Insider Innovations

Human Connections, Digital Directions

Event Details:

Date: Friday, February 6th, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Location: Ashland University - John C. Myers Convocation Center

Zero cost to attend!

Kick Off the New Year with Insider Innovations!

Join us for Insider Innovations: Human Connections, Digital Directions, a free professional development event exclusively for OFIC member campus faculty and staff. In-person engagement is preferred for a richer experience at OFIC professional development events. Should inclement weather occur, sessions will be moved to virtual delivery.

Why Attend?

Hear about a program designed to link international students with alumni and employers.
Explore resources and opportunities to better serve your students.
Discuss challenges and opportunities during roundtable sessions with peers.

Who Should Attend?

Career services professionals looking to grow their programs.
OFIC member campus staff interested in leveraging new resources.

Agenda:

9:30 – 10:00 - Check-in, light breakfast, and Welcome
10:00 – 11:00 - Bridging Borders to Careers: Connecting International Students, Alumni, and Employers, Josh Gory, Denison University
11:00 – 1:00 - 12 Twenty Presentation and Lunch, Jeff Beavers, 12twenty
1:00 – 2:00 - Let’s Talk Technology and Career Services, Melanie Garrabrant, OFIC
2:00 – 2:30 Closing Remarks and Door Prizes

Friday, February 6th, 2026

9:30 am - 2:30 pm

Ashland University – John C. Myers Convocation Center

638 Jefferson St, Ashland, OH 44805

(In the event of inclement weather - the event content will be available virtually)

FEATURED SESSION

Bridging Borders to Careers: Connecting International Students, Alumni, and Employers

This session highlights two ways career centers and international student support offices can facilitate connections with alumni and employers: a panel series and a regional event featuring alumni and local employers called Columbus Connections for International Students. The panel series includes monthly panels, organized around a theme or career community, that feature international student alumni or alumni abroad. The Columbus Connections for International Students event was designed to help current international students navigate the U.S. job search process through direct engagement with international student alumni and local employers. The event featured alumni career conversations and employer roundtables. Learn how the event was structured and what international students and employers gained from participating. The presenter will also offer practical strategies for adapting and scaling similar initiatives on your campus to better support international student career readiness and employability.

Presenter:

Josh Gory, Assistant Director, International Student Advising & Career Coach, Denison University

FEATURED SESSION

Presentation and Lunch

In this session, attendees will learn about Kenyon College’s Professional Extension Projects (PEP) which are project-based learning opportunities designed and offered by Kenyon alumni, parents, and employers to emulate real-world work. Born out of covid when students were losing internships, PEP was created to bridge a critical gap and has successfully been offered at Kenyon for the past four years. PEP has received over 393 applications from students with 293 students being paired with a PEP mentor featuring alum, parents and employers at Huntington Bank, U.S. Department of Justice, Harvard, Infoverity, and AllianceBernstein.

Presenter:

FEATURED SESSION

Let’s Talk Technology and Career Services

Participate in roundtable discussions based on common career services topics to talk about what technology and tools are being used, how, and why? What tools should be sunset or retired, what new technologies and tools are up-and-coming, or do you wish your institution had? This is a great opportunity to engage with peers, brainstorm, and dream!

Presenter: