St. Cloud State University hosted over 500 students and regional employers earlier this month during the Power in Human Collaboration Student Leadership Conference and Winter Career Fair.
Sponsored by Granite Partners and the Granite Companies, the conference brings diverse programming for students to campus while allowing employers to attend the University’s largest career fair of the year. It is open to all SCSU students, including alumni and students from other institutions.
“By offering inclusive speakers and panels for students, the conference attracts a wide range of students who might not attend a less welcoming career fair,” said Shahzad Ahmad, associate vice president of global and multicultural engagement. “Employers get the opportunity to recruit a wider cohort of students.”
“Programming at this career fair provides me with a perspective that I don’t find at other career fairs,” added Kristen Lira of Nexus Family Healing. “All the speakers were so articulate and interesting; I wish I could attend all the sessions.”
The event, formerly known as the Power in Diversity Leadership Conference, has been reimagined to reflect a renewed commitment to collaboration and progress.
Partnering with the Career Center, the Winter Career Fair brought together many of the major employers of SCSU students from across the region, including the Mayo Clinic, Sanford Health (SD) and the ND Health & Human Services Department, along with new tech employer Niron Magnetics from Sartell.
The Career Center offered career fair prep in person, virtually, and through social media posts, ensuring students were well prepared to meet recruiters.
“This is our most diverse career fair event of the year and is open to all majors, programs and industries,” Hailey Olson, executive director of the Career Center, explained. “We all know that healthcare companies are not just looking for nurses, they need business and technology majors too. An employer can come to the Winter Career Fair and know all their recruitment needs will be met.”
A senior mechanical engineering student was pleased with the number of employers he spoke to at the Winter Career Fair. He gave it the thumbs up, saying, “I met with seven engineering firms and made contacts that will help me find a job before I graduate in May.”
It’s important to new SCSU President Dr. Gregory Tomso that students are given opportunities to engage with local and regional employers, which is just one piece of larger community engagement efforts.
“More than 30 percent of SCSU graduates stay within a 50-mile radius of St. Cloud, and SCSU contributes $600 million to the economic impact of the region,” Tomso said. “SCSU students are your employees, your kids’ teachers and your neighbors. We are an important part of the community, and I hope even more members of the business community can attend next year’s event.”
