In This Issue:

Spring Career Fair

Employers Seeing Low Student Response Rates

New Programs In The Pipeline

RIT News

Looking for Employer Partners

In The Life Of A Co-op

Three New Assistant Directors Appointed

Recruiting Updates


Spring Career Fair

RIT's Spring Career Fair will be held on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm in the Lucius R. and Marie Gordon Field House and Activities Center on the RIT campus. Optional on-site interviewing is available on Thursday, March 29th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. More than 500 employer representatives from 200 companies across the nation participated in the Fall Fair and more than 1,700 students attended this event. Career Fair registration will be available on-line at www.rit.edu/recruit beginning Monday, December 11th. Please feel free to contact Lynn McGahey, Recruiting Coordinator at 585-475-5463 if you need any special assistance.


Employers Seeing Low Student Response Rates

This fall, the student response rate to job postings and on campus interviews for both co-op and full-time positions, has been lower than previous recruiting periods, even for employers who are well known and highly visible and in spite of extensive advertising. Our colleagues at universities across the nation are reporting similar experiences.

There are a few key factors and conditions which we believed have contributed to the situation:

• A stronger economy has generated many more opportunities for students and this increased competition is directly reflected in the turnout for employer postings and programs. This is especially true for Engineering, Computing, and Information Technology majors which are in heavy demand across various industries. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE): “Employers expect to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates in 2006-07 than they did in 2005-06, according to respondents of NACE's Job Outlook 2007 survey”. See NACE site for more detailed information: http://www.naceweb.org/pubs/spotlightonline/2006/e111606.htm
• More students are confident that positions will be available for them and consequently less aggressive in their job search efforts.
• More students are accepting full-time positions offered by their co-op and intern employers and doing so early in the recruiting cycle.

We are implementing various strategies to increase the student response rate including asking faculty and academic department assistance, working through student clubs and organizations and more aggressively marketing opportunities to students and alumni. We are closely monitoring the on-campus interview listings and sending additional notices out to students, utilizing both phone and email options.

Some tips for employers to help increase the response rate to job openings:

• Post early for specific jobs and majors. Positions with vague job descriptions or listed for “all majors” won’t attract as many students.
• Try to review the resumes as you receive them and make decisions on suitability in as timely a way as possible.
• Make employment offers early.
• Be more sensitive to the timeliness and nature of your communication flow to candidates.

In addition to regular recruiting activities, promote your brand and increase visibility on campus by utilizing one or more of the following options:

• Company information sessions/technical presentations
• Develop a longer-term strategic alliance that provides you access to our faculty, research capabilities, and workforce development resources
• Sponsor multidisciplinary senior design projects or other student-based research initiatives related to your business objectives
• Participate in RIT’s significant sponsored research programs and activities
• Join one of our academic program-based industrial advisory boards
• Share your expertise as a guest speaker or career mentor

As always, please let us know if you would like to discuss any strategies specific to your company and circumstances. We would be happy to work directly with you in crafting a customized approach.


New Programs In The Pipeline

RIT has had a number of new academic programs recently approved by New York State. Click on the news story links below for more information:

RIT’s School of Print Media Offers Certificate Program in Digital Print and Publishing
Online graduate course sequence focuses on electronic and on-demand printing and publishing

RIT Introduces Undergraduate Program in Urban and Community Studies
New initiative focuses on improving the quality of urban and community life

RIT’s Computing College Offering Three New Master of Science Degrees
Programs target game design, networking and systems administration, and software engineering

RIT Launches VOIP/IP Telephony Courses with Support of Polycom Equipment
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences to use technology in its curriculum

Additional programs are being developed including a BS in Consumer Finance, a BS/MS in Safety Technology/Environmental Management, an MS in Facility Management, a BS in Game Design & Development, a BFA in Digital Studio and a BS in Medical Sciences. More information on these exciting new programs will be available soon.


