FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of
Arkansas Professional Development Institute will graduate 36 students on Wednesday,
Nov. 29, which is more than double the number of students who graduated from
the program last year.
The institute is designed to be a leading,
nationally recognized career development and training program. The staff is
committed to enhancing student professionalism and empowering students to
present themselves successfully as candidates for employment or for graduate
schools. The institute consists of career-building workshops, guest speakers
and innovative activities sponsored by the UA Career Development Center.
Students in all UA colleges and schools
are invited to join the Professional Development Institute. This semester,
graduates represent the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the J. William Fulbright
College of Arts and Sciences, the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food
and Life Sciences, the College of Education and Health Professions, and the
College of Engineering.
During a ceremony at 3 p.m. Wednesday,
Nov. 29, in sixth-floor lounge area of the Arkansas Union, graduates will be
recognized and presented with a certificate of completion, a letter of
recognition from their respective college dean and a set of business cards.
“Every
aspect of the Professional Development Institute was helpful for me. Whether
something that I did directly impacted my getting a job or not, I always left
every meeting or seminar excited about my possibilities,” said Chris Carlisle,
a 2006 graduate of Fulbright College who was among the first graduates of the
Professional Development Institute. “My
career coach, Jami Forrester, suggested I apply for some of the on campus
interviews being conducted through the Career Development Center so that I could
practice my interviewing skills, and one of the recruiters coming to campus was
from JC Penney. I applied, and two days after my mock interview, I interviewed
to be a management trainee for JC Penney. I got along so well with the
recruiter and felt so comfortable I knew I had a shot. After a second interview
by telephone the next week, I was offered a job with a salary much
higher than I had expected to get coming out of college.”