December 2003

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. President’s Message
2. EACE Consulting Committee: Q&A from a Satisfied Customer
3. EACE Co-Sponsors Employer Roundtables with NACE
4. Building Bridges Through Partnerships: Annual EACE Conference

1. President’s Message

As EACE approaches the holiday season, it is only appropriate to give thanks to each of you for giving me this opportunity to serve as your President. I must also express my gratitude to the Committees, Networks and 2004 Annual Conference Chairs and Team Members for their unwavering hard work and dedication as evidenced in a variety of program and service offerings.

The EACE Creative Careers and Public Service Networks are offering a drive in workshop on December 5th at Yale University,” The Artist/Activist Career Path”.

The Liberal Arts Network is offering again this year “Road Trips To The Real World” enabling EACE college members the opportunity to have their students visit a variety of employers including The Philadelphia Zoo, National Security Agency, L’Oreal, Rodale Press and Paramount Cards. Additional information can be found in this issue of Bridges and on the EACE website.

The Consulting Committee has been very active conducting consulting visits for EACE members. For those members who have availed themselves of this service, there has been excellent feedback on this professional level resource offered by EACE. Members have stated that the consultants have offered practical solutions to pressing office issues and offered their expertise about best practices in areas needing improvement.

EACE is also co-sponsoring employer roundtables with NACE. For EACE employer members it is an opportunity to exchange thoughts on current recruiting trends and issues. The roundtables will be held in December and January in New York, Connecticut and Northern Virginia. Detailed information can be found in this issue of Bridges and the EACE website.

Many of the Networks such as the Employer, Engineering, and Lone Ranger Networks are actively engaged through listservs and conference calls discussing issues that affect their particular constituency. Several are also planning programs/workshops/roundtables for the early part of 2004 and the 2004 Annual Conference.

I hope by now you have marked your calendars and plan to attend “Building Bridges Through Partnerships” the 2004 Annual Conference, August 8-11, 2004 in Pittsburgh, PA. The excitement is building as the 2004 Annual Conference Committee continues to move forward with planning a combination of solid employer and college programming, many opportunities to network with colleagues as well as cultural and social events seasoned with a “Pittsburgh” flavor. The 2004 Annual Conference website will be connected to the EACE website shortly and a listserv announcement will be sent out announcing its unveiling. It is destined to be a conference you cannot afford to miss!

Becky Weir, President-Elect and I will be attending the Presidents’ Roundtable, which includes the president and president-elect of each of the regional associations and NACE in California at the end of January 2004. These are valuable opportunities both for information exchange and analysis of global issues. The major focus of this meeting will be the recent Task Force on Regional Association Relationships meeting (Marv Roth is the EACE representative) and the proposal they have put together on potential relationship models. Becky and I will update the membership following this roundtable.

TEI, our association management firm, is also working closely with the Board to finalize development of EACE’s first online membership directory. The membership directory will be available in a pdf format enabling you to print a hard copy. In addition, it will be updated on a monthly basis. TEI and the Board hope to have it out to the membership before the end of December. As I noted in the last issue of Bridges, Tracy Burr, EACE’s Managing Director can be reached at 414-908-4940, ext. 106 or t.burr@eace.org.

EACE is a truly dynamic professional association fueled by the passion and energy of a wonderful group of professional colleagues and friends which creates a forum for exceptional professional development programming and networking opportunities. Please become an active member in EACE – your talent and expertise is so vital to ensuring EACE’s premier status. In addition, you will benefit both personally and professionally.

It is a privilege to be serving as your President. Thank you for your support!

Happy Holidays and a Healthy 2004,

Marianne Tramelli
President, EACE 2003 - 2004

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2. EACE Consulting Committee: Q&A from a Satisfied Customer

In August 2003, the EACE Consulting Committee paid a visit to the University of Baltimore in Baltimore, MD. The team was led by Richard White of Rutgers University. Other team members included Carol Ruiz of Richlin-Echikson Associates and Marianna Savoca of Stony Brook University.

Leslie Williams, Director of The Career Center at the University of Baltimore, provided responses to our inquiries.

1. What factors prompted you to request a visit from the EACE consulting team?
Our staff has recently undergone several significant changes: a new president, new reporting structure, new director, elimination of two positions, and new student and employment online management software. When I completed my first year at the University of Baltimore, my co-workers and I were interested in getting recommendations for managing this change.

2. What did you have to do to prepare for the visit? How much time did the preparations take?
To prepare, I talked to the associate vice president for student affairs (my boss) and the president to ascertain their goals for the consultation. I completed the EACE application for a site visit and answered some follow-up questions from Richard. I also coordinated the visit agenda. I spent parts of three days preparing for the visit and arranging the logistics.

