College of Food Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences Student Council
Describe your program and how it enhanced student life at OSU.
Professional Development Night is an annual event hosted by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Student Council. The goal of the evening is to develop students’ professional skills with an emphasis on etiquette, professionalism, building resumes, job interviewing, and job searching. We have had many professionals speak throughout the years on these topics, all of which provided very helpful information.
Last year’s speaker, Mr. Mark Evans, spoke extensively about “finding the job that you want.” To stress his points, Mark used his friend, an Ohio SWAT officer, as an example of someone who found a career he is passionate about by exploring the various employment options. Our speaker two years ago was Mr. Thomas Stewart, a lecturer for the Department of Human and Community Resource Development. Mr. Stewart has extensive experience in the broadcasting industry stemming from his many years as board member for WBNS-10TV in Columbus. Due to the “professional development” theme dress is, of course, business professional, and with the high profile keynote speaker, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee, we aim to be somewhat more formal than we have been in the past.
Before dinner, our guests will spend time mingling with one another and visiting some of the display booths that will be set up. Once everyone has had some time to meet a few people, dinner will be served. After dinner has concluded, President Gee will take the stage.
Why is this program the most outstanding at OSU? How does it actively involve students, embrace the university initiatives of diversity and/or collaborate with other organizations or university departments?
Interaction between industry professionals and our students is a crucial component to making CFAES students more successful. The guest speakers who present at Professional Development Night are individuals who have ascended to the peaks of their professions. As a result, the students of Ohio State are able to learn from some of the best of the best. Take this year's guest speaker for example. President E. Gordon Gee is someone who can teach young people the value of involvement, out-of-classroom experiences, and leadership. That was the message President Gee conveyed to students at PDN this year. Who better to learn from than the president of the nation's largest university? In addition to having President Gee as a guest speaker, we also took time to emphasize business and dining etiquette through handing out notebooks with sixteen pages of tips and pointers to make Ohio State students stand out above the rest.
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