By fostering collaborative, student-centered relationships, the staff in the Center for Career and Academic Planning guide students in their development and achievement of meaningful educational goals. Our work is guided by the following values:

• Knowledge: of curriculum, resources, policies, and best advising practices
• Respect: for students, for the College, and for all invested in a student’s success
• Openness: to new ideas and viewpoints, to reflection, and to change
• Equity: of access to appropriate resources for all students
• Growth: as students transition from who they are to who they will become
• Understanding: of self, of others, of our capabilities, and of our place within the larger community

Career Services

CCAP provides resources, events, and services to assist students in all phases of your career development process. Regardless of your starting point, we can provide assistance with self-assessment, career exploration, goal identification, decision making, document preparation, interviewing practice, company research, networking, professionalism, and job/internship search.

First-year and sophomore students are encouraged to use CCAP to explore and refine career goals and academic choices. Junior and senior level students are encouraged to enroll in ITDY 109, a credit-bearing course on career development and effective job search strategies. Students and alumni are invited to  visit the CCAP website at www.sjfc.edu/student-life/ccap/ for more information.

Career Counseling Resources

Choice of Major or Career: First-year and Sophomore Students

Individual counseling assists students in identifying, refining, or affirming a chosen major or career direction through the use of inventories, including the Strong Interest Inventory® (SII), Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI), True Colors®, and Clifton StrengthsFinder®.  Online self-guided resources for career exploration include What Can I Do with a Major in… Candid Career® video library, Vault®, Occupational Outlook Handbook, and Spotlight (Liberal Arts Career Network® guides).

Career Coaching: Juniors, Seniors, and Alumni

Choosing a major or a minor that complements your career goals is the first step. CCAP also provides individual coaching to help upper-level students develop job/internship application materials, prepare for interviews, conduct strategic job/internship searches, conduct company research, and manage graduate school applications. Our professional staff will assist you in identifying meaningful experiences to build your career-readiness competencies and skills.

Pre-Career Experiences Support

Internships and other pre-career experiences are essential to career success. From informational interviews and job shadowing with professionals to employer site visits to conferences to internships and study abroad, these opportunities expand and enrich your education, and your marketability. CCAP offers all students opportunities to gain pre-career experience before graduation. We work closely with many academic departments to source internships that relate to student majors and/or career aspirations and we are constantly partnering with employers to create internships, site visits, and networking events.

Walk-in Services

Walk-in hours are available daily for quick assistance on resumes, cover letters, and navigating online tools (9 a.m. –  4 p.m. and until 6 p.m. on selected weekdays during the semester). No appointment is needed.

Online Resources

Students have access to many online career-support resources through CCAP, including Handshake, CareerShift, Vault, Candid Careers, Spotlight for Liberal Arts Careers, Parker-Dewey, Cardinal Connections, and various self-help guidebooks.

Events

All events are announced in Handshake; many require pre-registration.

Career Fairs, On-Campus Recruiting, and Networking Opportunities

CCAP hosts annual recruiting fairs including: Accounting and Finance Fair, Nursing Fair, Graduate School Fair, and the Annual Career Fair.  Additionally, in collaboration with a local college consortium, St. John Fisher College co-sponsors Rochester area career fairs and the Teacher Recruitment Day (TRD). The On-Campus Recruiting Program provides students with the opportunity to interview with recruiters and hiring managers throughout the academic year. Additionally, employer information sessions are open to all students, offering visibility and exposure to recruiters and potential career paths. CCAP’s variety of on- and off-campus networking opportunities connect students with employers and alumni, including Mentor in Residence Days, Etiquette Dinner, Mock Interview and Reception Day, employer site visits, and Meet-the-Recruiter information sessions.

Advising Services

While students will be assigned a specific department academic advisor after freshman year and once they have declared a major, all students are welcome to utilize the advising services that the Center has to offer throughout their time at St. John Fisher College. The Center’s advising services include:

• Freshmen advising, seminar, and programming
• New transfer student advising, seminar, and programming
• Guidance and programming for students who are deciding on or changing majors/minors
• Creating success plans to support students to overcome academic hurdles
• Clarifying academic policies and procedures to help students navigate their academic programs

Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring is a service that students who are excelling or struggling can utilize. The goal of tutoring is to help students find ways to learn course material more successfully. A tutor can assist by discussing notes, clarifying textbook material, and reviewing practice problems. Although tutors do not complete student work assignments, they provide additional support that should complement and reinforce classroom learning. Student effort is required for tutoring to be successful.

Peer tutoring is provided at no cost for a variety of introductory undergraduate courses (many 100-level and 200-level courses) during the fall and spring semesters.

Peer tutors are students who have completed the courses they tutor with a grade of B+ or higher and have received the recommendation of a faculty member or department chair.

Student Accessibility Services

St. John Fisher College is committed to creating equal access for all students with disabilities. The dedicated staff works with each student on an individual basis to determine reasonable accommodations based on appropriate documentation submitted by the student. The Student  Accessibility Services Office, in compliance with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and Title III of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, as amended), ensures access to academic programs, services, and facilities.

