The 2006-2007 school year was a record-breaker for the UMR Career Opportunities Center.

The fall 2006 and spring 2007 career fairs were the two largest in UMR history with more than 2,500 students and more than 700 recruiters attending each semester. The COC also had a record number of on-campus interviews with 4,251 conducted through their office and a record 668 different employers recruited UMR students.

The department’s progress has not gone unnoticed. This fall, the Princeton Review ranked UMR No. 20 in its “Best Career and Job Placement Services” category.

Lea-Ann Morton, COC director, says civil, architectural, electrical and environmental engineering draw the bulk of employers at the career fairs and on-campus interviews; however, many employers recruit other disciplines through resume drops and referrals. She notes that more than 13,000 resumes were sent out last year.

Morton feels the success of the career fairs is due to a combination of UMR’s academic standing and retirement by the Baby Boom generation.

“Employers realize the educational value students receive from UMR and how that knowledge applies to organizational success,” says Morton.

Morton notes that approximately 50 percent of graduates find jobs in state while the other half find jobs out of state, and they take UMR’s reputation with them. “Our reputation is well known. We had employers from 44 states and one international location recruit our student body last year,” she says.
Morton is looking forward to another year of success.

“UMR students will continue to be highly sought after,” she says.