Page 377 - Crisis in Higher Education

Appendix B • 347

2. Universities should create PABs for each area of study by reaching
out to potential employers, graduate schools, and certification and
licensure agencies. PABs are vehicles that tenured and professional
faculty can use to determine curricula and performance standards
so graduates are well prepared. PABs are points of contact for stu-
dents and employers.
3. Universities must provide placement and job data for all majors for
applicants to consider.
4. Universities should provide students with easy access to the
Occupational Outlook Handbook prepared by the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, which provides employment information about
hundreds of jobs.
5. Universities should build strong relationships between students and
employers.
a. Cooperative education and internship programs are ways for stu-
dents to achieve appropriate professional behaviors, learn how to
apply theory and techniques to real problems, and become more
interested and motivated to learn.
b. Potential employers can work directly with students as men-
tors or in small groups to offer advice and counsel about various
aspects of professional life.
6. As students move toward graduation, programs and colleges within
the university must provide better mechanisms for placing students
in good jobs. In addition to traditional placement services, programs
and colleges should be proactive in finding potential employers and
bringing them to campus for job fairs and other types of interaction.
7. State and local governments can condition their funding for higher
education on meeting mission-appropriate goals for graduation
rates, time to completion, and job placements.
8. Potential employers work with tenured and professional faculty to
set curriculum content and performance standards so graduates
learn more and are prepared for the job market.
9. Students should have short courses in professional development to
prepare for the job market.
10. Student-centered learning, which is designed to satisfy individual
learning styles, makes it easier and faster to learn so quality, gradua-
tion rate, completion time, and job placement improve.