Professional Access Roundtables

Our "Professional Access Roundtables” create an opportunity for students, alumni and employers to connect and network, while discussing current hot topics within their professions and disciplines. These small-group, semi-structured conversations are designed to catalyze an exchange of ideas and experience to enhance students’ professional development and build community.

Roundtable discussions are led by experienced alumni and employment partner professionals, who craft an initial set of thought-provoking questions shared with students in advance. This gives students the opportunity to prepare for and make the most of these exciting conversations. It also gives discussion leaders the ability to efficiently broaden and deepen students’ understanding of the discussion topics.

At our Professional Access Roundtable events, students not only benefit from meeting experts in their field but they also grow their professional network by meeting other students that share a common interest in a particular profession and industry. Discussion leaders from our alumni and employment partner community enjoy the opportunity to support, connect and develop the next generation of leaders in their field.

Professional Access Roundtables aim to inspire, educate and connect you to a world of possibilities, ensuring that your journey through the multifaceted terrain of professions and industries is nothing short of transformative.

Small groups of CPS graduate students are paired with discussion leaders from among the alumni, corporate partners, and other business and policy professionals who have volunteered to participate in our Professional Access Roundtable events.

Students meet with their assigned discussion leader in small groups, and discussion leaders facilitate a 45-60 minute conversation among the group, starting with the three assigned discussion questions. A plenary debrief session follows the small group discussions. On-campus Professional Access  Roundtables are also preceded by a networking mixer, allowing students, discussion leaders, and CPS faculty and staff to meet one another in an informal setting.