TROY, N.Y. — When it comes to identifying, planning for, and achieving career goals, undergraduate students are getting a head start from the Career Development Center (CDC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. For their efforts, the center won a NACE Excellence Award for developing its “Sophomore Career Experience” program. The award, which was presented recently at the annual meeting of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in New York City, recognizes the best educational program related to career development or employment targeted to students or career center/college recruiting staff.

Photo Credit: Rensselaer/ Philip Scalia

The distinction honors Rensselaer and four other institutions dedicated to developing programs to support the successful transition of college students to the workplace. NACE membership includes more than 5,200 college career services professionals at nearly 2,000 college and universities nationwide, and more than 3,000 HR/staffing professionals. 

“It is wonderful for Rensselaer’s Career Development Center to be recognized by NACE for their efforts to encourage students to discover their interests and their passions in preparing for their future careers,” said Eddie Ade Knowles, vice president for student life at Rensselaer. “With the mounting challenges of the 21st century, we can do no less than to prepare our students fully and broadly to lead in a complex, technologically based global community from the time they commence with their first-year studies.” 

The average starting salary for Rensselaer Class of 2007 students with bachelor’s degrees is $56,456, up 4 percent from 2006. For students with master’s degrees, the average starting salary is up 9 percent to $72,267, according to results from the CDC’s online survey regarding future plans for members of the Class of 2007.

This year, more than 90 percent of the graduating class plans to work or pursue graduate studies. Graduates already have jobs waiting for them at Google, IBM, Bank of America, Cisco Systems, General Electric, Merck, United Airlines, General Motors, NBC Universal, the New York City Fire Department, Kimberly Clark, and Johnson & Johnson, to name a few. 

The CDC received the NACE award in the category of College Educational Programming. The criteria for judging included innovation, usefulness, program need, creativity, and results. 

In September 2006, the CDC developed a new program for sophomore students in an effort to build on their first-year experiences. More than 250 sophomore students participated in the six-month Sophomore Career Experience (SCE), designed to offer career, job search, and professional development opportunities through various hands-on and interactive programs, seminars, and networking with alumni and business professionals.

“Today’s employers desire students who have had some experience while in college,” said CDC director Tom Tarantelli. “This is what gives a student the competitive edge when it comes to landing a full-time job. We are thrilled to be recognized by NACE with this award that acknowledges our efforts to engage meet the needs of our students.”

Tarantelli also serves as the president of the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE) – the largest regional college and employer network in the country with approximately 1,200 members representing 817 colleges, 250 employers, and 27 associates from Maine to Virginia.

“The Sophomore Career Experience program serves as an ideal opportunity for us to establish a relationship with our sophomore students as they explore career opportunities,” said Diana Leis Delker, director of cooperative education and senior associate director of the CDC. “In most cases, sophomore year is a period of transition marked by further distance from high school. The more we get to know students, the greater the chances for us to work with them in their career development.”

The SCE program was developed by a committee including CDC employees Dawn Weaver-Cairns, assistant director, and Jennifer Heptig, career counselor; and several undergraduate students. In addition, the following companies involved in creating individual workshops and sponsoring the program include: BAE Systems, GE, and IBM. 

Throughout the years, CDC programs have included career counseling, resume writing workshops, interview preparation, legal advice on employment offers, and networking opportunities with alumni and employers, among others.

For more information about Rensselaer’s Career Development Center, go to: http://www.rpi.edu/academics/resources/cdc.html.

For more information about the SCE program, go to: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/cdc/SCE.html.