Key challenges and focus areas:
1. Limited capacity amid growing student demand
2. Inefficient, manual communication processes
3. Lack of centralized platform for career resources
The challenge: A growing caseload without the tools to scale
At Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, the Career and Professional Development (CPD) team faced the dual pressures of a growing student caseload and limited staffing resources. The intake of online programs significantly expanded their reach, but their internal systems—like scattered Google Documents—weren’t built for scale. It became increasingly difficult for staff to locate and share materials efficiently. Meanwhile, a regional crisis, the Los Angeles fires, only further exacerbated in-person engagement challenges, underscoring the need for a scalable, digital-first solution that could deliver consistent career support, anytime and anywhere.
The solution: Launching a Virtual Career Center
Fortunately, Pepperdine implemented uConnect’s Virtual Career Center (VCC) in Fall 2024. This all-in-one platform consolidated career content, events, and resources in a single location. Marketing automation tools—like newsletters, emails, and event alerts—replaced time-consuming manual outreach. Previously, three staff members spent 3-4 hours every week manually sourcing content for different audiences, drafting newsletters, building, and managing the send process, totaling 9-12 hours of repetitive work weekly. Now, with automated communications in place, that time has been reclaimed, allowing the team to focus on high-impact, personalized student support and strategic initiatives.
Faculty and departments across the Graziadio Business School can also contribute directly to the platform, increasing visibility and awareness of career resources and helping to embed career into the daily student experience. This collaborative approach enables career support to be a shared responsibility across the school—not just the career office.
The introduction of an all-in-one digital career platform also enabled the CPD team to provide better access to career support for online and part time student communities who are primarily remote and juggling demanding schedules and competing priorities outside of their academic program. By meeting these students where they are with digital resources that are available 24/7, the CPD team provides an entry point for even more robust, high touch career services like one-on-one coaching, interview preparation, and resume support and optimization. While these high touch services have always been available, the value and importance can be difficult to convey especially to remote student populations who are not formally introduced to career services at the onset of their program.
Implementation: Fast, focused, and customized to student needs
With support from uConnect’s onboarding team, Pepperdine launched the first phase of their VCC quickly and seamlessly within a matter of weeks. They prioritized building custom career pathway pages aligned with specialized programs, ensuring the platform reflected students’ interests, backgrounds, and unique needs. From day one, the VCC provided equitable, 24/7 access to career resources and enabled a self-guided student experience, meeting diverse student needs without manual staff intervention, while also encouraging content contributions from faculty and other stakeholders.
Results: Increased engagement and more time for personalized support
Since launching the VCC, Pepperdine has seen notable increases in student engagement across key metrics, including total users, active users, sessions, and engaged sessions. Just as importantly, the centralized platform significantly reduced administrative workload, freeing up staff time for more strategic projects and one-on-one advising. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with students highlighting the convenience of 24/7 access to career support especially during times when in-person services were difficult to access.
“uConnect has been a game-changer for us. It allows us to consolidate our resources into one easy-to-use platform and saves us so much time. The automated communications tools have freed up staff time to focus on what matters—providing individualized support to students,” said Kristen Oshiro, Assistant Director of Special Projects, Career and Professional Development at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.
Spring 2025 vs. Fall 2024 Engagement Snapshot:
+40% increase in total users: more students, faculty, and staff are engaging with career resources
+41% increase in active users: more students returning and spending meaningful time exploring career content
+33% increase in sessions: greater overall traffic to the Virtual Career Center
+23% increase in engaged sessions: deeper, more sustained interaction with career tools and content
These results reflect the impact of a more fully built-out and promoted Virtual Career Center heading into the spring term. With uConnect, Pepperdine can now track and measure student interaction with digital resources—something that was previously fragmented and difficult to assess. This visibility helps the team better understand student interests and behaviors, identify trending topics, and evaluate the reach and ROI of other tools and resources they invest in.
A more scalable, collaborative, and student-centered career services model
By launching a centralized and accessible Virtual Career Center, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School is transforming how career support is delivered, empowering students, saving staff time, and fostering cross-campus collaboration. The VCC has enhanced visibility and awareness of career resources across the entire school, providing better access to career support for online and remote part time students while enabling faculty and alumni to more actively support students in their career journeys. With uConnect, Pepperdine is building a scalable, resilient model that meets the evolving needs of today’s learners and extends the reach of career services beyond the career office alone.
About Pepperdine Graziadio Business School
Pepperdine Graziadio Business School is a values-driven graduate institution that equips purpose-driven professionals with the skills to lead through innovation, integrity, and impact. Its programs emphasize ethical leadership, experiential learning, and real-world application for working professionals.
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