UNCP Hires Assistant Director for Career Services

UNC Pembroke's Office of Career Services has hired Lori Ann Bumgarner as assistant director. The position at the office was created to accommodate a growing student body.

Under the guidance of 16-year veteran Lisa Schaeffer, the Career Center is ranked number one for student satisfaction in annual surveys of all graduates in the University of North Carolina system.

"I'm excited to be at this school and working with Dr. Schaeffer," said Ms. Bumgarner. "We have so much in common, it's almost scary."

Ms. Bumgarner comes to UNCP from Methodist College, where she was director of the Office of Career Services.

"The center helps all students, not just seniors," she said. "We start with freshmen, getting them acquainted with the services. Then, we do career planning with sophomores and help juniors with internships."

Of course, seniors trickle in the office when they realize there is a world beyond cozy college life. The center prepares them with mock interviews, resume assistance, career fairs and on-campus recruitment.

"We are always trying to provide more services and programs, especially now that the university is growing," Dr. Schaeffer said. "One area we would like to focus on is internships because gaining experience in student's major area is important in the career decision-making process."

Ms. Bumgarner has set goals for the Career Center, including creating an on-line graduate survey and changing the school's current computerized job search tool to e-Recuiting. Most importantly, she wants to introduce the career center to new students with more interactive presentations.

"They have fun while they are learning about what services are available to them," she said.

At Methodist, Ms. Bumgarner created an interactive game designed for freshmen seminar classes called "Who Wants to be a Survivor?"

"Dr. Schaffer is really interested in the idea," Bumgarner said. "It's definitely something we could do here."

A Cherryville, N.C., native, Ms. Bumgarner completed her undergraduate degree in psychology and a minor in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She headed to The University of South Carolina for a Master of Education degree, and returned to North Carolina to work at Methodist College.

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