History of the UF Division of Student Affairs | Page 38

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Department
Histories
Career Resource Center
P l a c e m e n t S e r v i c e O f f i c e i s C r e at e d
In 1951, UF began the rapid expansion from a student body of 8,177 men and
601 women to nearly 50,000 students. Employers from business, industry,
education and government were clamoring for new college graduates to join
their organizations as they attempted to keep abreast of the demand for goods
and services depressed by the World War II economy of 1941-1947.
In the early 1950s, employer representatives would contact individual
professors to begin the recruiting process for students. The professors would
in turn recommend students for screening and employment interviews. This
type of college recruitment and selection existed through WWII when college
enrollments and employer needs for college graduates were low. After WWII,
employers needed qualified college graduates to fill growing needs. Old
recruiting methods were inadequate and time-consuming.
President J. Hillis Miller charged Dr. Max Wise, Dean of Student Personnel, to form
a committee to solve recruitment issues. The college placement organizational
structure that Miller wanted to create at UF originated in England. Placement
offices at English universities were called “appointment offices.” Their primary
purpose was to assist in the selection and placement of graduating students in
government service positions. Most early placement services at U.S. universities
were involved primarily in the placement of teachers.
With a model to mirror, UF established the Placement Service Office in 1953.
In July 1953, Maurice E. Mayberry, a UF College of Business Administration
graduate, was selected as the first placement officer. The committee settled on

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