By P. KELLY SMITH
The Counseling and Career Center has appointed a new director to aid students in personal, academic advisement and career placement.
Ronald Chapman, director since Aug. 1, comes to BYU with 18 years of military service in the United States Air Force as a psychologist.
The new center’s location in 2500 ELWC is not the only change since Chapman’s arrival. The center has changed their name from the Counseling and Development Center to the Counseling and Career Center.
Lori Potts, administrative assistant to the center, said she was looking forward to serving the students with the changes.
“Change is always good,” she said. “It’s nice to have new ideas and perspectives. We will continue to serve students and because of our new location, be able to serve a greater number of them.”
“The name change was brought about in order to more accurately reflect what we do in the center,” Chapman said. The center has counseling responsibilities in personal, academic and career placement areas.
“We offer services to students in all the areas of student life from the time they’re an incoming freshman, until the time they leave the university with a degree in one hand and a job in the other,” Chapman said.
The center operates several major functional areas that are all accessible to students. They include the Career Learning and Information Center, the Open Major Advisement Center, the Academic Support Center, the Career Placement Center and the Personal Counseling Center.
The Career Learning and Information Center helps students research various careers and find out what degrees might be necessary.
Chapman said this past September was one of the busiest times for the center.
“During advisement week this September, we had three times the normal number of people wanting to do career surveys. We were just mobbed,” he said.
Another service of the center is open major advisement. It is for all students who have not declared a major. The center works with other advisement centers to help students get into a major smoothly.
The center also offers academic support to assist students who are having difficulty with their academic performance and are facing probation or suspension.
The Career Placement Center helps students register with potential employers who come in and are looking for people with specific majors and job skills. These services are available to alumni as well.
One of the least known services provided by the center are the 17 classes they offer in student development. Some classes students can register for are: Student Development, Life Planning and Decision Making, Career Explorations, Individual Development and advanced courses in Career Transitions, where students learn about making transitions from student to employee.
Other services provided by the center are biofeedback and personal counseling.
“We have a wide range in mission. We’re here to provide anything to the student which will help them eliminate barriers in terms of their education and in terms of them making transitions successfully,” Chapman said.
Some problems the center deals with are depression, abuse, eating disorders, stress, anxiety and even perfectionism.
The counseling and career center also trains students in areas of psychology and social work. They have approved internships through the American Psychology Association.
“Every year we have 50-60 applicants applying for three doctorate internships. It’s very competitive,” Chapman said.
Chapman was raised in Arizona and attended BYU 18 years ago where he majored in clinical psychology. He served an internship through the Air Force, to pay for his school and then decided to make a life career with the military.
Chapman previously worked at the National Securities Agency developing an outreach program of health and wellness. Later he worked at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he was the assistant chair of the Department of Psychology.
After retiring from the military, he ended up at BYU by responding to an advertisement for the new director position. “I applied and was very fortunate to get it,” Chapman said. “I’ve been really blessed. It’s a beautiful facility, with an excellent staff. This shows the commitment of the administration and faculty to the students.”
