As a New Traditional University and U.S. News and World Report-ranked National University, Western New England University is leading the way in preparing students for the future of work.
University President Dr. Robert E. Johnson's vision for WNE comprises providing students with a solid educational and philosophical foundation while instilling the mindset and skillset for a hyperconnected world, a hallmark of a New Traditional University.
"A New Traditional University embraces the possibilities of the future through a transformative, dynamic, and innovative institutional model that really empowers agile and adaptive learners," he says. "It gives them the ability to navigate change and disruption while achieving professional success and creating value in a global society. It prepares learners and earners for the future of work and jobs that do not yet exist."
"Students must be innovators responsible for their brand and business model, equipped to reinvent themselves throughout their professional careers. As the world changes, they must change. Their future is now!"
To stay ahead of the speed of change and to empower students to take charge of their futures, WNE is revolutionizing and enhancing already-existing services to keep students and alumni at the forefront. Thanks to a generous donation from alumnus and Trustee Kevin Delbridge and his wife Sandra, the University's Career Center is now known as the Kevin S. and Sandra E. Delbridge Career Center, and with it comes substantial upgrades and resources.
The augmented Delbridge Career Center will address the career readiness needs of students with a focus on helping them become global citizens from the time they first arrive on campus through their senior year and beyond.
Acting as a contemporized educational agency, the Delbridge Career Center will use a forward-leaning design to help students and graduates not only embrace a future where the unknown will quickly evolve into reality, but also take control of and animate their value proposition, which will help them forge their own path with intentionality, reinforced by their personal "why."
"Once students find their 'why,' they'll see the world around them change," says President Johnson. "When you have a purpose and a reason, you'll have a means by which you can continuously create value in your life, in your work, and in your community."
The Delbridge Career Center will also harness its network and relationships with local professionals, corporations, and alumni to best serve students, as well as collaborate through formalized corporate partnerships and interdisciplinary research and insight to identify evolving and emerging career paths. The Center will create, promote and provide professional development opportunities and certificate programs that supply organizations with the tools needed to improve employee engagement, retention, and upskilling.
"Thanks to Kevin and Sandra Delbridge's keen interest in providing students with the tools they need to be successful in an increasingly competitive job market, a dynamic vision was created for WNE's existing Career Center," says Vice President for Advancement Beverly Dwight. "The vision began to unfold with the Delbridge's transformational gift in support of operational and capital improvements and the subsequent naming of the Kevin S. and Sandra E. Delbridge Career Center. The entire WNE community is deeply grateful for Kevin and Sandra Delbridge's extraordinary philanthropy and their deep commitment to ensuring an excellent student experience that translates to career readiness."
"We are confident that the support offered in the Delbridge Career Center will help distinguish Western New England University graduates among employers, in their careers, and in their communities, says Kevin S. and Sandra E. Delbridge.
As the new Delbridge Career Center takes shape with an eye toward innovation and exploring new possibilities, new leadership will also take the helm. Vice President for Student Affairs Kristine Goodwin has announced the appointment of Patricia A. Goff as the first Associate Vice President of the Kevin S. and Sandra E. Delbridge Career Center.
Goff is a Student Affairs professional with 20 years of experience guiding college students in professional and personal development. She previously served as Assistant Vice President of Integrated Learning and Administration for the Division of Student Affairs at Providence College, where she established strategic visions and directed comprehensive and innovative programs and services that influenced student success and career readiness.
"The new Delbridge Career Center will strengthen WNE's position as an emerging leader in career preparation, agile mindset education, and the future of work," says Goodwin. "Under Patricia's confident leadership, our students and alumni will have ability to chart their course and the agility and resilience to adapt when roads diverge."
"My belief is that every student holds the promise of endless potential and infinite possibilities," says Goff. "Western New England University is committed to students and their ability to adapt and thrive professionally and personally by providing them with the tools they need to be successful. I am looking forward to growing and developing the Delbridge Career Center in pursuit of that mission."
The Delbridge Career Center will not only provide resources and guidance that support Powerful Preparation for the Future of Work right now, but also a heightened mindset and skillset that students and alumni can leverage at every level of their career for the rest of their lives.
"The experiences that comprise powerful preparation for the future of work are essential for those seeking to start their career, advance within their current career, or aspire to reinvent themselves in a new career," says President Johnson. "Mid-career workers benefit from gaining necessary skillsets and mindsets to adapt to the future of work since change can emerge quickly around them, gain traction while they are busy performing their jobs as before, and can be profoundly disruptive if they are not prepared."
