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College of Social Science partners with local businesses to create career readiness training and experiences for students

August 6, 2025 - Emily Jodway Patyna

IMG_0294.jpgCollege of Social Science Dean Brent Donnellan addresses local business partners at the Techsmith building on July 24. Below: MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz greets Mid-Michigan employers who had partnered with the College of Social Science for the creation of the Employer Advisory Board. Photos by Brandon Drain.

What does a career in Social Science look like? Graduates of Michigan State University’s College of Social Science become therapists, social workers, police officers, archaeologists, public-health consultants, attorneys, policymakers and more. To equip them with the full spectrum of practice-oriented, high-impact skills that they need, the College has launched an Employer Advisory Board (EAB) with public- and private-sector partners across mid-Michigan.

Conceived last summer and co-created by college leadership, faculty, staff, and mission-aligned employers, the EAB held its inaugural meeting on July 24 at TechSmith’s East Lansing campus. The board bridges academic preparation and professional contribution, helping students transition smoothly into Michigan’s workforce while advancing MSU’s land-grant commitment to public impact and talent activation.

Future-Focused Partnerships

The board—co-chaired by Capital Area Michigan Works!—includes AF Group, MI Department of Corrections, MI Department of Health & Human Services, MI Department of Treasury, Peckham, and TechSmith. President Kevin Guskiewicz and Dean Brent Donnellan presented official certificates, underscoring the EAB’s role in building an inclusive, Michigan-focused talent pipeline.

“The EAB was designed to prepare the next generation to thrive right here in Mid-Michigan,” said Donnellan. “We want our students to apply knowledge and push boundaries, and this is an important working partnership for this action. We are here to collaborate, innovate and prepare students with meaningful, purpose-driven work. We want students to acquire and develop both hard and soft skills, and we are so thankful to work with like-minded people and organizations to get things done and have an impact.”

“Today’s graduates will be working well into the 2070s,” Guskiewicz added. “What jobs and careers will exist in the year 2075? What are the workforce needs of today and tomorrow, and how can we better prepare our graduates to meet them? It’s our responsibility to be forward thinking in how we best prepare for those jobs and careers that don’t even exist yet today. I think it’s going to take a deep understanding and practical experience. Work-based learning is so important.”

The group also heard from Capital Area Michigan Works! CEO Carrie Rosingana, who is a proud alumna of the College of Social Science.

“Working with the College of Social Science fills me with deep, deep pride,” she said. “I found a career after coming to Michigan State right here in the region, and I cannot imagine working or living anywhere else. There are so many future MSU graduates who can also find their purpose and their passion right here, with wonderful employers and community partners who will support and dedicate themselves to their career.”

IMG_0270.jpgFour Pillars Driving Impact

The EAB is grounded in four strategic pillars that shape its mission and amplify its impact:

  1. Engaging the Mid-Michigan Public and Nonprofit Workforce

State agencies, mission-driven nonprofits, and public-sector employers in Greater Lansing and across Mid-Michigan form the core of the EAB. Partnering with organizations that hire where MSU students live and learn enables the College to co-design pathways aligned with the labor market most Spartans will enter after graduation. These collaborations also expand MSU’s civic footprint across government, human services, and community development—sectors vital to Mid-Michigan’s long-term social and economic vitality—and advance the university’s land-grant mission statewide.

  1. Advancing Career Readiness for Underserved Populations

The College of Social Science serves a diverse undergraduate population, including many first-generation, transfer, and neurodivergent students. Informed by the insights of the social sciences, the College intentionally develops curricular and experiential learning opportunities that promote long-term student success. Through targeted programs and hands-on experiences, EAB members help expand equitable hiring pathways and support students in bridging the gap between academic learning and the world of work.

  1. Experiential Learning as a Degree Requirement

All undergraduate students in the College of Social Science are required to complete at least three credits of experiential learning. EAB members play a critical role in supporting this curricular requirement by providing internships, job shadowing, site visits, mentoring, and employer-hosted learning experiences. These contributions position the EAB as a foundational element of the College’s educational infrastructure. Their efforts also complement the expertise of faculty and graduate students involved in the College’s Future of Work Initiative, including those from the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, and the Organizational Psychology group.

  1. A Working Board with Applied Value

The EAB operates as a working board and its members are actively engaged in collaboration and innovation, helping to prepare students for meaningful, purpose-driven careers. The College and its industry partners share a common commitment to equipping students with both the soft and hard skills needed for professional success.

Through this mission-driven model, the EAB creates intentional space for impactful public engagement, strengthening the College’s broader institutional reach, without fundraising as a primary objective.

After Industry Showcase presentations by TechSmith and the State of Michigan Department of Treasury, attendees participated in roundtable sessions with Dean Donnellan, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Emily Durbin and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Affairs Kevin W. Horne Jr. Each group discussed the ways in which the College of Social Science and the EAB can foster their partnership this upcoming school year in ways that are grounded in civic and community impact that serves Social Science majors. Dean Donnellan’s group brought up the importance of employers working with the college to help shape curriculum, support inclusive student success and career readiness, and directly address local and statewide issues.

“This is truly a partnership of the college,” he said. “We are fully engaged in the mission of co-developing career courses, highlighting internship programs, mentoring students, and shaping curriculum with real-time insights from practical application in the real world.”

The Employer Advisory Board will continue its work throughout the upcoming school year, with more updates to come. The College of Social Science welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with more local industry partners to enhance career preparation opportunities for our students. ∎