(Photo courtesy of Senia Overstreet.)

The Career Center partnered with JC Penney for ACU’s Suit Up event to provide students with access to professional clothing at a discounted price.

For the first time, the Suit-Up event will be hosted at JC Penney in the Mall of Abilene on Sunday from 6-9 p.m. JC Penney plans to serve ACU students by lowering its prices and offering numerous discounts on items in hopes of giving students the confidence they need in the workforce.

Invitations are open to all ACU students and the promotions will include up to 60 percent off on men’s and women’s career dress apparel, accessories and shoes.

Jill Fortson, director of the Career Center, said the addition of the new partnership with JC Penney has been a game-changer for the Career Center as well as ACU students.

“The store has been working hard to increase their inventory and mark down the prices to make purchasing interview apparel more affordable,” Fortson said.

ACU has a number of institutions that work closely with the Career Center in addition to JC Penney.

“We are members of the West Central Texas Career Consortium, which includes career services for ACU, HSU [Hardin-Simmons University], McMurry, Cisco, Howard Payne, and Angelo State,” Fortson said. “We have strong partnerships with over 8,000 employers who recruit our students.”

The Career Center helps students prepare for interviews and life beyond college. The center seeks to provide information to students about interview etiquette, professional wardrobe, résumé configuration.

“Our main purpose is to prepare students to thrive after graduation and help them make connections and build their network,” Fortson said. “We encourage them to take advantage of all that we offer here at the Career Center.”

The Career Center posts 23,000 jobs and internships for students each year. They also host over 200 recruiting events on campus for students. Students have access to these opportunities through their myACU accounts.

“In the end, we just want students to know that they are not alone in this process,” Fortson said. “We are here to partner with them and encourage them along the way.”

For more information about the Suit-Up event as well the benefits of the Career Center, visit the Center for Careers & Experiential Learning in the Brown Library.