ODU's Career Management Center Wins a 2009 NACE/Chevron Award

Old Dominion University's Career Management Center (CMC) has won a 2009 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)/Chevron Excellence Award, which recognizes and honors a college member of NACE for its development of a groundbreaking program in the field.

The ODU center earned the award for its electronic booth self-selection capability. This system gives employers a means to register for the CMC's major events - such as its career fair and etiquette dinner - and self-select their preferred booth location.

The system uses templates of the event venue with the booth layout. Employers click on a section of the venue where they wish to be located and a template opens that shows booth availability. The employer then can select and reserve its preferred location.

The electronic booth self-selection capability has increased employer satisfaction with the center's customer service, reduced staff time and effort in organizing events, and significantly decreased a major cause of event-day stress for both employers and staff.

The CMC was honored during NACE's 2009 Annual Conference, which was held June 9-12 in Las Vegas.

Tom Wunderlich, assistant dean of the Career Management Center, noted the importance of winning a Chevron. "The NACE Chevron Award is the highest award a career center can achieve nationally and we have been honored to receive the award twice in the last three years," he said. "In the 26-year history of the award, only Cornell, William and Mary, UNC Chapel Hill and now Old Dominion University have won the Chevron Award twice."

Since 1956, NACE has been the leading source of information about the employment of college graduates. NACE maintains a virtual press room for the media at www.naceweb.org/press/.