CNP Answers Employers' Call for Academic and Practical Experiences

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 11, 2015) — Undergraduate student preparedness has long been a topic of concern among higher education institutions and remains at the forefront of University of Kentucky’s agenda. UK strives to graduate students with the skills needed to successfully enter their field of work. and efforts are continually made to improve levels of preparedness.

Two recent studies by the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU) found disconnects between what employers want and the skills recent graduates can provide. For example, the CLA found that 40 percent of graduating seniors lacked key critical thinking and analytical skills — skills highly valued by potential employers. The AACU found 91 percent of employers believe that for career success, a student’s ability to think critically, to communicate clearly, and to solve complex problems were more important than his or her major. 

Research and conversations such as this drove the University of Kentucky to develop the Social Enterprise & Innovation/Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) Certificate Program, a non-academic professional certificate that complements all UK majors and minors, providing students with a curriculum designed to better meet these gaps employers and educators have identified. With a balance between academic experience and practical experience, the CNP program directly supports employers’ call for students who work hard on their major, engage in outside-of-the-classroom activities including multiple internships, and take on leadership roles as the best prepared individuals.

CNP is a three-semester program (open to second semester freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) that includes course work (UK 300: Foundations of Social Enterprise & Innovation), participation in a series of workshops led by academics and community leaders, attendance at the Alliance Management Institute national conference, a capstone project, and 300 internship hours with a nonprofit organization.

In just its first semester, CNP has offered the first cohort a wealth of experiences. In preparation for interviewing with local nonprofits in order to begin their 300 internship hours, students participated in a Professional Development/Interviewing Workshop Jan. 25. This workshop welcomed a large number of nonprofit community leaders representing organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Red Cross, 4Kids, Jubilee Jobs, Dress for Success, kNowMore Nonprofits, Kentucky Refugee Ministry, and many others. From this workshop, many CNP students have now accepted internship positions within these organizations.

Today, CNP students will attend the Starting a Nonprofit workshop featuring guest speaker Barb Ellerbrook (from the nonprofit SCORE), along with representatives from Refuge for Women, Community Inspired Solutions, Parent and Family Learning Center, and Youth Golfers Outreach Program as panel participants.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25 in room B-24 of the William T. Young Library, CNP will invite the campus community to attend "Barred for Life: A Conversation on Mass Incarceration," featuring speakers from Mission Behind Bars & Beyond, a former prison inmate, and a UK faculty member.

Visit www.uky.edu/UGE/CNP for complete details on all CNP events. 

Beyond the leadership and professional experiences, students who complete the program earn professional credentials through certificate-granting national organization Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. With its combination of classroom work, workshops, and substantial internship experiences, CNP has joined the efforts to create better prepared students and engage in the conversation about what it takes to achieve student success.

For further details about CNP and to apply for the Fall 2015 semester, visit www.uky.edu/UGE/CNP.