How WashU Centralized Career Services Without Losing a Single Position (feat. Danny Pape)

Danny Pape, Executive Director of the Center for Career Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis, shares the story of how WashU shifted from a long-standing decentralized career services model to a unified, centralized structure—without losing a single position.

With decades of experience across multiple institutions and roles—from career coach to administrator—Danny brings a thoughtful, people-first approach to leadership. He walks us through the why behind the unification, how his team used data and stakeholder input to guide the process, and how they've reimagined career services around student interests instead of majors.

Here are a few key themes from the episode:

• Why unification was necessary: Confusion and inconsistencies across departments were creating barriers for students, employers, and faculty alike.
• Shifting from major-based to interest-based support: WashU created eight career communities aligned with students’ career goals and industry trends, not their majors.
• Scaling with technology: Tools like uConnect help eliminate access barriers, drive engagement, and provide critical data insights to inform decisions.
• Serving the whole career ecosystem: Dedicated teams for employer engagement and academic partnerships help ensure consistent support across campus.
• Leadership lessons: Transparency, stakeholder buy-in, and peer mentorship were essential to managing such a big change successfully.
• The future of career services: Danny emphasized the need to evolve constantly, tell the story of career services more effectively, and develop the next generation of leaders in the field.

“We as career center leaders and employees need to get comfortable that our role is changing, from that of being a practitioner to being more of a facilitator or an influencer,” Danny said.

Resources from the episode:

• Danny’s LinkedIn profile
• Danny’s email: [email protected] 
• WashU’s virtual career center (powered by uConnect)

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