The Case Western Reserve University Career Center received the gold level of the 2015 LGBTQ Career Center Certification awarded by Out for Work (OFW), marking the third straight year the center has attained the organization’s top grade.
The certification program assesses career resources for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) students offered by academic career centers nationally.
In five years of being evaluated by OFW, the career center achieved a bronze level award the first year, a silver the second and gold each year from 2013-15.
“I’m especially proud of this award,” said Thomas B. Matthews, PhD, the center’s executive director. “It acknowledges that the Career Center staff is succeeding in trying to create targeted career services for students who identify as LGBTQ. For the university, it reflects the sprit of an inclusive environment, where diversity is respected, encouraged and extends from the time students start here to when they’re making post-graduation plans.”
At Case Western Reserve, students have access to the OFW LGBTQ Career Center Library. The Career Center staff also hosts a number of networking events that encourage students who identify as LGBTQ to learn more about people, programs and organizations that can support their career exploration.
For example, Sylvia Marrero, the center’s assistant director for Student Outreach, worked with Ashley Dyer, associate director of Alumni Outreach & Affinity Programs in University Alumni Relations, to host a “Work It OUT” event that connected students with the LGBTA Alliance at GE Lighting & Appliances.
OFW, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., compliments the educational experience of LGBT students, mainly in the development, evaluation, initiation and implementation of career plans and opportunities. OFW’s programs, resources and services help students cultivate and enhance their skills to explore career options, master job search techniques and strategies and research employment opportunities.