CareerLAB launched a new intensive program to facilitate interaction between Brown students and alums Monday. The three-day pilot January Career Laboratory will begin Jan. 19 and will feature panels on different career fields, networking sessions and skill workshops.
A joint initiative by CareerLAB, the dean of the College and the Corporation, the program will provide students with an "outstanding opportunity to increase their networks, build on skills important for starting and advancing a career … and learn about different career fields from alumni," said Andrew Simmons, director of CareerLAB.
The Office of Alumni Relations will try to recruit alums from a wide variety of career fields and with different levels of experience, said Lauren Kolodny '08, the Corporation's young alumni trustee, who first conceived of the idea and brought it to the Center for Campus Life.
Though Brown used to host a similar alumni career week during the semester, Kolodny said January CareerLAB will give students an opportunity to "think really deeply about their careers outside of the demands of class and extracurricular activities," she said. It also gives alums the opportunity to come back to campus and engage with the community.
Students of all years and concentrations are invited to apply beginning Oct. 24. CareerLAB will choose 150 students to participate based on their interests, Simmons said.
Participating students will be allowed to move in to the dormitories early and will pay a fee of $130 to cover meals, housing and program events. Simmons said the fee only partially covers the per-student cost of the program — CareerLAB and the Office of the Dean of the College will provide the remaining funds. Students unable to pay the fee can apply for financial aid.
Details of the program, including faculty and staff participation, are still being worked out, Simmons said. A preliminary schedule is on the CareerLAB website.
It is "a way of giving (students) exposure to things outside of academics," Simmons said. "We think we have a very good program."
