The Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute continues to strategically build partnerships with companies to create an array of opportunities for students to pursue as part of The Arch at Rensselaer.

During The Arch, all students must spend a semester during their junior year participating in an off-campus Individual Learning Experience (ILE), which could take the form of an internship or co-op, international or national opportunity (i.e., study abroad or study at another U.S. institution), or research, civic engagement, or a self-designed experience.

Many students choose to pursue an internship or co-op at one of the leading companies partnered with CCPD. One notable partnership Rensselaer cultivated is with Corning Incorporated. For nearly 170 years, Corning — headquartered in Corning, New York — has been developing life-changing innovations and products in glass and ceramics science and optical physics with deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities. With 107 locations in 24 countries, Corning is a global company employing approximately 52,000 employees across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“Being an innovative specialty materials company, Corning Incorporated is always looking for talented scientists, engineers, and technicians for the entire product life cycle (research and development, design and equipment engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality improvements, etc.),” said Lewis Pascar ’88, Thermal Equipment Design group manager.
When asked what appeals to him about Rensselaer students, Pascar said, “RPI is one of the premier engineering colleges in the nation and graduates are well-prepared to make an immediate impact in their chosen careers. RPI graduates are grounded in scientific and engineering fundamentals that can be applied to solving real-world problems.”
Pascar added, “Corning recognizes that our greatest asset are our employees, which is why we live our corporate values (quality, integrity, performance, leadership, innovation, independence, and the individual) all the time, all around the world. Included in our values is a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, creating an environment where all employees can thrive.”

To connect with and recruit talented Rensselaer students, Pascar plans on participating in future virtual career fairs the CCPD is planning.