University of Pikeville
Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership

Careers@upike.edu
(606) 218-5533

Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership

The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) is excited to announce the creation of a new campus career services center for students. The Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership, directed by Kay Webb, Ph.D., follows a career development model that will integrate into the curriculum, focused on helping students explore how their disposition and interests fit into the workforce. This comprehensive program has been created to help students find opportunities in and out of the classroom for career development and leadership.

“I am very excited to be joining the University of Pikeville in the Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership! UPIKE has done a great job of laying a foundation in career development for students,” said Webb. “Students, and their families, need to know that we care deeply about preparing students for the work they will do when they leave ‘the hill’ while also ensuring students receive a quality education.” 

The liberal arts education at UPIKE already instills the soft skills employers are looking for, like how to be a critical thinker and problem solver with good communication skills. The newly reimagined career center will help students articulate how their education relates to the skills needed for their chosen career field and not solely rely on their transcripts.

The goal is not just for students to pursue a major but to explore ways to create a pathway to their career. Through collaboration with faculty, staff, student organizations, alumni and community partners, the Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership will help support this effort. Assistant Provost Amanda Slone, Ph.D., is thrilled this reimagined career services endeavor is being led by Webb. 

The launch of the Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership will not only offer students the best methods for career and leadership preparation, but it will also fulfill UPIKE’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which Webb will oversee. Every ten years, during the university’s re-accreditation through SACSCOC, UPIKE chooses a new area of focus for the QEP that identifies an area to strengthen, centered on student success and learning outcomes. For the most recent accreditation cycle, UPIKE’s QEP is focused on career and leadership development and is called the PEAK (Professional Exploration And Knowledge) Program. 

The UPIKE Center for Career, Vocation, and Leadership is located on the second floor of the Armington Building.

Kay Webb, Ph.d.

Director
(606) 218-4467
KayWebb@upike.edu