Gannon University students and alumni were able to meet with representatives from diverse graduate and professional programs to discuss schooling and career opportunities at Tuesday’s Graduate Fair and Expo.
The event, which was held in the Waldron Campus Center’s Yehl Ballroom at Gannon, attracted nearly 150 students, including 12 from neighboring Edinboro.
The event also featured nearly 40 different colleges and universities. From the State University of New York to West Virginia University, schools from all across the Midwest and East Coast gathered for the event.
These visitors provided insight and highlighted future possibilities in select educational disciplines, such as humanities, business, engineering, science, health science and law. Representatives located at their respective tables could engage with students and discuss admission requirements, application procedures, career opportunities and financial aid information.
In addition to educational opportunities, students were also able to meet with federal and nonprofit organizations like AmeriCorps and Teach for America. Organizations such as the Winebrenner Theological Seminary and Jesuit Volunteer Corps were also in attendance to offer spiritual possibilities to attendees.
Gannon not only hosted the event but also was a participant and took the opportunity to feature tables for on-campus departments, such as the Center for Social Concerns, the Office of Graduate Admissions and the Office of Service Learning. Gannon graduate programs were also on display, like the health communication program.
Health communication was started three years ago at the university and offers courses that focus on applying the principles of interpersonal communication and human communication tactics to health sciences and practices. The representative, Jennifer Allen Catellier, Ph. D., said the program will allow graduates to work with health companies, doctors and patients serving as a bridge or sole source for communication about health.
“Doctors aren’t always taught the best way to talk to patients or communicate,” Allen Catellier said.
She said she believes health communication graduates would bring a solution to this deficit.
Two representatives from 90.5 WERG, Adelai Flowers and Brian Bowersox, manned their own table for the Gannon operated radio station. Their objectives for attending the fair were not for graduate purposes, but to provide students with entertainment and ambiance.
Flowers and Bowersox added music to the event in what Flowers called an effort “to liven up the place.” The music was being broadcast via computer located at their table that was hooked up to the loud speakers in the Yehl Ballroom.
“We want to make it so students don’t want to come just for the fair,” Bowersox said.
To give students an activity to partake in, they offered a prize drawing. Any student who attended the event could enter for the chance to win a free large pizza from Little Caesars.
This wasn’t the only prize being given away, however, as Gannon offered cash prizes to two clubs or organizations that brought the most members to participate in the event. The 2016 Grad Fair and Expo gave prize winnings totaling $450 to the Gannon organization winners.
The Graduate Fair and Expo celebrated its 34th year with the event Tuesday, which saw many students and alumni participate and plan the next step in their educational or career paths.
Photo contributed by: www.facebook.com/GannonCareer/photos/
ANTHONY ESPOSITO
