What We Do

Mission

Our mission at the Strommen Center is to empower Augsburg students to pursue careers aligned with their unique vision of meaningful work, offering resources and guidance for personal and professional growth in today’s ever-evolving landscape.

Vision

Our vision is a supportive Augsburg community where students, staff, and faculty embrace self-discovery, shape purposeful futures, and students graduate ready to thrive and contribute meaningfully into their careers and communities.

How We Do It

Our Services

We offer a number of services to various groups and our offerings continue to adapt and change with student need.

  • 1:1 appointments: We offer appointments with staff members (both virtually and in person) through Navigate. Current appointment categories include:
    • Major exploration
    • Career planning/exploration
    • Graduate school exploration
    • Graduate school personal statement review
    • Internship and job search strategy
    • Networking strategy (including information on job shadowing and informational interviews)
    • Personal assessments (suggesting, proctoring, and/or reviewing inventories and assessments to help identify skills, values, work interests, and more)
    • Resume, CV, and cover letter writing
    • LinkedIn profile review
    • Interview preparation (including mock interviews)
    • Health professions coaching (not advising – we cannot help with course sequencing but we can help you explore possibilities and identify what you need to do to get where you want to go)
  • Drop-in appointments: Our peer advisors are available for drop-in sessions Monday-Friday, typically from 9am – 4pm. They offer support in the following areas:
    • Resume and cover letter writing
    • Intro internship and job search support
    • General coaching around career questions and resource sharing
    • Appointment scheduling
  • Presentations: We offer and/or design a number of presentations throughout the year, connected to events such as Career Exploration Day, SOAR, Auggie Days, Aug Sem, career fairs, First Gen Week, and others. We also take presentation requests from student groups. To learn more about what requestable presentations we offer, visit our presentation and workshop request page.
  • Augsburg Experience 0-credit internship course: Our Program Associate oversees the non-credit internship course for students looking to complete the Augsburg experience. Students in the course submit a site supervisor evaluation request and a reflection assignment connecting their experience to skills they gained.
  • Travelers EDGE: Travelers EDGE is our flagship pipeline program to uniquely support students as they complete their academic career and ensure they have intentional opportunities to develop professional skills and connections. It is a national program in partnership and funded by Travelers Insurance. Augsburg has been a strong partner since 2010 and students in their final year of high school or their first year of college can apply. Visit our dedicated page to learn more about Travelers EDGE.

The Strommen Center frequently partners and collaborates with other departments to provide support and student events. We offer:

  • The Career Collaborative: This initiative focuses on embedding the career experience across campus and giving staff and faculty the tools and resources to succeed with this, particularly around curriculum development and assignments. Learn more about the Career Collaborative on our dedicated page.
    • As part of the Career Collaborative, we are working on launching a Faculty Fellowship program to provide professional development and intentional time and focus on career integration in courses.
  • Consultations: Reach out to schedule a time with us to discuss how to integrate career into your courses, assignments, or co-curricular activities. We can also provide information regarding how majors connect to careers, industry trends, and predictions.
  • Liaisons: Our career center staff are also liaisons to the Five Schools at Augsburg in order to better support faculty with answer questions and providing resources. To find who your school’s liaison is, visit our Meet the Team page.
  • Presentations: We can visit your class to share information on a specific topic. To learn more about what requestable presentations we offer, visit our presentation and workshop request page.
  • Collaboration: We work with a variety of departments to co-host events, attend staff or department meetings, or work in committees. If you would like to collaborate with us, please let us know!

We offer a number of ways for employers to connect with us and with Augsburg students! These include:

  • Posting job opportunities on Handshake: We invite you to post your full-time, part-time, or internship opportunities on our online job board, Handshake. Here’s how:
  • On-campus tabling: We host employers in our student union throughout the school year (as space allows) to meet with students and share opportunities. Please email careers@augsburg.edu if you are interested!
  • Scheduling to meet with our Employer Engagement Team: We would love to learn more about your organization and explore ways to connect you with Augsburg talent. Please schedule an Employer Engagement Intake or Strategy meeting at your convenience. If none of the days listed work, please let us know and we will work with you to find another time.
  • Career Fairs, Events, and Recruiting: We host career fair on our campus each fall and have a variety of opportunities for employers to share presentations and recruit on campus. Please visit our Employer page for more information on these opportunities, as well as a variety of other resources and information.

  • Appointments: At this time, we offer appointments for alumni any number of years out from graduation. This service is offered for as long as you need it. Keep in mind that our coaches are not career counselors and are best suited to assist with resumes, job search support, and networking strategies. We do not do job placement and may not be the best for those seeking nuanced, specific advice concentrated in particularly fields but can make referrals and recommendations. Alumni should schedule appointments in Handshake or email us at careers@augsburg.edu to get access.
  • Share Your Story: Are you interested in sharing your career experience and/or connecting with current students? Join our storytelling initiative to record a short video to be posted on our website. Email us at careers@augsburg.edu to learn more.

  • Resources & Data
    • We offer resources on our Parents and Families page including questions and tips for having career conversations with your students and guidance on what your students can do to be career-ready.
    • We also administer the First Destination Survey annual to collect career outcome information for our recent graduating class. For questions regarding this data, please email us at careers@augsburg.edu. More data visualization on our website is in the works!

We engage with a variety of career consortiums and knowledge basis. We are members of:

  • NACE (the National Association of Colleges and Employers)
  • NCDA (the National Career Development Association)
  • MCUCSA (the Minnesota College and University Career Services Association)
  • MPCCC (the Minnesota Private Colleges Career Consortium)

We also utilize resources through our website host, uConnect, and the Career Leadership Collective.

Our Values

Collaboration: Working jointly with students on professional endeavors as well as colleagues across campus to elevate and sustain a flourishing career ecosystem.

Transparency: Creating an open and honest practice with our students and colleagues.

Curiosity: Bringing inquisitive and creative thinking to our interactions so we can support our students to achieve their goals.

Adaptation: Responding to the needs of the ever-changing world and bringing creativity to the solutions offered.

Equity: Seeking to build and redesign systems and structures in and around Augsburg that allow for more fair access to career opportunities. Our goal is to help students navigate systems not made with them in mind.