Undergrad Career Advancement Center Wins Award for Integrating Career Development Into B.B.A. Curriculum

ATLANTA — A professional development curriculum integrated into undergraduate business students’ coursework from their first semester through graduation at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business received the Career Leadership Collective’s 2025 Career Innovation Award at the organization’s annual conference in New Orleans this spring.

The winning entry, “Scaling Career Readiness Through Faculty Collaboration,” describes how Robinson's Undergraduate Career Advancement Center works with faculty to embed career readiness coursework into the undergraduate curriculum beginning with a first-semester, entry-level course and continuing through advanced, upper-level coursework.

The Robinson College of Business is one of the largest accredited business schools in the nation, with an undergraduate student body of more than 6,800 in fall 2024. Of that number, 23 percent were first-generation students and 58 percent received Pell Grants, awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need.

La’Kesha Hughes and Denise Holmes with Career Leadership Collective CEO Jeremy Podany

“Career development is not an optional service at Robinson. It is an integral part of the academic experience,” according to Jason Aldrich, the college’s associate dean of strategic partnerships and career advancement. “Taking a systemic approach ensures all students, including those from resource-constrained backgrounds, engage in career development throughout their academic journey.”

Robinson’s Undergraduate Career Advancement Center was an early adopter of online technological tools including the career platform Handshake, VMock’s Smart Resume Platform and LinkedIn feedback, a professional headshot booth, and digital resource kits. To ensure the tools are used, students are introduced to resume-building, professional branding, and employer engagement beginning in assignments in a required freshman course, BUSA1105–Business, Value, and You.

“The assignments and course instruction ensure students use the professional headshot booth for their LinkedIn and Handshake profiles, while participating in student organizations, career fairs, and networking events, giving them a professional edge in securing internships and jobs, “ said Diana S. Barber, BUSA 1105 course coordinator and senior lecturer. “Students who participate in the course are getting jobs. You can see the impact.”

An upper level required course, BCOM 3950–Business Communications and Professional Development, includes a Professional Development Experience module led by La’Kesha Hughes, associate director of Undergraduate Career Advancement, to help third and fourth-year students refine their communications skills.

“I lead the experiential learning part of the course, helping them prepare to attend a career fair or a networking event with an employer,” Hughes said. “This includes recording a mock interview and sending it to me. They also have to update their LinkedIn profile, and we have events throughout the semester.”

Hughes and Denise Holmes, senior director of Undergraduate Career Advancement, traveled to New Orleans to represent Robinson at the Career Leadership Collective’s conference and accept the award.

“We take a holistic approach to student career planning and development, leveraging technology to assist our students with resume creation and revision and career coaching and the VMock Career Fit module to assist them with determining if their chosen area of study/career path is the right fit,” Holmes said. “With approximately 7,000 undergraduate business students, we use technology to ensure that they are competitive.”

Learn more about Robinson's Undergraduate Career Services.