Big-name companies seek students of color

More than 30 big-name companies are slated to participate in the Persons of Color Career Fair Thursday, Feb. 28.

The fair, in Great Hall, Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., 3-6:30 p.m., features major national employers ranging from computing giant Hewlett Packard to Teach for America, a national organization of teachers.

“General Mills, Microsoft, Philip Morris USA, Target, Promega Corporation, the City of Madison and the U.S. Geological Survey are already on board, as well,” says Ann Groves Lloyd, director of College of Letters and Science/School of Human Ecology Career Services. “More and more, recruiters are asking for a way to connect with a diverse, qualified work force, and our Persons of Color Career Fair will give them the forum they’ve wanted.”

Employers second that assessment. “Hewlett-Packard is committed to diversity, and the Persons of Color Career Fair is an opportunity for us to talk with diverse students,” says HP recruiting officer Colleen Richardson.

“Increasing the racial, ethnic, cultural and social diversity of our teachers is why we want a presence at the Persons of Color Career Fair,” adds Nakia Whitney of Teach for America.

Statements like those from Hewlett-Packard and Teach for America are now being heard over and over again, says Candace McDowell, director of the Multicultural Student Center on campus. “Companies have been calling our office and asking how they can reach out to students of color,” McDowell says. “I started to keep a list of the callers, and given the high demand, we decided to help co-sponsor such an event.”

The sponsors now consist of the Multicultural Student Center, the College of Letters and Science/School of Human Ecology Career Services, the Business Career Center, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Wisconsin Alumni Association.

“This event will bring students of color together from all across campus,” says Paula Bonner, president and CEO of WAA. “Meeting employers face-to-face will help students make career decisions and connections with some of our alumni working in our community and at companies nationwide.”

The L&S/Human Ecology Career Services office students in those units and recent alumni with internship and career information; assists with planning and implementing job searches and making career decisions; and offers opportunities for graduating students to interview with prospective employers on campus.

The Wisconsin Alumni Association has been serving UW–Madison and its graduates since 1861. WAA provides an array of services, including On Wisconsin, a quarterly alumni magazine; an international travel program; a career database program and an extensive student relations program.