Liz Juszczyk has worked as an investigator, forensics interviewer, adjunct faculty member, chief academic officer and vice president of sales.

But nothing made her heart happier than working in higher education.

That’s why, when the chance arose to become the inaugural director of the Norse Network Hub at Northern Kentucky University, Juszczyk jumped at the opportunity.

“I know that on paper, people might not see the connection because the soonest thing they're going to see is real estate. You have to dig a little bit deeper,” she says. “I read the job description, and I was like, ‘This would fit me perfectly.’ All the traits from government, all the traits from higher education, all the traits with leadership and connecting with people and sales and marketing. Everything was just wrapped up with a little bow in this position. There's so many ways that I think my trio of sectors will help the Hub that I'm excited about.”

The Norse Network Hub serves as the “front door” to the university’s talent. This recruitment pipeline provides a one-stop shop, eventually in a physical space on campus, where students can easily connect with faculty, staff, alumni and regional employers.

Whether students are looking for an internship, a co-op or an experiential learning opportunity, the Hub is focused on professional growth and helping each student on their path toward career-readiness.

“The goals are bringing on more employers to campus to work with students. It’s this idea of identifying additional curricula that NKU can either add or modify depending on the workforce demands and what skillsets the employers need,” she says. “And making connections for our students to the workplace while they're in school and after. The Hub can provide an opportunity to increase that work-readiness and that experiential learning.”

For Juszczyk, who has bachelor’s degrees in behavioral sciences and communications and a master’s in criminal justice, it starts with making those connections.

Since her arrival in July 2025, Juszczyk has been actively meeting with regional employers.

“We're in phase one, and part of that is just me getting to know people. If they don't know me, they don't know the Hub. If they don't know, they don't have any buy-in,” she says. “What's in it for them to help the university? And ultimately it comes back to helping the university, but they’re also helping our individual students. I'm hearing from employers already that they want a deeper engagement with students. Another thing I think is very important is our connection with our alumni. 82% of our population stays in the area right now. That's huge. I think it's amazing that everybody has six degrees of separation in their circles and their sphere of influence—and no one can replace that. There's so many people that know somebody from NKU that works somewhere that has a connection that we can tap into.”

As a newcomer to NKU, Juszczyk sees the Hub as a way to celebrate amazing work already being done while expanding opportunities for the university’s students.

And she sees her role as merely a facilitator.

“This is solely to increase our footprint and to applaud those people who have done the work. Our faculty are amazing, and they have so much knowledge and experience. So how can we give that to students as well as at the same time provide them with the tools necessary to stand out when they're interviewing? Students are choosing us because it fits their needs, and they really do want to have a different trajectory in their lives,” she says. “I don't want to interfere in any way, shape or form with someone's connection. We just need to be able to track it through the Hub so that we're acknowledging that employer appropriately by thanking them and making sure that we're aware that they're doing these things. To be able to continually increase the amount of companies that we have doing this is nothing but a positive for our students and, in turn, creates valuable potential internship and co-op opportunities for them to increase experiential learning.”

Juszczyk also hopes to see even more experiences across campus—whether it’s an opportunity for extra credit or additional classes that can be added to certain colleges that include career development.

She knows this is just the beginning, but Juszczyk is excited to see the Norse Network Hub take off.

“I can't wait to see it grow,” she says. “I liked the opportunity to be a part of something that’s grassroots and be able to build something from the ground up. I have a very analytical way of thinking. So, taking something obscure and pulling out the parts and fitting them all together to make this a working entity is very rewarding to me.”