Shirley Favors
Shirley Favors
Written by Cierra Stewart '20
Shirley Favors is a Career Services Assistant Director and Career Advising Liaison for the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. She has been employed with Career Services since 1988, with prior positions including Coordinator of Cooperative Education Engineering and Engineering Technology Programs, as well as Assistant Director of Cooperative Education for Business, Arts, and Sciences Programs. Shirley also served as Assistant Director and Career Advisor of Experiential Programs for all majors. She has also conducted numerous etiquette dining tutorials for several student organizations and classrooms over the years in order to enhance students’ social skills and build confidence.
A native Daytonian, Shirley earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. After moving back to care for her mother, she earned her Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Dayton. She has since remained dedicated to the career development and professionalism of young people, with an adept background consisting of a combination of fashion merchandising, education, public speaking, business etiquette training, and career advising. Shirley has been a pioneer in the professional delivery of career assistance and cooperative education throughout her 31 years of service to the University of Dayton community, helping young students find their passions and discover their true identities in pursuing a career path.
Overcoming adversity in both her personal and professional life as a woman of color, Shirley has persisted in her goal of making a difference in others’ lives, although choosing to do so from outside the spotlight. In explaining her decision to remain in the background, Shirley emphasized that she is not looking to have people thank her for her work; however, she has definitely been thanked in many different ways over the years.
On several occasions, students have expressed gratitude to her for being the first person to have given them the opportunity to aspire to their own professional careers. She is also known for providing words of encouragement to both current students and alumni alike that have a degree of empathy and compassion that go above and beyond what is expected of a career advisor. Her work has touched countless lives throughout the years, and her exceptional assistance has had a multi-generational effect on the students she has helped - with many alumni returning to her decades later to say, “You got me my first job!” and sending their own children through her office to seek her advice as well.
In addition to her work in Career Services, Ms. Favors has also been a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion initiatives. As an active supporter of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, she was recognized for her excellent career-related resources and services to all students as a recipient of the 2011 Office of Multicultural Affairs Proclamation Award. A member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers (MWACE), former Executive Board Member and Secretary of the Ohio Cooperative Education Association (OCEA) and Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Inc.