The Moody College of Communication will launch the Eastin Center for Career Readiness in the fall with a $10 million donation, the college announced in a news release Wednesday. The center will expand Moody’s existing career center and increase access to internships, career coaching and connections to employers, the release said.
The Eastin Center is named for Joe and Monica Eastin, who made the donation through their foundation for the purpose of increasing career opportunities for students. The expansion of internship opportunities aims to allow students to develop career skills earlier before graduation.
“When I think back to when I was getting out of college, I was trying to get ready for a career and for interviews,” Joe said in the release. “All this preparation and professional mentorship was happening in the spring of my senior year, but it really needed to happen sooner.”
Joe is the executive chair of ISN Software Corporation, a supplier and contractor management company based in Dallas. He has two daughters enrolled in Moody, and helped establish the Eastin Center for Career Readiness at Oklahoma State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree.
The center will allow students to supplement their classroom learning with career skills and hopes to strengthen connections between students, employers and alumni.
“What we’re trying to provide is a foundation so that everyone has more opportunity,” Joe said in the release. “I think if everyone who comes through Moody can get some understanding of these career competencies prior to leaving the UT campus, I’m confident it will improve their futures.”
