College of Business opens new Career Services Center

Business students at The University of Texas at Arlington have long graduated with the knowledge and skills to succeed, but many have faced a common challenge: turning that preparation into a clear path toward a career.

Now, with the launch of a new Career Services Center in the College of Business, that gap is being addressed head-on. Made possible from a generous donation from College of Business alumnae Dr. Jackie Fouse, the center will centralize career resources, expand employer connections and help students navigate an ever-changing job market with greater confidence.

“Establishing a business focused career services center has been a quest of the College even before I arrived in 2018, but at the time, the university was focused on establishing a centralized career development center, ” said former College of Business dean Harry Dombroski. “I spent some time trying to figure out how we could get a career center. Obviously, money was the problem.

Last fall, Dombroski spoke to Fouse about the college’s need ahead of the inaugural College of Business Hall of Fame and Alumni Awards ceremony.

“During a dinner with President Cowley, I explained to Jackie what the need was, and she said, ‘I trust you guys, whatever you need,’” Dombroski said. “Then she surprised me with a $2.5 million gift at the Hall of Fame dinner.”

Dombroski and Fouse ultimately decided that $1 million would go to the Jack and Doris Fouse Study Abroad scholarship, and the rest would go to the new career services center.

“Her gift allows us to hire a director and career counselors,” Dombroski said. “Without those positions, we really don’t have a mechanism to engage enough students at the level we need.”

Current College of Business dean Dr. Brian Klaas said the new Career Services Center will play a critical role in jumpstarting career exploration and professional development.

We don’t want students to wait until after they graduate to start thinking about their career goals,” Klaas said. “We want to encourage students to start exploring career options early during their time at UTA and to then prepare for their future with experiential learning, high-impact courses, internships and professional development.”

Dr. Philisa Stanford, director of the career services center, said that the new center will “start incorporating career readiness from day one.”

Stanford said the center will guide students throughout their time at the College of Business, with services differing based on where the student is in both their academic and professional career. She emphasized that business is a broad field, and helping students explore majors and career paths early can help them better understand what they might be interested in pursuing after graduation.

“Early career exploration is key,” Stanford said. “We need to hone in on the best major for them before we can even help them understand the industries they might be interested in.”

Dr. Philisa Stanford poses for a photo at her desk. Photo by Jalen Larry.

The center opened to students in Fall 2026. Stanford, whose background includes time as a College of Business advisor, said the student experience is centered on earlier, more intentional career development.

“It will allow us to be more intentional with what we’re doing to scale career readiness to our students,” she said. “In the past, it may have been more fragmented efforts and now we can pull all that together and make it more seamless.”

The center will also emphasize networking skills, which Stanford said are increasingly essential but often difficult for students to develop without support.

“In today’s job market, it’s so competitive that we need to help our students understand how to utilize their networks,” Stanford said. “Networking will be a very important skill that they need to learn and build a muscle for.”

Programming will include mock interviews, mentoring opportunities, resume and LinkedIn development, and employer engagement through company visits and classroom partnerships. Stanford said mock interviews have helped students build confidence over time.

“They may start the first time feeling very unsure and uncertain of themselves,” she said. “But then by the fourth and fifth time that they’ve done it, they feel confident.”

Klaas said the Center will help position the College of Business as a destination for both employers seeking talent and students preparing for their careers.

“The Center will play an important role in ensuring that employers see the school as a pipeline for top talent and that students see the College of Business as the place where great careers are built,” he said.

Ultimately, the goal is to make sure every student has the support and guidance to recognize opportunities, take advantage of them and build a strong foundation for their career.

“We don’t want any of our students to miss out on opportunities just because they didn’t know the “rules of the game” or because they didn’t receive the coaching they needed at some key juncture,” he said.

Interested in connecting with the Career Services Center? Head to our website to learn more: https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/business/academy-and-centers/career-services-center