From the beginning, our co-curricular programming has been developed with the support of, and guidance from, our incredibly strong alumni and employer community.
Before the start of our program, some of our largest local employers told us they wanted more ways–beyond the typical career fair visits–to connect with our students. Knowing how much our students could benefit from enhanced connections with employers, we saw how a vibrant co-curricular program could bring students and employers together.
Once our programming began, countless Corporate Partners, Business Advisory Council members and Pointer alumni have spoken at events, given feedback on student presentations and attended networking receptions and banquets. While we sometimes worry about overloading them with requests, the most frequent feedback we get is, “What else can we do?” Their generosity towards our students has been truly heartwarming.
We owe a special thank you to one particular alumnus, Keith Anderson, and one particular business, Northwestern Mutual. In 2015, these two supporters challenged us to do even more to improve the career-readiness of our students. In response, we developed our “Kickstart Your Career!” program which runs in the early part of every semester and includes special speakers, senior banquets, an etiquette dinner and a networking reception.