A panel of career services professionals gathered at Grand Canyon University’s Sunset Auditorium for the Arizona Statewide Career Services Conference. Chris Murphy, associate professor in GCU’s College of Arts and Media, presented a novel approach to preparing students for employment by involving them in Canyon Creative, a student-run design agency that offers work-for-credit experiences.
Murphy explained, “It’s not about the career; education is actually all about the experience … which better informs students to pursue a career.” This initiative allows students to replace classes with internship credits during their final semester.
The conference was organized by GCU’s Career Services in collaboration with representatives from various Arizona universities and colleges. It marked only the second time GCU hosted this event in over 30 years. Aysha Bell, executive director of Career Services at GCU, expressed her enthusiasm: “Hosting the conference at GCU this year is such an honor.”
Attendees participated in breakout sessions covering topics like connecting students with alumni mentors and leveraging university resources. They also toured companies such as USAA and Curbell Plastics. Bell emphasized the value of networking: “This is an opportunity for them to learn best practices from their peers and to network and get re-invigorated.”
Keynote speaker Greg Lucas discussed artificial intelligence’s role in preparing students for future careers. He described how AI reshapes workforce dynamics: “We must equip students for jobs that don’t even exist.”
The conference concluded with a panel session on economic development trends affecting job prospects for graduates. Susan Dumon from the Chamber of Southern Arizona noted shifts towards industrial jobs, while LaSetta Hogans highlighted Phoenix’s focus on high-wage job creation.
Panelists also addressed challenges such as affordable housing and engaging future workforces effectively. Brian Wright pointed out that affordable housing remains crucial for attracting talent.
Haley Fagerlie from GCU stressed that companies need to engage more directly with potential employees: “What are businesses going to do to fully engage with those individuals directly?”
As Aysha Bell summarized, “It’s really beautiful that we all are getting together from different institutions for the singular goal of… ‘How can we better serve our students? How can we better serve industry?’”
