Science, Agriculture, Food, Environment Career Fair to attract MSU students to career opportunities
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EmailWhen Michigan State University students arrive at the Science, Agriculture, Food, Environment Career Fair, they might be surprised to learn that their chances of securing a job in one of these fields is pretty good.
When Michigan State University students arrive at the Science, Agriculture, Food, Environment Career Fair, they might be surprised to learn that their chances of securing a job in one of these fields is pretty good.
So says Jill Cords, career consultant for the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). The career fair was formerly known as the Agriculture Career Fair, but Cords said that was too limiting.
“Students interested in any aspect of agriculture, food or the environment almost always need a background in science,” she said. “And demand for qualified candidates in all of these fields is growing.”
The Science, Agriculture, Food, Environment Career Fair is slated from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday on the fourth floor of the stadium tower. It is open to all MSU students, regardless of major, Cords said.
It is designed to connect employers with MSU students from a wide range of science-related fields. It will include employers offering internship and full-time opportunities in science, agriculture, food, health, the environment and natural resources.
A national survey of employers shows that the pool of agriculture and natural resources students will cover only about 60 percent of the available jobs.
“At this point, there aren’t even enough college graduates in agriculture and natural resources to begin to fill this void,” said Kelly Millenbah, associate dean and director of the Office for Academic and Student Affairs for the CANR.
At more than 4,200 undergraduate students, enrollment in the CANR is at a 30-year high. Undergraduate enrollment increased more than 300 students -- 8.6 percent -- since last year alone, Millenbah said.
Cords said CANR graduates are finding work through career fairs and internships completed during their undergraduate years.
Eighty-nine percent of the CANR’s 2013 graduates were employed, starting businesses or in graduate school, according to a destination survey, with 88 percent of the entire graduating class responding, she said. The average salary: $44,098.
“Our message is really simple,” Millenbah said. “Our students find work that’s meaningful and important, and they do it in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields. That’s why we’re working so closely with other science-focused colleges on a career fair -- we know it helps all of our students find those careers.”
For information about the Science, Agriculture, Food, Environment Career Fair, visit http://careernetwork.msu.edu/jobs-internships/Career-Fairs/Science-Agriculture-Food-Environment-Career-Fair/index.html.
