Career Services Center Director Effie Eisses To Retire in June

Western’s Career Services Center Director Effie Eisses will retire June 9, 2023.

Effie has had multiple roles at a tenure at Western that spans the last 19 years. She first began at Western in 2004 as the Employer Relations Manager in the Career Services Center before advancing to serve as the Assistant Director of the MBA/Graduate Student Career Services program and working

special projects within the College of Business & Economics (CBE), and then as the Manager of Recruitment and Outreach through our Western on the Peninsulas programs. She assumed the position of Career Services Center Director in 2019. In addition, Effie has taught for the Management department in CBE for the past 9 years drawing heavily upon her Human Resources experience prior to arriving at Western.

"Effie has been a transformational leader in Career Services, and her work to ensure successful postgraduate transitions for our students has been so appreciated by everyone who's worked with her”, said WWU Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services Melynda Huskey. “We will miss her, and we wish her all the best."

Eisses' colleague Sara Wilson lauded Eisses and her impact on Western's students.

“I have had the great fortune of having Effie serve in this role for the past four years and to provide the leadership needed to support our students and alumni and help them navigate the job market during times immensely impacted by an international pandemic. I witnessed firsthand the many ways in which she and the team embraced change and innovation and developed comprehensive online services that have now become an important component in serving he department’s stakeholders," said Wilson, the executive director of Western's Student Success Initiatives unit.

During Effie’s time as director, the team has accomplished many new initiatives that include introducing a new recruitment platform, Handshake; added Canvas sites tailored to seniors, first-year students, and transfer students; introduced new industry-specific Career Fairs; built a Career Closet that provides free professional clothing to WWU students; and increased employer-partner giving after revitalizing the program.

In Effie’s own words, “I have immensely enjoyed my time at WWU and especially my time as director of the Career Services Center. I am proud of the team that we formed and everyone’s strong desire to be there for each other and to work together to ensure that we are meeting the needs of students, alumni, and employers."

"I am also very proud of the work of the Career Services Internal Advisory Committee – a group of exceptional faculty working together to better understand career services and the intersectionality with a student’s academic experience and expected outcomes; as well as the many employer representatives on our Advisory Board that provide us with insight into current market trends and our practices," Eisses said. "I will always look back fondly on my time at Western and the many colleagues, that I count as friends, that I have made over my 19 years. Thank you for the opportunity to have been of service. Go Viks!"