into smaller circles for deeper conversation and exploration. These circles will be shaped by participants’ experiences, barriers, needs, questions, and goals, creating a person-centered space for shared learning and practical problem-solving.
AY 2026/2027 Schedule
- September 24th | 8:45–9:45 a.m. | Lommasson Employee Learning Space — Connect and Explore: Curious about your role as a Career Champion? We’ll begin the year by exploring how different campus roles intersect with student career development and identifying the topics participants most want to explore together.
- Late October — Bring Something, Take Something: Participants will share strategies, resources, questions, and examples from their own work while learning practical approaches they can adapt to their own students and settings.
- Early February: Practice & Apply: Practice circles will become action labs where participants can dig deeper into topics of interest, apply tools to their own context, and develop practical resources or strategies they can put into use.
- Late March: Share & Reflect: We’ll close the year by highlighting what Champions have tried, what they have learned from students, and what should guide the Community of Practice moving forward.
The Faculty Fellows Program offers a collaborative space for faculty to enhance their department’s capacity to intentionally integrate career development into academic experiences. Fellows will develop a project aligned with their department’s goals, contribute to a growing Career Readiness Community of Practice, and receive support and a stipend for their participation.
The AY 26/27 Cohort is full; applications will open in May 2027 for the following academic year.
Program Goals:
- Advance Career-Connected Learning: Support faculty in embedding career readiness into curriculum and departmental culture across disciplines.
- Lead and Mentor: Inspire and support colleagues in bringing career-connected strategies into their own teaching and advising.
- Drive Institutional Change: Contribute to campus-wide initiatives such as Career Champions, the Career Readiness Community of Practice, and departmental career mapping.
- Support Equitable Access to Career Readiness: Encourage inclusive, student-centered approaches that consider diverse pathways and reduce barriers to high-impact career development opportunities.
What to Expect:
- Dedicated time, professional development, and support to develop a project aligned with your department’s goals.
- Collaboration with a cohort of faculty fellows and the ELCS team through a growing Career Readiness Community of Practice.
- A $3,000 stipend for your engagement and contributions.
The Career Readiness Summer Institute is a hands-on, collaborative professional development experience for those who want to deepen career-connected learning for students. Designed for cross-functional department teams, the Institute provides structured time, practical tools, and campus partnership support to help participants more intentionally integrate career readiness into curriculum.
Purpose & Goals
The Summer Institute is designed to help department teams of three:
- Strengthen understanding of UM’s Career Readiness Competencies and how they align with student learning outcomes
- Design or refine career-connected learning strategies within courses, programs, or student-facing roles
- Collaborate across departments to share ideas, challenges, and effective practices
- Leave with actionable plans and tools that can be implemented in the upcoming academic year
- Build a community of faculty and staff committed to advancing student career readiness
Details
Dates: May 13th and May 14th
Stipend: $1,000 for each participant
Application Review: Applications for May 2027 will open in March.
Submit the Faculty/Staff-facing Request Form to request a department presentation, workshop, meeting, or 1:1 consultation to learn more about ELCS resources, student outcomes, and curricular integration.
Topics include:
- Career readiness syllabi infusion
- Overview of ELCS resources and supports
- How to support students in navigating Handshake
- Student-outcomes
- Consultation and support for department degree mapping
- High Impact Practices- introductory to advance
- Other tailored career-related training or presentation for your department
Keep up to date on career readiness-related workshops through GrizHub (search by Career Champions).
ELCS offers a range of customizable services to support student success, from classroom presentations and professional development pop-ups to employer engagement and headshots with the Iris Photo Booth. These options are designed to help you integrate career readiness into your events, programs, and courses.
- Presentations for a Student Audience: ELCS provides engaging presentations on various career-related topics (e.g., crafting resumes, community engagement, proactive job search and networking, and interview tips) to ensure students are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in their chosen professions.
- Custom Career Events and Pop-ups: ELCS can serve as your strategic partner in organizing career fairs and establishing connections with employers. Career coaches are also available for pop-up events at your location to support students with resume development, interview preparation, and other key aspects of career development.
- Iris Photo Booth: Whether you’re hosting a student event, supporting a class or program focused on career readiness, or helping students build their professional brand, Iris is available to enhance the experience.
The Career Champions Learning Series offers faculty and staff workshops that support the integration of career readiness into courses and programs. For AY 2026/27, we are trying something new and offering this as part of the Community of Practice. Each session will begin with a 15-minute presentation and then move into role-relevant practice circles to dig deeper and apply what was learned. Topics will be determined by participants in early fall.
September 24th | 8:45–9:45 a.m. | Lommasson Employee Learning Space — Connect and Explore: Curious about your role as a Career Champion? We’ll begin the year by exploring how different campus roles intersect with student career development and identifying the topics participants most want to explore together.
Would your unit like to request a curated workshop? Complete the Faculty/Staff-facing Request Form.
