September 19, 2022
University of Wyoming College of Business students meet with business recruiters in the Jonah Bank Atrium during the College’s recent Business Career Fair on Sept. 8. (UW Photo)
This year, the University of Wyoming College of Business embarked on a mission to develop a more inclusive and equitable career fair for its business students.
In addition to reducing enrollment barriers, the college provided UW-branded T-shirts to students who attended in hopes that they would wear jeans to the event rather than suits and ties.
The career fair, which was held Sept. 8, was the largest in UW College of Business history in terms of student engagement and employer participation. The event saw a 100 percent increase in student participation from last year, with over 300 students participating in the fair.
Scott Beaulier, dean of the UW College of Business, says he was impressed with the event.
“My first career fair as dean of the College of Business blew me away,” he says. “As I walked around the fair and visited with our students and employers, I heard a resounding theme that our ability to lower the barriers to getting involved in this event allowed everyone to feel more comfortable participating.”
On the employer side, 85 companies — from Texas to Minnesota — were at the event. The number represented a 121 percent increase from 2021. In total, 37 Wyoming-based employers were present along with many other businesses that have a strong presence within the state and region.
“It takes a dedicated team of student success professionals to not only make this a fun and exciting day at college, but also prepare our students to take full advantage of it as they plan for their future careers,” says Taylor True, director. of the Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Center for Student Success. “Transformative events like these are made possible thanks to our people and their hard work.”
The scale of the event required creative use of the entire east wing of the College of Business Building for the first time. The students started their journey on the top floor of the building; went through the corridors of different departments to talk to different employers; and exited the Jonah Bank Atrium.
“Our responsibility as a College of Business is to ensure that we are connected to our industry partners. Seeing over 85 of those partners in our building recruiting our best and brightest shows that we’re fulfilling that mission,” says Steve Russell, assistant dean of the UW College of Business. “These partners were not only here providing employment and internship opportunities for our students, but they are also engaged with us throughout the year, ensuring that we are not only Wyoming’s business school, but a top school in our region.”
In addition to the 85 employers at the fair, the college maintains close employer partnerships with more than 200 organizations that continue to drive a strong placement rate for UW business students after graduation.
Organizations interested in partnering with the UW College of Business can go to the employer college partner page or email Russell at steve.russell@uwyo.edu.
