Career Week '99, November 8-12

SALISBURY, MD--Salisbury State University students will explore job opportunities with SSU alumni on the front lines of everything from business to public service to the arts during Career Week '99 November 8-12.

"This is a way for alumni to interact with today's students and help them prepare for the future," said Roy S. Perdue, director of alumni relations.

"We know that the education alumni got here was important, but their education continued as they followed their career paths. Students will have the chance to learn from others experiences."

About 25 alumni will visit classrooms throughout the week to chat with students about specific careers, says alumna Cathy Maynard, chair of Career Week. Workshops will be held on topics such as "Starting Your Own Business," "Preparing for a Career in the Nonprofits," graduate school, resume polishing and techniques for interviewing well.

Career Week's busiest day will be Thursday, November 11--Career Day XII--when 30 SSU alumni will participate in panel discussions designed to answer student's questions about job hunting, networking and careers in particular fields. Panels will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m., then repeated from 4:30-5:30 p.m., in the Guerrieri University Center. The panels will cover Science, Medicine and Technology; Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship; Community Service, Politics and Law; Education and Youth Development; and Arts, Culture, Public Relations and Global Communications.

"I'm excited about investing in the destiny of the students at SSU during career week," said Rob Still, president of Still Music Group in Brentwood, TN. The 1982 liberal arts graduate will participate in a Career Day panel on Arts, Culture, Public Relations and Global Communications and visit the classroom of Dr. Linda Cockey. "Hopefully some of what I've learned in the real world will be of value to them. I had a very positive experience at SSU, but the most important thing I learned is that the more you put into your education, the more you'll get out of it."

Career Week and Career Day are presented jointly by the Alumni Office and Career Services, which works with students on career planning throughout the year.

"It's great for students to hear advice and stories straight from the horse's mouth, from people who are out there working, often in fields that the students might think about eventually getting into," said Dr. Rebecca A. Emery, director of Career Services. "There's a lot to choose from throughout Career Week and on Career Day, and that makes this a really valuable time for students planning for the future."

Mike Seidel, whose 1979 degree in math and geography led him to a career as a TV meteorologist with the Weather Channel, said he's looking forward to talking with today's students about how he made the transition from school to a successful career. He's coming all the way from Atlanta, GA, to participate in the same panel as Still, visit with students in the classroom of Dr. Lee May, and conduct a forum for communications arts students interested in careers in television.

"Salisbury State was a stepping stone that gave me the opportunity to go on to bigger and better things. It provided me with a top notch education that allowed me to pursue my interest in meteorology at Penn State. It's important for me to come home and let the students know how valuable a degree from SSU can be."

For information on Career Week November 8-12 and Career Day November 11, please call the Alumni Office at 410-543-6175.