If you are unsure if you are eligible for services or have concerns about obtaining the correct documentation, please do not delay meeting with our staff. We are happy to review policies and procedures with you in person and in some cases, may be able to provide provisional accommodations allowing you time to gather any needed documentation.

For additional information, contact Joy Breeden at (585) 385-5252, sas@sjfc.edu, or view our website at www.sjfc.edu/student-life/student-accessibility-services/.

International Student Advising

Upon admission to St. John Fisher College, the Center for Career and Academic Planning will work closely with international students as they navigate the processes required to begin their academic career. These processes include: completing a statement of financial support; gathering all materials needed to apply for and obtain their Form I-20 for nonimmigrant student status; and securing all other documents needed for entry into the United States, which may include an F-1 visa and an I-94 arrival form.

When students arrive, an international student advisor will provide guidance as students make the academic, social, and personal transitions into a new environment, and will create opportunities for international students to interact with the Fisher community as they become more familiar with the campus and the Rochester area. The international student advisor will also work alongside each student throughout their studies to provide important information regarding travel, employment, maintenance of status, and post-degree options. For more information, please contact Matt Lake in the Center for Career and Academic Planning at (585) 385-8050.

The Center for Career and Academic Planning is located on the main floor of the Lavery Library.

Biology

The Department of Biology maintains teaching and undergraduate research laboratories that provide students hands-on experience with equipment and techniques that are of fundamental importance to the field of biology. We have state-of-the-art molecular biology capabilities, cell and bacterial culture equipment, and field work opportunities. To support our teaching and research efforts we have an indoor greenhouse, a Zebrafish housing unit, and other relevant equipment (compound fluorescent microscope, a transmission electron microscope, and dissecting and compound microscopes) that allow us to provide our students hands-on practical experience to achieve competence and confidence in a laboratory setting. Additionally, we have designated faculty and student research space and many of our students pursue independent research projects in areas of faculty expertise.

Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry occupies the first floor of the Joseph S. Skalny Science Center and consists of six class-size laboratories for courses or research, two instrumentation laboratories, and a computer laboratory. The department’s modern, research-grade instrumentation includes: infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometers, a multinuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, an atomic absorption spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeters, and vapor-phase and high-performance liquid chromatographs.

Physics

The Department of Physics has four well-designed laboratories and a room with well-equipped benches, computers, and storage space for individual research. Among the modern instruments in these laboratories are: e/m apparatus, Franck Hertz apparatus, x-ray diffraction apparatus, precision optical bench, and portable six-inch reflecting telescopes.

The Math Center at St. John Fisher College assists students with the development of their mathematical understanding. It is a supportive learning environment that is committed to helping students become confident and independent learners of mathematics.

The Math Center offers tutors for mathematics and related courses as well as other resources. Resources include textbooks for all math courses, tutorial handbooks for many areas of mathematics, basic skills practice books, and handouts on math study skills. College networked computers provide access to the Internet, as well as to many software applications used in various current mathematics, science, and computer science courses.

Hours vary by semester. Math Center services are free of charge to all Fisher students. Students do not have to be taking a math course to use our facility. The Math Center is located on the third level of the Golisano Gateway. More information about the Math Center is available at www.sjfc.edu/services/math-center/.

Students wishing to make appeals or to bring forward complaints or concerns about instructional matters including final grades should first discuss the issue with the faculty member. If the issue is not satisfactorily resolved at that point, the student should then meet with the department chair. If further discussions are necessary, students should contact the appropriate School dean.

To ensure a fair and systematic review, students must follow the steps outlined below.

Process to Reconcile Academic Decisions

If a student wishes to appeal an academic decision of an instructor, he or she must follow the process described below.

• The student is to initiate a discussion with the instructor responsible for the initial decision in question.
• The instructor is responsible for documenting the outcome of the discussion with the student. Copies of that document are to be provided to the student and to the department chair.
• If the student is not satisfied with the outcome and wishes to further pursue the matter, the student is responsible for notifying the instructor and the department chair within five business days of receipt of the instructor’s communication.
• When the student meets with the department chair, the role of the chair is to ascertain to the extent possible the facts surrounding the matter and to clarify applicable academic policies. The department chair has the option of scheduling a subsequent meeting to include the instructor. The department chair is responsible for documenting the discussion outcome(s). Copies of that document are to be provided to the student, the instructor, and the School dean.
• If the student is not satisfied with the outcome and wishes to further pursue the matter, the student is responsible for notifying the instructor, the department chair, and the School dean of his or her desire within five business days of receipt of the department chair’s communication.
• The School dean will forward all relevant information to the School’s Grade Appeal Committee or other comparable committee within the School. This committee will review all pertinent facts and make a recommendation to the School dean for final review. The School dean shall notify the student, the instructor, and the department chair in writing of the decision to maintain or modify the original academic decision. The School dean’s decision is final.

Process to Reconcile Policy and/or Grade Issues Related to Academic Deadlines

Appeals relating to academic policy, withdrawal, or to a student’s academic status are considered by the Committee on Academic Standing, a standing committee of the Faculty Assembly. This committee meets monthly and considers appeals only from students. For information, the student should contact the Center for Career and Academic Planning.

Note: Appeals related to a final grade must be made within one year from the end of the term in which the grade was received.