RIT News

Hear is the latest news from RIT—interviews, stories, and specials from RIT University News. To read the stories that interest you, just click on the headline below:

Ashok Rao Named Dean of RIT’s E. Philip Saunders College of Business
Babson College professor will assume new post on Feb. 1

Next Generation Imaging Detectors Could Enhance Space Missions
Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester recently won $847,000 from NASA’s Astronomy Physics Research and Analysis program to build and test a detector that will capture sharper images and consume less power than technology currently in use

RIT Awarded $2.7 Million for Automotive Fuel-Cell Research
U.S. Department of Energy grant will fund study into enhanced fuel-cell performance

Harris Corporation Donates $400,000 to RIT for Campus Computer Engineering Design Center
Center will provide the resources needed to aid project teams in the design and development of prototype solutions for real-world problems and is slated to open in 2007. Harris presented an additional $10,000 to RIT’s Women in Engineering program (WIE).

“Moral Clarity” Espoused in Debate Over Health Care Reform
Recently published anthology calls for renewed dialogue

NTID Awarded $1.1 Million for Deaf Education Research
Center Seeks to Improve Students’ Academic Achievements

For all the latest news about RIT, visit the University News web site at http://www.rit.edu/news.html


Looking For Employer Partners

RIT has enjoyed tremendously productive and mutually rewarding partnerships with many employers over the years and we are looking for more! If you think there may be organizations you’re working with that could benefit from an RIT relationship, we would love to hear from you. They may be key suppliers, sub contractors, clients or any organization that could utilize our co-op students or graduates.

If you can refer us to an employer that could benefit, please contact Sarah Burke, Employer Relations Specialist at swboce@rit.edu.

We appreciate the referral!


In The Life of a Co-op

Every quarter our students return with great stories about their experiences while on their co-op assignments. Do you have an interesting story to share about one of your co-op students? We would love to hear from you about your experiences with a student who solved a challenging situation, did something funny or just was a great asset to your company. Space permitting, we would like to share at least one story each quarter. To submit your entry, please contact Sarah Burke, Employer Relations Specialist at swboce@rit.edu.


Three New Assistant Directors Appointed

In direct support of the RIT’s new strategic plan, the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services has appointed three new Assistant Directors. The individuals are maintaining their current roles as Program Coordinators while assuming new responsibilities in areas targeted for focused office development:

• Kim DeLardge – Increasing visibility and opportunities for African American, Latino/a, and Native American students and graduates
• Michelle Magee – Further developing our services to alumni and gaining alumni support for our office activities.
• Maria Richart – Expanding our work abroad opportunities for students


Recruiting Updates

The spring recruiting season is right around the corner. Please consider RIT for all your recruiting needs, co-op, full time, and career fairs. Our goal is that your recruiting experience will be of the utmost success. We recommend that you post early for specific jobs and majors. Positions with vague job descriptions and listed for “all majors” won’t attract as many students. Try to review the resumes as you receive them and make decisions on suitability. The market is very strong right now for students and sitting on a resume of a qualified student for even a couple of days could mean that you would lose the best candidate to another employer.

You are welcome to recruit at RIT any time, however, we find that the most beneficial times for employers is January 8th – February 9th. To make arrangements for On-Campus Interviewing, call Lynn McGahey at 585-475-5463. Lynn will assist in setting up your schedule. Interviews are usually in 30 minute blocks, but we can also customize your interview schedule to your specifications. Our facilities include a dozen employer interview rooms and coming soon - our new Employer Business Center – complete with internet hook up and phone access.

Please remember you may also contact us at any time to reserve premium on-campus recruiting dates or to list open positions.


 

The Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services brings you this
Employer Newsletter each quarter. Please contact us at:

Rochester Institute of Technology
Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services
Bausch & Lomb Center
57 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
585.475.2301, 585.475.6905 TTY
http://www.rit.edu/co-op/careers

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We are always looking for feedback on our newsletter. If you have feedback, contact Sarah Burke, at swboce@rit.edu with "feedback" in the subject line.