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CAFNR Connections June 2006: Vol. 1, No. 2

Destination Survey: Focus on Outcomes

A huge thank you for agreeing to be a part of the CAFNR Connections Program! You are incredibly important to the work we do ... both in recruiting students and in helping them with careers after they graduate.

Gretchen Stiefel, center, receives a pin from CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Tom Payne after she was named Outstanding Senior during the College's spring 2006 commencement ceremony, May 13. Stiefel, from Shelbyville, Mo., earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry.

CeCe Leslie, director of CAFNR Student Recruitment, and I recently attended a workshop at Purdue University. One of the presenters, Randy Snyder from STAMATS, repeatedly emphasized the importance of outcomes. Parents, prospective students, new students, employers and other constituents consistently ask the same question: What do your graduates do? Having a database of alumni and friends able to personally answer the question by providing real-life examples is very convincing. Furthermore, being able to present the Connections program this year for the first time during our Summer Welcome, emphasizes to parents and incoming students the CAFNR commitment to long-term success.

Outcomes from our annual survey of CAFNR and other MU graduates follow:

Agriculture: Based on a 74 percent response rate, 26 percent indicated that they were continuing their education. Of those seeking placement, 89 percent reported that they were employed, with 86 percent of those employed reporting jobs related to their degree; 75 percent found employment in Missouri.
Natural Resources: Based on a 64 percent response rate, 15 percent reported continuing their education. Of those seeking placement, 88 percent reported employment, with 90 percent of those reporting jobs related to their degree. Again, 75 percent were employed in-state.
Mizzou Undergraduate Overall: Based on a 51 percent response rate, 22 percent indicated that they were continuing their education. Of those seeking placement, 84 percent reported employment with 87 percent of those employed in jobs related to their degree. Seventy-five percent found employment in-state.

This has been a strong year in terms of recruitment. Salaries ranged widely, as always, but a good number of our students received multiple offers in the $40K to $50K range, depending on their specific education, prior experience and job locations.

Following are Connections program statistics for this year as well as a brief guide to programming plans for next fall. We are planning for even better future outcomes!

As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions and observations. You will have an opportunity to complete a formal evaluation in a few weeks, but you are always invited to e-mail or call me.

Stephanie Chipman
573-882-0088

Program Stats

Online. To date, 109 CAFNR student-initiated mentor contacts have been recorded. Through the online program, 68 mentors have been e-mailed by students. Mentors who received e-mails through the online program were contacted by one to six students during the school year.

Career Programming. Mentor participation in career programming on campus, in St. Louis and in Kansas City has been outstanding. This year, 74 mentor appearances have been recorded at Mocktail with Mentors: Networking Know-How; the Etiquette Dinner; John Brown and Dickinson Scholars Programs; the Financing Your Future workshop and several career contests.

Traditional Mentor Matching. In a formal matching program, seven students in the ag policy course have been paired with one or two mentors in the Washington, D.C., area. Ten mentors are involved in this program that began in late spring 2006.

HireMizzouGrads.com

Great news! In an effort to streamline the process of connecting students, alumni and employers, MU now has one site for everyone! The advantage to combining the former CAFNR site with HireMizzouGrads is that now one Web site has all career information for our students, alumni and employers — from professional, internship and part-time/campus positions to on-campus interviews, an employer database, career mentors and special events like career fairs and etiquette dinners.

The CAFNR mentoring section of the Web site is undergoing extensive programming over the next few weeks and will be available to students again beginning July 20. In the meantime, students may contact the CAFNR Career Services Office to access the mentor database.

State FFA Ag Sales Career Development Event

Cheesecake, root beer flavored milk, and a new and improved animal bedding product were among the wares that high school FFA sales teams "sold" to judges during the 2006 FFA Ag Sales Competition held at Mizzou Arena on Friday, April 19. Six of the eight judges were CAFNR Connections mentors and included:

Lance Burditt, MU Ag Economics Master's Student
Derrick Deneke, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Darla Eggers, Missouri Cattlemen Foundation
Cathy Herren, MU Alumni Association
Leigh Nutter, City of Columbia
Doug Mertens, NK Brand Seeds

Additional judges included Terri Lukehart from MFA and Ron Cobb, Farm Credit Services.

Team Results are available online!

Many, many thanks!

Career Day 2006

Connections mentor Dana Henke, USDA-Farm Service Agency, shares information on career opportunities at CAFNR Career Day 2005.

Mark the calendar for Thursday, Sept. 28. Last year, we hosted 54 employers on campus. Early response this year indicates even more employers will attend this fall!

Thursday, Sept. 28

Noon to 4 p.m. — Career Fair
4:30 to 6 p.m. — Reception for students, employers and CAFNR faculty members

Friday, Sept. 29

Employer Interviews scheduled all day
Noon — Faculty/employer luncheon

We welcome CAFNR Connections mentors and other alumni/friend representatives to our career fair. Please let your employer know if you are interested in attending.

First Impressions Count! Career Services Fall Programming

"Know your strengths and move towards them. Understand the role that sales plays in your approach to your job search and everything else you do. How you present yourself to others is, by definition, who you are."

— Dallas Ford, Alpha Scouts

To help our students prepare for Career Day, interviews and the search process in general, the following programs are slated for this fall:

Resumes 101: Expert Tips
Specific date to be determined, early September
After a formal program by Connections mentors/executive recruiters, students will be given the opportunity to have their resumes reviewed by professionals in their intended field. Reviews will be conducted both on campus and online. Cosponsored by Alpha Gamma Rho.

Extreme Makeover: College to Career CAFNR Style
Tuesday, Sept. 12
Two CAFNR students will have an opportunity to be completely "made over" in preparation for fall recruitment events. A formal program will be presented by "dress for success" experts, including Bill Penkethman of Suit Yourself. Cosponsored by Alpha Gamma Sigma and Sigma Alpha.

Eighty students and mentors mingle before the Mocktail Party 2005.

Mocktails with Mentors: Networking Know-How
Thursday, Sept. 21
From introduction to follow-up, the basic tips of effective networking will be covered in a brief program. Then students will have the opportunity to practice what they have learned by meeting Connections mentors.

Dining Like a Diplomat
Thursday, Nov. 9
Students will learn the basic rules of etiquette for dining in the United States. Connections mentors will be invited ... and, this year, will be a part of the educational program!

The State and Federal Job Search
Early November
Presented by human resources experts from local state and federal agencies to help students better understand the online application processes. Cosponsored by the School of Natural Resources Student Council.

Good advice from mentor Stephen Parsons, JPMorgan EFS:

"Keep your options open. Most opportunities only present themselves once. This doesn't mean you need to jump at everything, but be willing to take a chance every now and then."