3. Who did the team meet with on campus? Did they meet with any employers?
The consultation team met with all of the employees of The Career Center. They also met with university senior administration, including the president. Other meetings included faculty, staff, students, alumni, and employers.

4. What was the response of administrators and faculty to your request that they meet with an external review team?
Everyone invited to participate in the process was very receptive. Even those who were concluding summer vacations expressed that they were pleased to see that our office was so concerned with providing excellent service to our clients.

5. How helpful was the final report prepared by the external review team?
The final report was very well-written and extremely helpful. It captured the sentiments expressed by a variety of stakeholders throughout the consultation. We could really tell that the consulting team did lots of research about the unique needs of our university and students, rather than offering a cookie-cutter approach to suggesting solutions.

6. Were any of the recommended changes actually implemented?
Some of the changes were in process during the consultation and we’re about to implement others. Our staff identified which recommendations seem currently attainable, which one we would like to implement with additional resources, and which ones are longer-range priorities for us. In addition, we’re meeting with the president and the Executive Council to present the recommendations that we would like to implement immediately, pending some additional financial and human resources.

7. What did you learn that enabled you to improve the quality of your services and operations?
The consultants offered practical solutions to some of our pressing issues. They also offered their expertise about best practices in areas we would like to develop. Each of the consultants was very giving – even mailing us follow-up resources from their own offices.

8. What advice do you have for career centers or recruiting organizations that are considering an external review?
This is a terrific EACE resource! Based on our experience, the consultation was a way to build support on campus for our office. The students, faculty, staff, alumni and employers who met with the consultants are very interested in the outcome of this process.

My advice is to be as transparent as possible. Invite a broad cross-section of your organization to meet with the consulting team – people who rave about your services and those who are not as pleased; folks who have worked extensively with you and others who haven’t taken advantage of your resources.

Please feel free to contact me at lmwilliams@ubalt.edu if you would like to discuss the University of Baltimore’s experience with the EACE Consulting Committee.

For more information on the EACE Consulting Committee, log on to www.eace.com or contact Richard White, Chair, at riwhite@rci.rutgers.edu.

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3. EACE Co-Sponsors Employer Roundtables with NACE

Don't forget to mark your calendars! Join your colleagues for an employer roundtable, a half-day session where colleagues share the latest recruiting information and issues. What makes the roundtable unique is that you and other college recruiting and staffing professionals will set the agenda. Come prepared with questions and suggestions for this moderated discussion. As a participant, you'll gain valuable insights into enhancing and distinguishing your program.

Popular topics at recent roundtables around the country have been: diversity recruitment strategies, use of technology in recruiting, image building, and benchmarking staffing activities. It's the perfect opportunity to network and find out what your competition is doing! These roundtables are co-sponsored by NACE and EACE.

Upcoming Roundtables in our region:

• December 4, 2003 - New York, NY - Sponsored by Ernst & Young
• January 14, 2004 - Fairfield, CT - Sponsored by General Electric
• January 27, 2004 - Northern Virginia - Sponsored by American Management
  Systems, Inc. (Date Change from Dec. 11, 2003)

For more information and to register, please visit http://www.naceweb.org

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4. Building Bridges Through Partnerships: Annual EACE Conference

There is excitement in the air……the holidays, the close of the semester, and the EACE ’04 Annual Conference!!! The conference will be held in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh, PA from August 8-11, 2004. Mark your calendars.

The Conference Committee is in high gear to bring you an amazing event filled with opportunities to network, learn, and enjoy Pittsburgh. In addition to the fabulous presentations by EACE members, the Programs Committee is excited about providing programs specifically for seasoned professionals as well as programs specifically for employers. The bridges of Pittsburgh will lead us to all of the wonders of the city that the Entertainment Committee is planning for us.

The Conference Committee is jazzed about announcing an incentive for EACE members to share the conference experience. If you, as an EACE member, are responsible for the attendance of a nonmember, your name will be entered into a drawing for a special prize.

The registration fees are as follows:
Early Bird (January-April 30, 2004) Member: $375, Nonmember: $470
Regular Registration (May 1-August 1, 2004) Member: $425, Nonmember: $520

For additional registration and conference details please visit our website at: www.eace.org. We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh in August of 2004!

Clarification
Please note that in October 2003 Bridges it appeared that Long Island Resources was sponsoring the August 2004 Conference. This is not the case. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused.

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Bridges Editors: Ingrid Peterson Deborah Rothstein