The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has announced an upcoming professional development event tailored for educators and administrators within its member institutions. Scheduled for November 19, 2026, at 1 p.m. CT, the webinar is titled “Measuring What Matters: Embedding Career Readiness Assessment into the Undergraduate Business Curriculum and Student Experience.” The virtual session aims to provide higher education professionals with actionable insights into evaluating and enhancing student professional outcomes through structured curricular integration.
As universities across the United States increasingly face pressures to demonstrate the tangible value of an undergraduate degree, measuring student career readiness has emerged as a critical institutional priority. Business schools, in particular, are tasked with bridging the gap between traditional academic coursework and the dynamic demands of the modern global workforce. The upcoming HACU webinar will directly address this challenge by highlighting a pioneering institutional case study from the Dominican University of California.
The core of the presentation will explore how Dominican University of California has successfully implemented a comprehensive pre- and post-assessment strategy within its undergraduate business program. Rather than treating career preparation as an extracurricular add-on or a service provided solely by a separate career center, the university has embedded professional development directly into the academic curriculum. This approach allows faculty and administrators to systematically measure student growth across multiple dimensions, including career readiness, professional relationship building, the adoption of life design mindsets, and overall career mobility.
Participants who attend the online session will be introduced to practical strategies and methodologies for weaving assessment mechanisms seamlessly into existing courses. By leveraging data collected through these pre- and post-assessments, academic leaders can gain a clearer, empirical understanding of how students evolve professionally from the beginning of their undergraduate journey to graduation. Furthermore, this data provides academic departments with the insights necessary to identify operational gaps, continuously improve course content, and make informed, data-driven decisions regarding future programmatic investments and curriculum design.
The virtual event will feature insights from prominent figures spearheading these initiatives. Giulia Welch, director of internships and professional development and an adjunct professor at Dominican University of California’s Barowsky School of Business, will share firsthand experiences from the classroom and the administrative office. Alongside Welch, Marieli Rubio, partner and vice president of impact at Career Launch, will offer an external, impact-driven perspective on how assessment frameworks can transform undergraduate business education on a broader scale. Their combined expertise will provide attendees with a balanced view of both the theoretical foundations and the practical, day-to-day realities of executing such programs.
This educational offering is organized as part of the ongoing HACU-member webinar series, which is designed to foster collaboration, share institutional best practices, and support the professional growth of faculty and staff working within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and other member colleges and universities. Through these targeted webinars, HACU continues to provide a platform for member campuses to discuss innovative solutions to contemporary challenges in higher education, ultimately enhancing student success and economic mobility for diverse student populations.
Registration for the November 19, 2026 session is currently open. Higher education professionals, faculty members, academic advisors, and institutional leaders interested in participating can secure their spot by visiting the official registration portal hosted on Zoom.
