Inside Washington State University's Carson Career Amplifier Initiative

About the School

Carson College of Business is a part of Washington State University and has five campuses across the state. They decided to take the initiative to help students with professional development and retention by creating the Carson Career Amplifier Program.

Challenge before Suitable

The Carson College of Business had many programs in place to help students develop professionally, but the issue was that students were not participating in them nor were they aware of them. The Carson College wanted to create a holistic experience that students could progress through during their entire time as a student. Students needed a better way to get involved, develop skills, and be sure they were taking the right steps toward success.

Life with Suitable

The staff at Carson College was excited to partner with Suitable because of our proven track record of helping schools construct, launch, and track their student development programs. Staff at all five campuses collaborated in creating the Carson Career Amplifier Program, which consists of five core competencies and four tiers. Suitable was able to help the Carson College align the initiative with its learning goals so that it complemented what students were doing in the classroom. It worked so well that some faculty members decided to integrate it into some Freshman and Sophomore courses. Suitable was able to help the Carson College redefine their vision for what the college stands for while ensuring their students are well rounded and well prepared by the time they graduate. 

To make it adaptable to all campuses and all students, the Carson Career Amplifier Program consists of four tiers that align with the four years that a traditional student spends at Carson College of Business. To accommodate transfer students, the program also includes the Crimson Pathway, which gets those students on the right track to also develop critical skills. By using Suitable’s platform, the Carson College of Business is able to provide students with a customized tool that can give each student guidance throughout their collegiate experience. On Suitable’s mobile app, students can see their progress through the Carson Career Amplifier Program in real-time and see the competencies they are developing. This helps students to truly understand the value in their participation.

Outcomes Achieved

In the Fall semester of 2019, the Carson Career Amplifier Program was launched to the five campus locations. In just the first semester, 77% of students were engaged. The Carson College staff reported a much less painful tracking and reporting process overall. They are also thrilled to see a change in the culture at Carson as students are actually excited to participate in events, leading to a greater turnout for programming. 

Plans for the Future

In the future, Carson College of Business plans to launch tiers 2-4 which are geared to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. They also plan to launch the Crimson Pathway 2 which is another pathway to support transfer students. Another area the Carson College plans to build out is their assessment practices, and leveraging Suitable custom reporting to do so. As the partnership grows, they will look to expand the adoption across the university at large, even with alumni. They hope this will become a university-wide standard and commitment for career readiness.