Oshkosh Placement Exchange: Info and Navigation

The Department of Residence Life at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the 42nd annual Oshkosh Placement Exchange. We have been privileged to host OPE for over four decades in serving the field of student affairs and the candidates and employers who have placed their trust in us.

The Oshkosh Placement Exchange is an employment platform in which employers (colleges, universities, residential boarding schools and other professional foundations) from across the United States list positions in the field of student affairs that broadly reflect the amazing and rewarding career opportunities within the realm of higher and secondary education. These employers list an array of positions that include: graduate assistantships, full time entry level, full time mid level, and in some cases part time positions. OPE has always provided an exceptional platform for the connection of these employers to job seeking candidates. Our platform has succeeded in tens of thousands of successful employment matches. We survey our candidates and employers, and over 98 percent have stated they would recommend OPE to others. OPE is one of the most widely recognized, trusted and historically significant placement exchanges in the United States.

In the past, OPE has been hosted as an in person exchange, in which candidates and employers from across the country would travel to UW Oshkosh for one weekend to participate in the conference. This year, due to the COVID -19 pandemic and for the first time in our history, we will be hosting a “listings only” placement exchange. In this format, employers will have the opportunity to register as they have in the past in order to list employment positions for which they are recruiting job seeking candidates. Candidates will have the opportunity to register as they have in the past in order to showcase themselves and seek wonderful employment opportunities. This year, there will be no in person exchange or virtual exchange provided. We will essentially serve as the clearinghouse for employers and candidates to connect, contact and communicate with one another.

Throughout our long history, OPE has strived to provide financial support to candidates who attend our exchange. We have provided significant scholarship/travel grants for the past decade, and in doing so have demonstrated significant support to the field of student affairs. As we strive to continue this approach, candidate registration is FREE. Likewise, throughout our history, we have dedicated ourselves to being a cost-effective placement exchange for employers. To that end, employer registration is a flat fee of $100.00 with the ability to list as many positions as are desired.

Registration for OPE 2021 began on December 15th, 2020. Since then, we have already had 71 employers and 350 candidates registered! Candidates and employers are able to register for OPE 2021 at any time. In order to register, please visit our website at https://www.theope.org/ and click the “Register” button in the upper right corner. After registration, candidates will have immediate access to their account by receiving an email with their login credentials. Employers will be instructed to make the online payment of $100.00. After that payment is made, the employer's main contact will receive an email confirmation with login credentials.

Once candidates and employers are registered, they can begin planning interviews based on their own availability. The interviews will not be scheduled through your registered OPE account, but rather via the employers’ and candidates’ own calendars.

Please feel free to reach out to our team if you have any questions. The best way to contact our team is via email at ope@uwosh.edu. You can also call our office at 920-424-3226.

We thank you for your continued support and trust in the Oshkosh Placement Exchange and we look forward to working with you for OPE 2021!

Author: Abbey Boushele Walter serves as the Guest Reservations Manager for the Oshkosh Placement Exchange. As an alumna of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the field of communication studies, Abbey has served as a staff member for the Oshkosh Placement Exchange for four years.  During that period of time, she has worked with hundreds of employers and over 1500 job seeking candidates who have registered to attend our placement exchange.  Abbey welcomes any questions you may have as a potential candidate or employer for OPE 2021 or beyond.  She can be reached via our OPE communications e mail which is:  ope@uwosh.edu.