Humanities to Careers:

Pathways Planning for Students’ Advantage

A Planning Workshop (via Zoom)

Mondays, January 26 and February 9, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 pm Eastern

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, JANUARY 21, 2026

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The Yes We Must Coalition is offering a two-session workshop for college/university teams on Humanities to Careers: Pathways Planning for Students’ Advantage on Mondays, January 26 and February 9, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 pm Eastern. The workshop will be led by Nancy Hoffman, Senior Advisor at Jobs for the Future, Donna Hunt, Program Coordinator of the Mandel Foundation Humanities to Career Pilot at Lorain County Community College (OH), Molly Phelps, Director of the Humanities to Career Program at Bunker Hill Community College (PA), and Nicole Evans, Mandel Grant Program Director at Northern Virginia Community College. The Mandel Foundation-funded Humanities to Career pilot project is grounded in the belief that a humanities education is an asset in preparation for a wide variety of professional careers, but that power is only unleashed when campus leaders and faculty commit to integrating career preparation into humanities studies. This workshop explains strategies the Mandel leaders have put in place to help humanities faculty understand the labor market and prepare them to take the lead in designing microcredentials and badges that address durable or professional skills that employers seek. The workshop also addresses the wide range of work-based learning opportunities that suit humanities students. The workshop will also explore making pathways connections for two-year Humanities/Liberal Arts graduates to four-year HLA programs. The workshop is intended for cross-campus teams of at least 2 people.

What Is Involved?

The workshop will consist of two 2-hour virtual gatherings in Zoom on Mondays, January 26 and February 9, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 pm Eastern. Campus teams will complete a pre-workshop exercise and a team assignment in between sessions.

Who Should Attend?

Teams from all Yes We Must Coalition member schools and other colleges/universities who share our commitment to increasing the success of students from low-income backgrounds are invited. The workshop content and activities are relevant whether participants have developed career pathways strategies in Humanities programs or are only beginning to consider these approaches. Campus teams will participate together in the workshop sessions and develop an action-oriented plan for their campus.

Teams must consist of at least 2 members. Suggested team members include academic leaders and faculty in humanities disciplines as well as academic administrators, career services and advising staff; however, all faculty and staff are welcome to participate as part of a campus team.

Campus Team Outcomes:

• Explore models for enhancing students’ career awareness and readiness in Humanities programs by embedding learning about the world of work, earning, business and professional credentials, and work-based learning.
• Understand strategies for faculty and staff professional development to expand capacity to embed labor-market-focused skills in programs, to partner with employers and enhance employer understanding of HLA skills, and to equip students to talk about their skills and experience.
• Teams will meet colleagues at Yes We Must Coalition member schools and others who share common goals and contexts for advancing degree completion and professional success for all students and stimulate collaborative work on practices, programs, and policies.
• Leave with an invitation to participate in a post-meeting virtual Community of Practice to assist one another with plan implementation.

How to Register and Cost for Participating

Cost for a Campus Team of at least 2 and up to 4 members is $400 for Yes We Must Coalition institutional members; cost for a team from non-YWMC institutions is $550. For teams larger than 4, additional members may join at a cost of $75 per additional member. Team registration deadline is Wednesday, January 21. To register, one college/university representative should complete the online Registration Form below — providing names, titles/roles, and email contacts for team participants. Payment must be made by credit card at time of registration through the payment link at the bottom of the online form. Registrants will be sent links to the Zoom workshop sessions as well as the pre-workshop exercise to complete and return.

Workshop Leaders

Nancy Hoffman is the co-founder of the Pathways to Prosperity coalition. Now in its 13th year, the coalition is focused on ensuring that more young people complete high school and attain a postsecondary credential with currency in the labor market. A Ph.D. in comparative literature, Nancy believes Humanities to Career is critically important in the age of AI.

Nicole Evans is Program Manager of the Mandel Grant at Northern Virginia Community College. With a background in community-based fiber art, museum education, and academic advising, Nicole has developed innovative programs in both the arts and higher education. Her work has included leading a career readiness program for returning citizens in D.C., launching a bridge-to-college initiative for enlisted military members at Marine Corps Base Quantico, developing an academic advisor training manual, and planning community festivals. She holds an MFA from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and an MA in Higher Education from George Washington University.

Donna Hunt is a higher education innovator who specializes in building humanities pathways, experiential learning programs, and community-engaged student success initiatives. The leader of the Mandel Career to Humanities program at Lorain County Community College, she has presented nationally and internationally on academic innovation, workforce alignment, and the power of humanities skills in the modern workplace.

Molly Phelps is the Director of the Humanities to Career Program at Bunker Hill Community College, focusing on the integration of work-based learning and career-oriented skill-building initiatives for students in the college’s Humanities and Liberal Arts (HLA) programs. Molly has earned a Master of Arts in Art History from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Boston College.

For Questions

Contact Ann Landis, Program Manager at the Yes We Must Coalition,
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Campus Team Registration Form

Please provide the following information for campus team participants.
(Payment must be made at time of registration through the payment link below the registration form. Please fill out and submit the form below first.)

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