"Purposeful Lives and Meaningful Work: Thriving After College" Conference to Focus on Post-Graduate Success

On Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13, the College’s Center for Careers, Life, and Service and Office of Analytic Support and Institutional Research will host the College’s fourth annual conference on student success. This year’s conference will focus on how institutions prepare students for post-graduate success. The conference is designed for campus leaders, faculty members, policymakers, and other higher education stakeholders. All events will take place in the Harris Center Cinema.
 
Keynote and featured speakers will include Kevin Eagan, Managing Director of the Higher Education Research Institute; Jeff Selingo, journalist and bestselling author on higher education; and Phil Gardner, Director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute.
 
Eagan’s opening keynote address will occur from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Entitled “Why Do Students Attend College? Insights from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program,” Eagan’s keynote will identify trends in students’ responses to the 2017 Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshman Survey. Following Eagan’s opening keynote, President Raynard S. Kington and Gardner will engage in an open conversation, entitled “Preparing the Next Generation,” about how colleges and universities shape their philosophies and methods to prepare students for the marketplace.  On Friday at 11 a.m., Selingo will deliver the closing keynote address: “There is Life After College: Making the Most of the Undergraduate Years for Success in Life.”
 
In addition to the keynote speeches, the conference will feature several panels on topics including: Fostering Career Readiness by Re-Imagining the Liberal Arts; Innovative Approaches to Preparing Students for Life After College; and Measuring Student Outcomes. More details about the conference, including a full schedule of talks and panels, may be found on the conference web site.
 
To date, Grinnell’s student success conferences have brought together faculty and staff from more than 25 colleges and universities. Capacity for this year’s conference is limited. Grinnell faculty and staff must complete the Conference Registration. Faculty and staff from outside institutions should complete a separate registration form.