After stepping away for two years to head the local Chamber of Commerce, Cassie Hagan has returned to Wabash to lead the College’s efforts of helping graduates find their first destinations in jobs, graduate schools, and service.
President Scott Feller announced Hagan’s appointment as the new Director of Professional Development and Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship (CIBE) effective Jan. 3, 2022.
We caught up with Hagan to learn more about her goals for Professional Development and CIBE, and what she is most excited about when it comes to working with Wabash students once again.
Q: What would you like students and the Wabash community to know about you?
I am approachable and always ready to collaborate. Talking about future plans can be intimidating, but that’s why the Professional Development department exists. We’re here to help! Wabash Always Networks, and I love helping to make connections.
Q: Why Wabash? What attracted you to come back after leading the Crawfordsville-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce?
I truly love Wabash and believe this is a special place. While I’m really committed to lifting up other women in business and mentoring, I think of this as an opportunity to specialize in educating men and to be part of the educational process that graduates outstanding citizens and members of our workforce. I thought I would retire from Wabash College, so the Chamber was a really great, but unexpected, detour. I wouldn’t trade the experience giving back to my home community for anything, but I’m happy to be back on campus.
Q: How will your experiences with the Chamber impact how you will lead and continue to grow the CIBE program?
In my position with the Chamber, I worked closely with members who represent 300+ for- and non-profit organizations located in or doing business around Crawfordsville and Montgomery County. The largest component of the CIBE is to solve real-world business problems for client-partners, and I have a much deeper understanding of the problems our local organizations face after working with the Chamber. I also bring back a wealth of new local connections and have a pulse on who the leaders are I would be excited to have our students working and learning with.
Q: What are your goals for the Wabash’s professional development program and the CIBE?
The goal remains the same: to connect students with meaningful experiences that allow opportunity to explore career areas of interest, confirm or adjust their interests, and prepare them for opportunities post-Wabash.
For the CIBE, the goal is very similar, but with a specific focus on business skills and experiences, which are paired with all areas of academic backgrounds. While the goal is constant, it’s critical to continuously evaluate and adjust how we administer programs to be relevant. The Professional Development team approaches this goal through student employment, summer internships, and CIBE programs and incorporates the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) core competencies into our evaluation of professional experiences for our students. Those core competencies have been identified as the most valuable to employers across all industries and job functions for new graduates to have and include professionalism, communication, critical thinking, and leadership.
Q: CIBE is a direct admit program. Why should prospective students get involved?
The CIBE is a great way to supplement a liberal arts education with some real-world business skills and experiences to help you tell a story in a future job interview. Developing a baseline knowledge of business terminology and practicing what you learn in the classroom with a real-world application will suit you well in any future career, or even to give back to your community in volunteer positions with non-profit organizations. All kinds of organizations need problem solvers, experienced budget managers, and people with solid public speaking and presentation skills.
Q: Why should current Wabash students take advantage of Professional Development?
Professional Development can offer resources and advising for students of all career interests, class years, and academic backgrounds. Data shows that students who visit Career Services as freshmen are three times more likely to have their first destination outcome secured before they have their diploma in hand. This is another example of the size of our student body being a strength. If you engage early and allow our team the opportunity to get to know you, as we build that relationship, we can connect you with opportunities as they arise. The earlier and more consistently a student interacts with Professional Development in their time on campus, the more opportunities they have to connect with employers or alumni who fit their career interests, to explore various career paths, to build skills through experiential programs, and more. The best time to visit Professional Development is today.