The award honors the development and implementation of the O’Brien Center’s thoughtful and innovative initiatives that support career development for service within the education, government, and community settings, according to a statement from the association.
“This award recognizes that Merrimack as a whole is committed to students’ success,” said Heather Maietta, the associated vice president for career and corporate engagement in the O’Brien Center. “The O’Brien Center staff is always looking for new and different ways of engaging students in the career and professional development process, especially our undecided and first-generation students.”
The O’Brien Center recently expanded to implement programs and services that ensure students’ successes in selecting a major and future careers. Maietta, who’s in charge of the center, is paying close attention to students pursuing liberal arts majors who hadn’t gotten as much attention in the past.
Ninety seven percent of Merrimack’s class of 2014 was employed or in graduate school within nine month of graduation.
The statistics are only one measurement of success, Maietta said. “Through our robust alumni network and excellent employer partnerships, we are able to expose and connect students to industry so their post-graduate destinations are in-line with their interests and skills,” she said.
The O’Brien Center is a full-service career- and professional-development center that provides wrap around support to students who are preparing for the 21st century workforce. The center considers career development a collaborative effort whereby it actively reaches out to employers, faculty, and alumni as partners in developing students to reach their maximum potential.
The NCDA, founded in 1913, is the first and longest-lived career development association in the world.
