Career Center Hosts Annual Celebration

The Career Center hosted its seventh annual Partnership Celebration to recognize employers, faculty, and staff who have worked with the department throughout the 2008-2009 academic year. Held in the Student Activities Center Ballroom B this year, more than 100 participants were on hand for the festivities.

Friends of the Career Center continue to go the extra mile helping students. In 2007 at the fifth annual Partnership Celebration, Career Center Director Marianna Savoca said, “Internships are going to be our big buzz word this year and for the next several years. By 2013, we are committing to 1,000 internships a year.”

That mission was already accomplished. This past year, 1,015 internships were documented by the Career Center. “The credit for this achievement is shared by all, our employers hiring these interns, our faculty and staff who encouraged students to take on this type of experiential learning, and our students who were motivated to apply and take on these valuable responsibilities,” said Savoca at the podium during this year’s Celebration.

Savoca also showed appreciation for the new 2009-2010 Partnership Council members. The Council is a one-year commitment; members provide support of activities through sponsorship and time commitment to job and internship preparation programs. In addition, relationships are fostered with academic departments to increase collaborations between education and industry.

Spirit Awards were then presented to the University’s Office of Communications; Richard Gluck, a volunteer business consultant at the Career Center; Robert Kelly, Computer Science; Jennifer Peace, SBUMC Blood Bank; Charlie Beier, Student Activities Center; Nicole Gottlieb, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network; and Ronnie Pickus, Bloomberg.

The Faculty Partner of the Year was presented to Rhonda Cooper, director of the University Art Gallery. Cooper not only hires and supervises interns in her own department, she serves as academic sponsor for interns in other departments and off-campus organizations.

The Staff Partner of the Year was given to Kate Valerio, Center for Prevention and Outreach, for her endless hard work. The Non-Profit Partner of the Year went to The Way Back, one of Long Island’s and New York State’s oldest mental health housing providers. Broadridge Financial Solutions was awarded the Corporate Partner of the Year.