Erin Boswell, ’07, Maryville’s newly hired director for the Office of Career Success and Professional Development, looks forward to helping current students and alumni achieve their career goals.

“Erin Boswell is a phenomenal addition to the Division of Student Success,” says Jen McCluskey, PhD, vice president for student success. “With her leadership, I am confident both students and alumni will experience innovative improvements in both career services and engagement opportunities.”

Boswell will implement new technology and expand Maryville’s life coach model to better assist graduates as they work their way into the professional realm.

Through a program focused on the whole student, Maryville’s life coaches go far beyond career counseling. They develop a personalized learning profile for each student which is instrumental in preparing them for a successful career.

“It’s really about bringing services to the student in a personalized way, instead of waiting for the student to reach out to us,” Boswell says.

“My end goal is to place each student in a job they want within a year of graduating,” Boswell says.

Currently, each Maryville traditional first-year and sophomore student works with a life coach. As they move into their junior and senior years, they’ll retain that individual, establishing a model in which every student has a life coach throughout their college experience.

Office of Career Success and Professional Development

The career office comes into play the minute a first-year student steps onto campus. Students begin building résumés and LinkedIn profiles, participate in mock interviews and assist with academic decisions such as changing majors. They’re also introduced to Maryville’s MyCareer online network, which will help them find internships and full- and part-time work.

Boswell wants to create a more robust alumni website focused on expanding networking and job openings. The site could also link Maryville graduates to current students.

“It would ideally be a place for alumni to be able to connect and recruit current students for internships and careers,” she says.

Boswell hopes these changes will result in higher student retention rates as well as better career outcomes.

“My end goal is to place each student in a job they want within a year of graduating,” Boswell says.

Boswell previously worked as director of Undergraduate Student Services at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and is working on a PhD in educational leadership.

The Maryville graduate is certain she’s found her own ideal job.

“Coming back to Maryville is like coming home,” Boswell says. “I like being in a place where students come first.”