Graduation has arrived for a select number of students and, while our wishes are for all the best, we fear the worst. The only thing worse than the overall economy right now is the job market and, for a UMB graduate, the hunt may be even more difficult than for other college graduates.

UMB career placement assistance for new graduates and alumni is poor. The philosophy seems to be, “Here’s your MonsterTrak.com password, good luck.”

There are a few key factors in the dilemma that result in underemployed UMB graduates.

The first problem is the poor experience past graduates have had. Most never want to see or hear from the university again. The ones who end up in positions of respect do so in spite of their UMB degree, not because of it, and those graduates know this. Graduates of UMB donate very little funds to their alma mater and even less of their time. Having UMass Boston on your resume, therefore, isn’t likely to move it to the top of any pile.

The Career Services Office is small, understaffed and evidently a low priority. The “career fairs” on this campus are an ongoing disgrace and the assistance of offering a website password is minimal. Making career placement a high priority would be the first thing to change in an effort to improve the poor perception of UMass Boston, both that of the public and its own graduates.

There is very little interaction with local businesses. While UMB leads in community service, much of that is for use of facilities and there is little contact of students with the community. This is also true with respect to businesses. While UMB boasts of institutes and research, there is little contact between students and networking opportunities.

In one program at UMB, “mentoring” opportunities have often been criticized as either fictional or ineffectual, often matching students with an on-campus mentor who offers no more opportunity than any other professor.

Strengthening such a program to match students with businesspeople throughout the Boston area would also go a long way toward strengthening the image of the university.

The university is physically isolated from the Boston community and has also developed an insular psyche. UMB must actively overcome this disconnect by building real connections with the people of Boston and the business community.