Student Development

Bearcats in the City career events connect students with employers, alumni

Over winter break, more than 1,000 student career connections were made during Binghamton Bearcats in the City, a week-long series of career discovery and networking events, programs and employer site visits in New York City aimed at connecting current students with careers and successful alumni.

Thanks to the collaborative effort led by the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development and involvement of the offices of Alumni Relations, Communications and Marketing, Harpur Edge and career offices in the School of Management, Watson School and College of Community and Public Affairs, this week was the first of its kind to connect and brand all of the winter career and networking offerings into one week-long program with more offerings than in any years past.

Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to attend 46 employer site visits collaboratively coordinated by campus career offices. The visits spanned a variety of different industries, including J. Crew, Barclay’s, Bloomberg, EY and Viacom, among others. At most of the employer site visits, students were welcomed by Binghamton alumni hosts.

The highlight of the week and largest event was Metro Career Night, where a record number of approximately 100 alumni gathered to connect with the more than 300 students who attended. A panel of five alumni offered career advice from their own experiences and answered student questions. A networking reception with the alumni mentors followed at which students were able to make face-to-face connections with alumni and potential employers. Metro Career Night was spearheaded by the Alumni Relations Office and co-sponsored by its Metro New York Chapter and the Fleishman Center.

Bearcats in the City epitomizes the University’s value of collaboration and dedication to connecting students to careers and alumni as a path to career success.

Record number of employers and students participate in Spring 2015 Job and Internship Fair

The Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development hosted the Spring 2015 Job and Internship Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 11, in the Events Center. The fair was attended by a record number of employers – 113 – representing a wide range of industries and professions. More than 1,500 students – the highest ever for a spring fair – met with employer representatives offering full-time, part-time and internship opportunities.

The Fleishman Center worked hard to ensure students were well prepared for this important recruitment event. For example, on the day prior to fair, the Fleishman Center coordinated a new “Employer Mock Interview Blitz” in which 10 employers conducted 76 mock interviews. This allowed students to learn the most effective interview techniques from the employer perspective. That same night, five employer panelists delivered a “Career Secrets” program that helped 100 students in the Watson School prepare for the fair. The program was a collaborative effort between the Fleishman Center and the Watson Career and Alumni Connections department.

International Student and Scholar Services

Binghamton University’s international student enrollment numbers for 2014, according to the most recent Institute of International Education Open Doors Report, show an 8.4 percent increase over the prior year. The 2014 report lists 2,768 students enrolled, compared to the 2013 enrollment of 2,553.

In early March, it was announced that the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will move to the Division of Academic Affairs, effective June 1, 2015.