Thomas C. Devlin, executive director of University Career Services, is leaving Cornell after 18 years to be director for Career and Graduate School Services at the University of California at Berkeley. He begins his new appointment in late May.
"Tom has created the premier career services program among colleges and universities in the United States," said David S. Yeh, Cornell assistant vice president of student and academic services and university registrar. "I am grateful for his creativity, vision and leadership throughout these 18 years. Berkeley is very fortunate, indeed."
Barbara Gross Davis, assistant vice chancellor, student life-educational development at Berkeley, agrees.
"Tom impressed all of us with his strong leadership ability, clear vision of the future, in-depth knowledge of the field, extensive management experience in a complex environment and excellent relationships with the business community," Davis said. "In addition, he possesses a firm understanding of how to use technology to enhance services and will bring to the Berkeley campus creative and resourceful ideas for using the Web.
"Because of his open and inclusive style, Tom will also be very effective in forging educational partnerships with those on campus: faculty, departments and units, the alumni association and with those off campus: employers, recruiters, members of the corporate community. Tom has a solid understanding of the various constituency groups such a center serves and an outstanding track record of developing entrepreneurial and collaborative efforts."
Yeh said that under Devlin's leadership, Cornell's Career Services continued to develop new ways to improve services to students, collaborate with faculty and staff and engage alumni. He placed a high priority on utilizing new technology to further career services for both students and employers, instituting such electronic programs as RésuméExpress, Job Hotline and Summer Job Services.
"This ensured that Cornell's program was always many measures ahead of the pack," Yeh said.
Devlin said it won't be easy to leave Cornell. "My years at Cornell have been extremely rewarding and very enjoyable. I have been fortunate to have been able to work with an exceptionally talented career staff, tremendous alumni volunteers and supportive administrators. Because of the collaborative efforts of these individuals, Cornell has a first-class career services organization," he said.
As executive director of University Career Services, Devlin managed the University Career Center and five college career offices, a $1.6 million annual budget and staff, including 25 to 35 student assistants and 30 peer advisers. The career organization, which provides a wide range of services such as career counseling and testing, career library services, on-campus recruiting, graduate and pre-professional school advising, job search seminars and workshops and experimental career programs, serves 13,000 undergraduates, 6,000 graduate students and the alumni community.
At Berkeley, he will direct career services for 21,000 undergraduates and 10,000 graduate students, and oversee a staff of about 45, Davis said.
Devlin received his bachelor of arts degree in history from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 1970 and his master's degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 1971.
He received the Warren Kauffman Award for outstanding service to the profession from the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 1995 and also in that year was awarded the MAPA Medal of Distinction for "persons whose leadership, literary or scholarly contributions are of such importance as to draw national or international acclaim," only the fourth recipient in the history of the Middle Atlantic Placement Association.
Yeh said he will be forming a search committee comprising members of the university community to mount a national search for Devlin's successor. He added that he hopes to fill the position before the beginning of the fall 1997 semester.