History of the UF Division of Student Affairs | Page 42
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day and placement programs; the creation of a credited course in career
planning; increased career planning and counseling services; and the creation
of a library of materials.
By 1990, the Career Resource Center hosted 893 companies and conducted
over 13,000 interviews under Mayberry’s leadership. After 39 years of service
to UF, Maurice Mayberry retired as the Center’s director in 1991. Mayberry
is remembered as a pioneer in the career services field. Upon his retirement,
Mayberry was immediately granted Director Emeritus status by President John
Lombardi. Dr. Wayne Wallace, became the Center’s second director in 39 years.
The New Millennium
Improving technologies was a departmental goal, and during the first few
years of the new millennium, the office made significant upgrades to meet
students’ needs in the digital age. NACElink, an online portal that offered three
complimentary services (job listings, interview scheduling, and resume referral)
was launched in 2002. NACElink was highly regarded as a tool that would
revolutionize career services. UF was one of only 27 institutions in the country to
participate in the launch of NACElink. Just a year following the launch, the CRC
established Gator CareerLink, a customized version of the NACElink system. In
that first year, over 8,300 jobs were posted in the system for UF students and
alumni.
The Annual Report was another effort where the Center took advantage of
using technology to better communicate the Center’s message. After years
of distributing printed versions, a “go green” initiative was supported with the
publishing of the report. A modern, interactive format using Flash technology
was used to display the Center’s annual data. This new version of presentation
garnered recognition from career service centers around the country interested
in duplicating the effort.
During the new millennium, the breadth of the Center’s educational programming
also expanded. The Sharpening My Interviewing to Lure Employment (S.M.I.L.E.)
program was created in 2002 to actively engage students in the art of
interviewing. An immediate success, nearly 250 students registered to attend
just one of the sessions in the program. Another program, Building Relationships
through Internship Development with Gainesville Employers (B.R.I.D.G.E.), an
H i st o ry o f t h e U F D S A