Jim Lowe serves as Associate Vice Provost for the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills for the University of Connecticut. Prior to this appointment, Lowe served as Assistant Dean of UConn’s School of Business, overseeing Career Services, Veteran Affairs, Diversity Initiatives, Marketing/ Communications, and External Relations Departments. Before joining UConn, Lowe spent 10 years with Lee Hecht Harrison, a global human capital solutions firm, as a Senior Vice President primarily in their Manhattan, New York offices, overseeing all operational, financial, HR and marketing/sales functions at the firm’s international headquarters office. He chairs the U21 Employability Group and sits on the Student Experience Steering Group. We are delighted to welcome him as another interview partner in this podcast series and hope our listeners enjoy listening to his experiences and insights.
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#10 Global Insights on Career Services’ Work
Roger Gfrörer has led the Career Services at the University of Zurich since its foundation in 2008. In 2024, he also assumed responsibility as the head of the newly established Study Orientation Center, overseeing the entire student journey at the University of Zurich. Holding a PhD in Human Resource Management, Roger began his professional career at the University of Zurich’s HR department after completing his doctoral studies. Before that, he spent five years as a senior assistant at the Chair of HRM. During the 1990s, alongside his academic pursuits, he gained diverse practical experience — including five years at Tamedia and four years at IBM Switzerland.A founding member of several regional Career Services networks, Roger is also actively engaged with numerous global organizations. Since 2025, he serves as Chairman of the Career Services Network Switzerland. As a another highlight, he was part of the program committee for the Global Career Services Summit 2025 in Belfast. Roger brings deep expertise in the Swiss education system. He regularly lectures on HRM and career development at various educational levels — from Bachelor and Master to PhD and Postdoc — across universities, universities of applied sciences, and colleges of professional education with a focus on vocational training. And yes — perhaps most importantly: he has also been a ski instructor.As our final interviewee this season, we were delighted to collect these ten interviews and finally include the Swiss perspective ! A big THANK YOU to our international partners who made this possible and through whom we were able to gain global insights into the work of Career Services!
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#4 Global Insights on Career Services’ Work
We were lucky enough to have another interview with Dr. Alan McAlpine, Deputy Director of Student Success at Curtin University in Australia and President of the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS).You wonder who Alan McAlpine is? Alan is a tragic 70’s music rock lover, he enjoys playing his guitar (badly) and sings in a (non performing) band – The Geriatrics. As much as he would like, that doesn’t pay the bills. He is the Deputy Director of Student Success at Curtin University having been there since 2021. His portfolio comprises Careers and Employability and a Social Impact Hub. Alan has over 20 years’ experience in the career development field and has been involved nationally and internationally for many years through his involvement in NAGCAS (National Association of Graduate Career Advisory Services), where he is currently National President. Alan's extensive experience includes past roles such as Associate Director, Student Success at QUT and Careers and Employment Manager for over a decade. He serves on the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) executive and chairs the board of Graduate Careers Australia.
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#9 Global Insights on Career Services’ Work
Ursula Axmann has been working at WU ZBP Career Center (WU, Vienna University of Business and Economics, Austria) for 25 years. We are delighted that she took part in this podcast series and that we were able to win her as another interview partner. The career service at WU Vienna is a rare example of a career center that is self-financed by employer partnerships and career events, serving a population of 22,000 students, with a staff of 20 people.Previous to her current position as a managing director, Ursula worked in career guidance, coaching, and recruitment. Since 2009, Ursula has been president of Career Services Austria, the Austrian-wide umbrella organization of university career centers. Furthermore, she is actively involved in international career service networks. In addition to her work in careers, Ursula teaches as a lecturer at WU Vienna. Listen to this episode and learn from her expertise and advice!
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#7 Global Insights on Career Services’ Work
Francesca Saracino, our interview partner in this episode, has been Head of the Career Service at Politecnico di Milano for over 10 years, serving a population of 48,000 students with 24 people in staff. The Career Service at Politecnico is a rare example of a 100% self-financed career center by employer partnerships and career fairs. Being a native American-Italian bilingual and having obtained a Masters in Cultural Mediation, she sees how students, professors and employers need help in understanding each other because they speak different cultures and languages. Other projects she has managed include the launch of the first Diversity & Inclusion Program and the setup of a new strategy for the management of university rankings at her institution. She has been member of the program committee for two editions of the Global Career Services Summit.
Wir freuen uns ausserordentlich, euch auf eines unserer neuen Projekte aufmerksam zu machen: Unser Podcast "Insights - from life and career" - organisiert und moderiert durch unsere Projektassistentin Denise Lucia Decker. Ein wahrhaftiges Herzensprojekt!Um euch auch während dem Semester - neben unserem Beratungsangebot und unseren grossen Karriere-Veranstaltungen wie dem JobHub und der Long Nights of Careers - zusätzlich zu unterstützen, präsentieren wir euch in diesem Podcast spannende und vielfältige Themen rund um eure persönliche, akademische und berufliche Entwicklung. Taucht ein in fesselnde Diskussionen und informative Gespräche, die eure Karriereaussichten stärken und euch wertvolle Einblicke in die Berufswelt bieten. Erfahrt mehr über das Team der UZH Career Services! Wer steht hinter den grossen Veranstaltungen wie der Karrieremesse, dem JobHub, oder auch der Long Nights of Careers? Unser ganzen Team half bei der Produktion des Podcasts mit und freut sich, euch, Studierende, Doktorierende und Postdocs aller Fachbereiche und Fakultäten, auf eurem Weg zu unterstützen. Hört rein, verfolgt die aktuellen Themen & vergebt uns den ein oder anderen Verprecher! Wir freuen uns auf euch & insbesondere darauf, euch auf dem Heimweg, auf dem Weg zur Uni oder auch während einer ruhigen halben Stunde zu begleiten. Ab dem 17. Juni 2025 starten wir nun mit unserer 2. Staffel: Wir hatten die Gelegenheit, uns mit unseren internationalen Partnern von Career Services rund um den Globus auszutauschen. Das Ergebnis? Zehn exklusive Podcast-Interviews, in denen Herausforderungen, Innovationen und bewährte Praktiken in der Arbeit von Career Services weltweit beleuchtet werden.Möchtet ihr wissen, wie Career Services auf der ganzen Welt arbeiten und wie sie organisiert und strukturiert sind? Welche Gemeinsamkeiten und Herausforderungen verbinden sie miteinander? Dann hört in die neuen Folgen rein, die euch ab dem 17. Juni 2025 zur Verfügung stehen. Euer UZH Career Services Team Sandra, Daniela, Julia, Sabina, Annette, Denise, Jenni, Nina, Kathrin, Stephanie, Johanna und Roger
Österreich