The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has announced that it will host a specialized member webinar focusing on modern strategies for evaluating and improving professional preparation in higher education. Titled "Measuring What Matters: Embedding Career Readiness Assessment into the Undergraduate Business Curriculum and Student Experience," the upcoming virtual event is scheduled for November 19, 2026, at 1 p.m. CT.
The webinar is designed for faculty members, academic administrators, career services professionals, and institutional leaders seeking innovative approaches to track and enhance student success outcomes. Registration for the online event is currently open through the official HACU webinar portal.
As higher education institutions across the country face increasing pressure to demonstrate the tangible value of an undergraduate degree, the upcoming session will delve deeply into how universities can effectively bridge the gap between academic instruction and professional outcomes. Specifically, the webinar will explore how the Dominican University of California has successfully implemented an advanced pre- and post-assessment strategy within its undergraduate business curriculum.
By systematically measuring growth across several critical areas—including career readiness, relationship building, life design mindsets, and overall career mobility—the institution has been able to create a data-driven ecosystem that supports student progression from matriculation to graduation and into the workforce. Participants attending the virtual event will gain practical, actionable strategies for embedding these vital assessment tools directly into existing coursework without disrupting academic rigor. Furthermore, attendees will learn how to leverage the resulting data to gain a comprehensive understanding of student growth, pinpoint institutional and programmatic areas for improvement, and inform strategic decision-making for future academic and professional development programs.
The presentation will be led by higher education and career development experts who are directly involved in executing these strategies on the ground. Giulia Welch, director of internships and professional development and adjunct professor at the Barowsky School of Business at Dominican University of California, will share her firsthand institutional experience regarding curriculum integration and student engagement. She will be joined by Marieli Rubio, partner and vice president of impact at Career Launch, who brings broader industry insights and evaluative perspectives on tracking student impact and career trajectory metrics. Together, the presenters will provide a holistic view of how academic departments can collaborate with career services and external partners to foster meaningful student outcomes.
This educational offering is part of the ongoing HACU-member webinar series, which is specifically curated to address pressing topics, emerging trends, and best practices relevant to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and the broader higher education community. Through these regular virtual gatherings, HACU continues to provide professional development, institutional resources, and collaborative platforms designed to empower member colleges and universities as they prepare diverse student populations for leadership roles in the modern global economy.
