Northwestern University Athletics
Julie Dunn Named Assistant A.D. For Career Enhancement & Employer Relations
10/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 23, 2012
November 2012 Wildcat Professional Excellence Recap
February 2012 Wildcat Professional Excellence Recap
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's Julie Dunn has been elevated to Assistant A.D. for Career Enhancement & Employer Relations, a new position created to establish NU For Life, a unique program dedicated to the professional development of Northwestern student-athletes.
Dunn is a 2003 graduate of Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications and earned a master's degree in higher education and social policy from Northwestern in 2009. Dunn joined NU's athletic communications staff in 2005 after stints at the Big Ten Conference and Teamworks Media in Chicago.
"We are thrilled to be able to promote Julie into a position that will quickly become a key component to the success of our student-athletes in the workforce," Deputy Athletic Director for Student Welfare Janna Blais said. "Her varied skill set and great creativity will help build our NU for Life program into the country's model program for student-athlete professional development. "
NU For Life is designed to provide student-athletes the opportunity to explore professional possibilities by capitalizing on the knowledge and network of former student-athletes, friends of Wildcat Athletics and companies looking to invest in the most talented recent graduates.
The genesis of NU For Life came from NU Trustee David Kabiller and his creation of the Wildcat Professional Excellence Program. That joint collaboration between Kabiller and NU Athletics allowed junior student-athletes the opportunity to network with NU alums at the top of their respective industries.
From there, NU approached Kabiller about building this concept into a full-time program and he immediately jumped on board. In the short term, NU For Life is comprised of three main components: The Wildcat Professional Excellence Program (WPEP), an N-Club mentoring program and employer outreach.
"Several athletic departments offer career development via job fairs and career-related services for student-athletes," said Dunn. "While we will offer all those services, what makes this a unique initiative is the employer outreach component. We will actively advocate for our student-athletes' skill sets and the Northwestern brand in our community -- locally, nationally and internationally."
NU For Life will grow into a four-year structure with programming specific to each of the academic years of the student-athlete college experience.
"NU For Life is a key component in Northwestern Athletics' goal of providing a world-class experience for our student-athletes academically and socially," Dunn said. "We are excited to get this program up and running."
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