Exciting News: We’ve Won a 2024 Handshake Career Spark Award!
December 02, 2024
The LSU Olinde Career Center has won a 2024 Career Spark Award from Handshake!
This prestigious accolade celebrates excellence among educational institutions in three critical areas: student engagement, employer engagement, and reporting and analytics. Out of more than 1,500 schools using Handshake, we are proud to be among just 35 institutions honored this year.
A focus on Reporting & Analytics
Our team earned the Career Spark Award in the Reporting & Analytics category, highlighting our commitment to enhancing the First-Destination Survey (FDS) process. By improving response rates for this survey, we can better understand our students’ career activities and post-graduation outcomes.
The First-Destination Survey is a crucial tool that gathers post-graduation employment data, helping us create a detailed picture of our graduates’ career journeys. This effort is guided by standards set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), ensuring consistency and quality in our reporting.
"We are thrilled to receive the Career Spark Award, recognizing our commitment to enhancing student outcomes through strategic data use. Handshake's tools enable us to analyze data for informed decision-making and foster collaboration across campus, building a career-focused ecosystem that enhances retention and post-grad success. Since implementing the FDS tool in 2018, we have modernized our survey process, achieving a remarkable increase in our Outcomes Rate from 45.6% to 72.3%. We look forward to continuing our data-driven journey to empower student success."
Millena Wilson, Student Affairs Manager
This award not only celebrates our achievements but also aligns with Handshake’s mission to expand access to opportunity. Handshake connects more than 15 million students and young alumni from diverse educational backgrounds to 950,000+ employers, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits and public school districts.
With offices in San Francisco, Denver, New York, London, and Berlin, Handshake continues to shape career pathways on a global scale.
Looking Ahead
As we celebrate this honor, we’re motivated to continue leveraging data-driven insights to enhance our students’ career prospects.
To learn more about our award, visit our Career Spark Award page. You can also check out other winners on the official Handshake awards page.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Stay tuned as we strive to empower every student’s path to success!
About the LSU Career Center
Our team is committed to ensuring every student has ample opportunities to gain experience, grow their network, and communicate their aptitude for a chosen career long before graduation. We believe LSU students are unparalleled in their potential to step into leadership, solve problems, and elevate the workforce for the benefit of all.