Pres. Thomas Sullivan said he knew it was time for Career Services to undergo a renovation after laying out his plans for the University.That was where Dean of Honors College Abu Rizvi stepped in.Rizvi submitted recommendations for improving Career Services and career development to the University at the close of the fall semester, and they are currently under review.President Sullivan asked Rivzi to reevaluate Career Services because it was not consistent with his strategic plan, Rizvi said.The biggest problem, from my point of view, is that students have had little information about what they needed, where to get it, or when to start, Director of Career Services Pamela Gardner said.Rizvi said he believes this initiative addresses an issue that is on the minds of both parents and students.A nation-wide study conducted by an organization in California reported that career issues concern 88 percent of incoming students when they enter college, which is an all-time high for this survey, he said.Its on the minds of students, Rizvi said. And its something on our minds because we know its good for students.In 2012, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates was 9.4 percent, while the underemployment rate underemployment including workers that are overqualified or not sufficiently employed was nearly double that at 19.1 percent, a May 2012 Economic Policy Institute report stated.These numbers have left students like junior Catie Matheny feeling anxious about finding jobs in the future.Im going to be a teacher and I just worry about getting a more desirable job and enjoying it, Matheny said.Gardner said she believes changes to Career Services are necessary because many students dont know where to begin on the path to finding and succeeding in a career.Too few know about the terrific resources that exist for them, she said. Eventually we all are responsible for our own career success. We want to help UVMersgradually and with supportbuild the skills they need to do so.First-year Rachel Rhodes said she feels that Career Services programs are not accessible to all students.All they do is send emails right now and its not really helpful at all, she said. And the programs and internships they do offer feel like theyre more geared towards certain majors, like business, opposed to being accessible to all peopleRizvi said his recommendations include finding ways to bolster the number and variety of internships available to students and to explore co-op programs, he said.Internships are a very large avenue toward employment toward students once they graduate, he said.These recommendations also include developing on-campus student employment and reviews to make sure students are gaining valuable skills when theyre employed in federal work-study or non-federal work-study jobs on campus, Rizvi said.We want to make UVM more of a destination for employers, he said. We want to attract employers to come to UVM so that they can provide full-time employment and internship opportunities for our students.Another aspect of the plan is to create more structured programs for students in all majors and also making Career Services more centrally located on campus, Rizvi said.Its pretty clear that advising and supporting students in their academic pursuits is a very important role that the University is likely to pursue and enhance, he said.Senior James Bentil said Career Services has been helpful to him throughout college, especially the Catamount Job Search, but could still use some improvements.In terms of the job market, I would probably increase the amount of exposure on campus, Bentil said. In terms of companies having good table presence, its on the lower scale. On top of that, I dont know if they have student promoters; maybe throw that into the mix.The President and his staff are currently reviewing Rizvis recommendations.Rizvi said he hopes that actions to improve Career Services and the Universitys career preparation will start over this spring and summer, so these improvements will be implemented before the fall semester.I think its very important that we support students while theyre here at UVM, and prepare them for life after UVM, he said.