Career Pathways
Preparing Students to Thrive Beyond the Degree
Every University President, Provost, and Advancement Leader is Hearing the Same Thing
Right now from students, parents, employers, and donors: a degree isn't enough anymore. People want to know what graduates can actually do and whether the institution helped get them there.
At Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting (CMAC), we help colleges and universities answer that question confidently. Our Career Pathways practice area helps institutions build the real infrastructure that turns classroom learning into career readiness, not as a one-off program, but as something that runs through everything they do.
What We're Really Talking About
Most universities already have pieces of this in place: internships, career services, and the occasional alumni mentorship program. But those pieces rarely connect. Students fall through gaps. Career services operates in a silo. Alumni and donors want to help but don't have a clear way in. And graduates arrive at their first job without the hands-on experience employers expect.
CMAC helps institutions close those gaps. We work with senior leaders to build systems, not just programs, so that every student has access to meaningful, real-world experience before they walk across the stage.
Our Approach
Our work is grounded in three simple ideas:
Preparation matters
more than exposure
Systems matter more
than programs
Integration matters
more than silos
Through this lens, we help institutions design sustainable models that
connect learning, work, and community engagement.
What We Focus On
Real Work, Built Into the Student Experience
We help universities create pipelines of actual, substantive projects sourced from campus departments, research centers, and community and employer partners that students can work on as part of their education. Not simulated work. Not busy work. The kind of experience that shows up on a resume and actually impresses a hiring manager.
Dedicated Teams and Structure to Make It Sustainable
Good intentions don't scale. We help institutions design the offices, governance structures, and staffing models that give workforce preparation a real home, so it doesn't depend on one champion or fall apart during a leadership transition.
Turning Alumni, Employers, and Donors
Into Active Partners
Your alumni want to give back in meaningful ways. Employers want access to talent. Donors want to see their investment create tangible outcomes. We help advancement and alumni engagement teams build the structures, including project networks, employer partnerships, philanthropic models, that let all three happen at once.
Getting Students on a Path Early and Equitably
We help institutions design smarter intake and placement systems, so students aren't waiting until senior year to figure out what they want to do. Early career diagnostics, structured pathways, and intentional advising mean more students, especially first-generation students, arrive at graduation with experience and direction.
Rethinking Career Services for a New Era
The "post your résumé and hope for the best" model is over. We partner with career services leaders to reinvent how their teams operate, from reactive advising to proactive talent navigation, using data, coaching, and the right technology to meet students where they are.
Preparing Students to Work Alongside AI
Students entering the workforce today need to know how to use emerging tools responsibly and effectively. We help institutions weave practical AI fluency into applied learning, so graduates aren't just aware of AI; instead, they've actually used it in real work settings.
How We Work With You
CMAC engagements are built around what your institution actually needs and not a one-size-fits-all playbook. We offer:
- Institutional assessments and readiness studies
- Executive strategy workshops and design retreats
- Organizational and governance design
- Project pipeline and applied work program development
- Partnership and philanthropy strategy
- Career services transformation planning
- Implementation roadmaps and change management support
Every engagement is designed to leave you with something real: a clear plan, a structure that works, and momentum to move forward.
Why CMAC
CMAC brings something rare to this work: a perspective that spans academics, advancement,
alumni engagement, and career preparation all at once. Most consultants specialize in one.
We see the whole picture and we know how to get those parts working together.
Our team combines deep expertise in advancement, organizational design, and data-informed
strategy with a practical understanding of how universities actually operate. We're not here to
hand you a report and walk away. We work as long-term partners, helping institutions
navigate cultural change, political realities, and implementation challenges while keeping
momentum and accountability front and center.
What to Expect
Institutions that partner with CMAC through our Career Pathways practice typically see:
More students graduating with real, resume-worthy professional experience.
Stronger alignment between what students learn and what employers actually need.
Deeper, more sustained engagement from alumni and employer partners.
New philanthropic investment directly tied to student success.
More equitable pathways, especially for students who don't have built-in networks.
Better graduate placement and stronger career momentum out of the gate.
Let's Talk
If your institution is ready to move beyond "internships for all" and build a comprehensive, scalable model for professional preparation, CMAC can help.
We partner with presidents, provosts, advancement leaders, and career services teams to design systems that prepare students not just to graduate — but to thrive.
At CMAC, we believe advancement—when grounded in values and driven by vision—can do more than raise funds; it can transform the future of higher education.
