Joe Testani, who is currently the director of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)’s Career Center, will be replacing the current Director of the Gwen M. Greene Career Center Burt Nadler, who recently announced his retirement after 16 years at UR. Testani will assume the role in June 2015. Testani led efforts to gather data for VCU through the use of The Outcomes Survey. The Outcomes Survey, according to a University press release, “looks at the first year of new college graduates to understand how they are using their major in their career and where they have located.”
“This is such an important topic in higher education today and VCU was in need of better data on where students were going after graduating with their degrees,” Testani said in an email.
Testani plans to emphasize data collection into UR’s Career Center, stating the value of “strategic planning, data-driven decision, the optimization of technology, and an investment in relationships.”
“Getting feedback […] is an important part of getting to know the University,” Testani said, “but also to grow the awareness among students about how important this resource is as they plan their time at Rochester and beyond.”
Students’ Association met with Testani during the selection process as well, making themselves available as a resource to help him connect with campus life.
“I am excited to join the [UR] community,” Testani said, “and look forward to working to grow the opportunities and resources for students to connect and become career ready!”
A New York native himself, Testani said he wanted to return to his home state. More than that, though, he said UR’s approach to their Career Center was admirable.
Testani added, “Through my own experiences and relationships, I knew of the types of students and faculty that I would be able to work with at Rochester and was excited about the prospect of joining the community.”
McAdams is a member of the class of 2017.
