The Career Development Center (CDC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the recipient of this year’s General Electric (GE) Partnership Award. The distinction honors Rensselaer for its efforts in building corporate relationships and recruiting. Rensselaer is also recognized as among the best of 40 elite executive schools selected by GE as top developers of talent and company placement.

“The Career Development Center at Rensselaer goes above and beyond in ‘partnering’ with GE’s Recruiting & Staffing Services organization,” said Peter Bowen, manager of campus relations. “This has been a long-standing relationship and a key factor in GE’s selection of RPI as an executive school. It is a school that we view as critical to the success of our mission and leadership in the global marketplace.” 

Each year, the company’s recruiting and staffing services division evaluates its executive schools based on the corporation’s overall relationship to each university, number of hires, and the relationship with the faculty, administration, and staff. Additional factors that GE considers include: the career center’s willingness to ‘think outside the box,’ efforts in promoting GE on campus, and role as a caring and progressive partner, noted Bowen.

“It is wonderful for Rensselaer’s Career Development Center to be recognized by GE for their efforts in positioning the company on campus while creating opportunities for them to connect with the student body,” said Eddie Ade Knowles, vice president for student life at Rensselaer. “This has had a positive impact on the campus community. With the mounting challenges of the 21st century, we can do no less than to prepare our students fully and provide them with opportunities to lead in a complex, technologically based global community from the time they commence with their first-year studies.”

The CDC at Rensselaer serves as the university’s most important link between a student and employer, noted Tom Tarantelli, CDC director and former 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. 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. 

“We are honored to receive this very prestigious award from GE,” said Tarantelli. “The relationship between a university and employer is crucial, and we value the long-standing relationship that we have had with GE. To that end, we have created various programs and events for employers to develop relationships with administration, faculty, and students, in an effort to increase opportunities for our graduates to make great strides in terms of planning their careers.” 

Last year, more than 90 percent of the graduating class went on to work or pursue graduate studies. Many of these recent graduates now enjoy working at some of the top companies in the world including GE, Google, DreamWorks Animation, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems and Boeing, to name a few. Presently, more than 1,450 Rensselaer graduates are employees of GE. 

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 launch of 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,” Tarantelli said. “This is what gives a student the competitive edge when it comes to landing a full-time job.” 

More than 1,000 students have participated in the program. The program was developed by a committee including Diana Leis Delker, director of cooperative education and senior associate director of the CDC, and CDC employees Dawn Weaver-Cairns, assistant director, and Jennifer Heptig, career counselor, as well as several undergraduate students. In addition, companies involved in creating individual workshops and sponsoring the program include: BAE Systems, GE, and IBM.

“Rensselaer is a school that we are proud to be affiliated with because of the people that we work with,” Bowen said. “It is fitting for Rensselaer to receive this year’s award because they continue to be an an ongoing and significant resource for professional talent for GE.” 

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