Dear Providence College Parents,

Last month, I shared with you our plans for renovating and expanding Slavin Center, the student union of Providence College. In this month's letter, I would like to update you on two other student-focused areas that are significant components of our ongoing efforts to transform student life: career services and transportation.

We believe that a liberal arts education prepares our students to lead truly meaningful lives. The College is thus committed to guiding our students to explore postgraduate career opportunities, whether they are seeking immediate employment or advanced graduate and professional studies. To enhance our capabilities in this area, we have reorganized the Office of Career Services and recently completed a national search for a new director.

I am pleased to tell you that Dr. John B. Nonnamaker joined us at the beginning of March as executive director of career services. Dr. Nonnamaker came to Providence College from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was associate director of the Global Education and Career Development Center. In addition to supervising members of the professional career counseling staff at an institution widely recognized as one of the best in the country, he presented career counseling seminars, workshops, and networking events.

Dr. Nonnamaker, who holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Fordham University as well as a M.A. from Michigan State University in college and university administration, previously held career services and student life positions at Emerson College, Fordham and Marquette universities, and the University of California, Berkeley. He is an active member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the Graduate Career Consortium.

We are confident that Dr. Nonnamaker's extensive student services experience will advance our career services programming. This office is focused on helping our students transition from college to career or further education by providing services such as individualized career advising and interest testing, internships, job shadowing of successful alumni, job search research and strategies, and on-campus recruiting.

We believe Dr. Nonnamaker will strengthen PC's reputation with the employment community as he continues to position our liberal arts graduates as prospective employees who are prepared to adapt to changing workplace demands and challenging environments -- abilities that are particularly critical in this current U.S. economy.

Transportation to off-campus opportunities
PC's Office of Student Affairs Administration found that the lack of convenient transportation often limited students who wanted to volunteer for service in the community, but had difficulty getting to the service locations. As a result, we have started a pilot program that provides four, 12-passenger vans to shuttle students to co-curricular off-campus opportunities.

The College rented these vans for the spring semester to supplement existing transportation options. In addition to supporting our students' community service activities, the vans provide transportation for programming sponsored by the Office of Residence Life and increase social and recreational opportunities for student organizations and club sports. At the end of the semester, staff members will evaluate how well this program accommodated our students' interests and determine what level of this transportation operation should become a permanent service to students.

These enhancements to career counseling and transportation are just two of the many student services that demonstrate our commitment to provide PC students with a superior student life experience beyond academics. I hope you will encourage your daughter or son to take advantage of these services to their fullest, and enjoy all of the benefits of their Providence College experience.

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P.