CERC may be moved or eliminated
With the retirement of Glen Maw, the Career Exploration Resource Center (CERC), located in the University Inn, Room 101, may see its own retirement, or at least a dose of downsizing.
Patricia Terrell, vice president for student services, said two options are being considered for the center which aids students in making assessments to help them determine possible career paths.
“The question is where can student needs be best served,” she said.
The center will either remain in its current location or move to the quarters of Programs and Entertainment on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center and fall under the jurisdiction of the Counseling Center.
Brittney Davis, one of the work study employees of CERC since Fall Semester 1999, said there won’t be as much space, but the match would be better than closing it.
“They [the Counseling Center employees] seem to be willing to give us more support than Career Services,” she said.
Davis said there is a prevalent feeling among the CERC staff that the center is expendable and near extinction.
That just doesn’t jive with university goals of retention, she said.
“You hear them talk about retention, retention, retention,” Davis said. “If students understand the Holland Code, they can figure out an educational program that matches it and are more likely to graduate.”
Davis said a student determines his or her Holland Code by taking the Strong Interest Inventory, a 30- to 45-minute assessment of the student’s interests. The assessment costs $13 and is sent to Washington, D.C., for professional scoring.
Terrell said she feels CERC has served students’ needs well.
Davis said Terrell hasn’t exhibited such feelings during the time she has been vice president of Student Services. She said Terrell and Maw repeatedly butt heads over issues regarding the center.
Terrell said she can’t blame Maw for wanting to retire.
“I think there is a lack of understanding of [the] roles [of the center],” Davis said.
She said it wasn’t until recently that LaVell Saunders, assistant vice president for Student Services, began to understand the importance of the center for students.
Terrell said the classes Maw currently teaches, career and life planning, and career development theory and practice, will continue to be taught. Peg Hennon, adviser and librarian for the center, will be the most-likely candidate for the position of instructor and director of the center.
Mary Doty, director of the Counseling Center, said she would feel good about the CERC moving to her office.
“I think it would be best over here,” Doty said. “Peg Hennon would have colleagues she could associate with.”
Maw has been at USU for more than 30 years, and Davis said there is an extreme level of stress that comes with directing CERC.
“He’s the only professional taking care of all students,” Davis said.
She said other universities provide more professionals to work with students. According to Weber State University’s Web site at www.weber.edu/careerservices, Weber State has seven professionals who advise 16,871 students compared with one professional (Maw) who is responsible for approximately 17,000 students.
But Maw has still done a good job, she said.
“He sees things in students others won’t,” Davis said. “There is nowhere on campus people can go to talk to someone like that. He’s good at listening to students and being sympathetic to frustrations, but he is also honest and realistic.”
Terrell said she hopes to have a decision made by July 1 after getting input from Saunders, Doty, Career Center director Dave Hart and Vice President for Student Life Gary Chambers.
Hart said he knows nothing about the possibility of CERC moving, despite having a neighboring office to CERC. Saunders was unavailable for comment and Chambers’ secretary said he doesn’t have anything to do with CERC.