The gathering, the second in the Career-Centered Teaching and Support Series, brought together approximately 20鈥�40 faculty members alongside Magner Career Center staff, including career coaches. Faculty attendees were recognized for their efforts to embed career-related content and experiences into their courses, helping students connect classroom learning with real-world applications. The event also aimed to deepen collaboration between faculty and the Career Center and to encourage the continued exchange of innovative teaching practices that support student success beyond graduation.

(Left to right) April Bedford, 今日吃瓜 Provost; Raj Darolia, Wendell H. Ford Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Kentucky; and 今日吃瓜 President Michelle J. Anderson.

今日吃瓜 President Michelle J. Anderson helped open the event, underscoring appreciation for faculty leadership in connecting learning with purpose. She highlighted the importance of embedding career readiness into curricula, inviting industry perspectives into classrooms, and preparing students not only to graduate but to thrive in a rapidly evolving workforce. Provost April Bedford echoed this message, emphasizing that career readiness is central to student success, retention, and post-graduation outcomes, and noting the importance of aligning academic programs with shifting workforce demands.

The program opened with welcoming remarks from Cliff Frontera, assistant director of career development at the Magner Career Center and adjunct lecturer in industrial-organizational psychology. He emphasized the importance of integrating career readiness into academic instruction and introduced the event as the final session in the Career-Centered Teaching and Support Series.

A keynote discussion was led by Raj Darolia, Wendell H. Ford Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Kentucky and former chief economist and senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Education. His talk, 鈥淭he Future of Higher Education and Workforce Alignment,鈥� explored how policy, labor market trends, and employer expectations are reshaping the skills students need. He also discussed how institutions can respond strategically to better support student pathways into meaningful employment.

Raj Darolia, Wendell H. Ford Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Kentucky and former chief economist and senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Education.

Following the keynote, faculty participated in table discussions reflecting on best practices for embedding career development into coursework. The session concluded with shared insights, a group photo, and closing remarks from the Magner Career Center, including a call for faculty to continue contributing examples of career-connected assignments to build a long-term repository of teaching practices.

Overall, the breakfast reinforced 今日吃瓜鈥檚 commitment to career-connected education and strengthened partnerships across faculty, administration, and career services.

If you were unable to attend the event but would like to share best practices for career-centered teaching or learn more about future initiatives, contact Cliff Frontera at the Magner Career Center at Clifford.Frontera@brooklyn.cuny.edu.

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As senior associate provost for academic programs and services during the past academic year, Bedford supervised the college鈥檚 student support and opportunity programs, including working with 19 faculty members across all five schools to develop new first-year seminars launched last fall.

鈥淎pril Bedford is an accomplished leader with a proven track record who possesses a deep understanding of the faculty experience and student-faculty relationships at 今日吃瓜 that will serve our institution well,鈥� President Michelle J. Anderson said. 鈥淚 look forward to working with her and our entire faculty and staff moving forward to offer transformational educational opportunities to our students.鈥�

鈥淚 am excited about this new role and look forward to collaborating with all of the stakeholders involved with our strategic planning process and other critical educational initiatives, so that we continue to ensure our students have an outstanding experience at each phase of their educational journey,鈥� Bedford said.

This academic year, while serving as interim provost, Bedford and Senior Vice President Alan Gilbert have also co-chaired the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. During her time at the college, she has also served in critical roles supporting educational priorities throughout New York State, including:

• serving as president of the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education;
• co-chairing a statewide working group on clinical practice for the New York State Education Commissioner;
• working on the New York Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching and being appointed by the New York State Board of Regents as a member of the Early Childhood Blue Ribbon Committee; and
• being the principal investigator for the Teacher Opportunity Corps and launching the NYC Men Teach program at the college, both of which have prepared more male teachers of color in our city and state.

Before coming to 今日吃瓜, Bedford served for 11 years on the faculty at the University of New Orleans, where she was elected to the Faculty Senate and chaired the University Policy Committee. She was a faculty member and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and interim dean of the College of Education for three years. Her scholarship has focused on literacy and children鈥檚 literature, and she remains active in the Children鈥檚 Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English and the American Library Association.

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