Career & Professional Development Records

Institutional records indicate that career counseling services at the University of Denver began in the 1930s. Vocational (career) guidance and educational planning during this period were provided by academic deans, faculty advisors, and guidance services. In the 1940s and 1950s, these functions were managed within the Office of Student Personnel—an early iteration of Student Affairs—and later within Student Services, often in coordination with testing and guidance programs.

Placement services are first documented as a distinct function in the late 1940s. Institutional records from this period reference offices such as the Placement Bureau, Office of Placements, and Field Relations, which managed student employment and employer relations. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, placement services are consistently documented as separate from counseling services within Student Personnel and Student Affairs, reporting to the Dean of Students.

(Please note: From the 1930s through the early 1950s, institutional records show that student counseling services at the University of Denver frequently integrated vocational counseling with personal and mental health counseling. After the 1950s, records reflect the administrative and functional separation of these services. Student counseling for personal and mental health concerns was managed by separate counseling centers or health-related units.)

Institutional records from the 1970s document the merger of career counseling and placement functions into Counseling and Placement Centers or Career Centers. From the 1980s through the early 2000s, records document Career and Placement services within the administrative structures of Student Affairs or its various iterations.