Alumni Return to Recruit for High Profile Companies
Preparing students to launch and advance in professionally enviable and personally satisfying careers is at the core of the university’s strategic plan. “FOCUS 2011 requires us to collaborate in different ways to improve career development opportunities for our students and graduates,” says Donna Yena, vice president of career development.

“This is happening essentially through building and fortifying stronger partnerships with academics, employers and alumni relations.” Already in the 2008–2009 academic year, JWU alumni have returned to their alma mater and strengthened their commitment to the university by representing their companies at career conferences, part-time job fairs and on-campus recruiting. The North Miami Campus’ Career Conference included 28 business, hospitality and culinary alumni-employers.

The Second Annual Nutrition Summit at the Providence Campus in October 2008 included major companies like Compass Group, McCormick & Company, Rhode Island Department of Health and The Health & Wellness Institute of Rhode Island. Culinary nutrition students heard from top employers about co-op positions in the research and development and health care industries. The panel included culinary alumni Mayra Seyfarth ’01 from Sodexho, Seth Spill ’06 from Heinz-North America and Andrew Craven ’96 from Duke Diet & Fitness Center. Forty-five co-op openings were matched for the winter and spring terms alone.

In Charlotte, alumni-employers John Tuomala ’92, Amy Tormey ’06, Kerry Howe ’94 and Manny Rodrigues ’02 represented Compass Group North America and Bank of America respectively in the classroom. They discussed their companies’ missions, the value of a JWU degree and the importance of gaining hands-on experience.

Compass Group North America and Bank of America respectively in the classroom. They discussed their companies’ missions, the value of a JWU degree and the importance of gaining hands-on experience. They conducted mock one-on-one and group interviews and shared current industry trends and salaries.