Data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, in partnership with the Oklahoma Christian University Day Six program, shows 90% of Oklahoma Christian graduates have found placement in 2020.
Oklahoma Christian placement rates are higher than the national average. According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of students who graduated in 2020 found employment.
According to Day Six, alumni went to work for top companies such as Integris, Tinker Air Force Base and OU Medicine. A portion of graduates chose to go to graduate school, with Oklahoma Christian as the most popular choice. About 75% of graduates stayed in Oklahoma. The Bible, Education, and Behavioral and Social Science departments had 90% of their students find work.
Oklahoma Christian President John deSteiguer said a degree from Oklahoma Christian is much more than just a piece of paper.
“This confirms what we’ve always known about Oklahoma Christian, which is that our degree and students are sought after by employers and graduate programs alike,” deSteiguer said.
Director of Calling and Career, Susan Hoover, said Oklahoma Christian has collected data from students’ post-graduation since 2013, before the creation of Day Six.
“Before, no one had sole ownership over [collecting data]. We did it because it was a requirement,” Hoover said. “In probably late 2020 was when the president, upon creating a new strategic plan, charged us with doing this in a more strategic way so that OC would be able to tell the story of what students do a little more realistically and with more depth.”
Hoover said the Day Six office uses Handshake as a survey tool for collecting data even before students graduate.
“Before we were sending the survey out via email after graduation, we would usually wait six months after graduation,” Hoover said. “Now we’re starting to launch the survey before the students graduate. At senior salute when they come through and get their caps and gowns, they take our survey.”
Hoover said even if students do not know their post-graduation plans, it is a way to start collecting data.
“[It is] just to get a higher response rate than we traditionally had. Historically it’s been around 60% and now our knowledge rate is at almost 80%,” Hoover said. “I feel a lot more confident with the story we are telling with this data than what we’ve been able to tell before.”
Hoover said the Day Six program offers students resources to help them get into the workforce.
“We host the career fair and workshops that bring a lot of employers to campus,” Hoover said. “Looking at the top employers that students are going to, we see some correlation there with employers that are coming to our career fair, so that is good to see.”
Elizabeth Killough McLeckie graduated from Oklahoma Christian in April 2020 with a degree in public relations. She is currently an account associate at Gooden Group in Edmond.
Killough McLeckie said she applied for the job at Gooden Group after meeting employers at the career fair Oklahoma Christian’s Day Six hosted in 2020.
“I was able to connect with my employers through OC’s organized job fairs and through connections with OC alumni that I also work with,” Killough McLeckie said. “I appreciated these different opportunities that ultimately led to my current role.”
Killough McLeckie said she is grateful for having the opportunity to find a job right after graduation.
“I secured my job in early March just before the pandemic set in,” Killough McLeckie said. “My starting date was pushed back a few times, so that was a challenge, but I am grateful that I did not lose my job like so many others that I know.”
Hoover said she advises students who are having a harder time finding placement to use Oklahoma Christian’s career tools.
“Take advantage of the resources that are available,” Hoover said. “We don’t know you need help unless you tell us.”
Killough McLeckie said it is challenging to find jobs right after graduation, but she advises students to keep trying.
“Stay true to yourself and don’t give up,” Killough McLeckie said. “But also remember that there are a lot of things you can take away from any position, even if it’s not necessarily what you were hoping for. Working hard is important, no matter where you end up.”
To learn more about Day Six events and career counseling, contact daysix@oc.edu.
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