Denison was recognized with the 2025 Career Services Pursuit of Excellence Award, adding another national accolade to the growing list of recognitions for its work in career services and exploration.
The peer-awarded honor, given by the Career Leadership Collective, celebrates Denison’s “holistic and long-standing commitment” to industry-leading career exploration. Denison’s Melanie Murphy, director of career communities and coaching, and Ryan Brechbill, director of employer and alumni relations, accepted the award at a ceremony in New Orleans in April.
“Making career launch a central part of our classic liberal arts education has required focus, commitment, time, and attention to nuance,” said Denison University President Adam Weinberg. “As we get it right, our students are launching quicker and with more success, which is our ultimate goal. I am proud that the great work of our career services team is valued so highly by our peers.”
Denison offers a comprehensive four-year approach to career exploration and launch, focused on utilizing every year of a student’s academic career to prepare them for post-graduation success. Career-oriented programs and opportunities are built into every semester, summer, and break through the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration.
“We have an amazing team that works incredibly hard to support our students in achieving their goals,” said Murphy. “Our partnerships with faculty and programs across campus give our students continual access to career information and processes — not just when they come to our offices.”
The Knowlton Center’s Big Red Career Expo provides a dynamic opportunity for students to connect with employers.
More than a decade ago, Denison recognized that more could be done in higher education to launch students quickly and successfully into lives and careers. The college invested heavily in new academic programs and accelerated career exploration, combining the critical-thinking and problem-solving advantages of a liberal arts education with the workplace experiences, skills, and connections necessary to succeed in today’s competitive job market.
The Knowlton Center’s distinctive approach focuses on six key areas:
- Integrated academic programs: Partnering with academic programs to ensure students receive a life-shaping liberal arts education that also prepares them to launch into careers.
- Coaching and Career Communities: Connecting students to a strong career coaching team that helps them explore career options and then organizes students into career communities where they can access programs and connect with alumni.
- Internships: Supporting students to find impactful internships, which allow them to explore career paths and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Denison provides nearly $1 million each year in internship stipends.
- Workforce skill building: Offering in-person and online certificate and credential programs through Denison Edge that are taught by industry professionals. Program categories include Finance, Marketing, Analytics, AI, Business, and more.
- Business and consulting: Using the Red Frame Lab as an incubator where student entrepreneurs can develop and execute a business plan or receive training to be consultants and have opportunities to work with companies such as DHL, Wendy’s, and other global organizations.
- Post-graduation support: Partnering with our office of Alumni & Family Engagement to support recent graduates with programs and coaching to support initial career pivots while helping recent alumni access and leverage a strong global alumni network.
Denison’s career services programs are driving higher rates of post-graduation success and applications. In the Class of 2024, 93% had successful career outcomes within six months of graduation. In the last decade, applications for admission tripled, reaching more than 12,000 during the past admission cycle. These achievements have propelled Denison forward — Princeton Review recently ranked Denison #4 for career services among all U.S. colleges and universities.
“Our career coaches help guide students through all the ways they can build a resume that will help onboard them into their preferred career,” said Brechbill. “Each experience scaffolds onto the one before it. Every student builds their own tailor-made experience.”
Students build their career networks while learning the skills they need in today’s workplaces. The Knowlton Center has strong relationships with 100+ employers and partners with alumni engagement to network with alums using the Ask a Denisonian platform, which has been highly successful in facilitating connections.
“We used to benchmark against other career centers,” said Murphy. “Now they’re calling us.”
More about the Career Services Pursuit of Excellence Award
This unique annual award is for campuses chosen by the Career Leadership Collective. These campuses exude a high commitment to growth and quality in the following five areas:
- Career Services Strategic Planning
- Career Staff Leadership Development
- Career Outcomes Data Analysis and Visualization
- Scaled and Equitable Career Services
- Career Team Professional Development