First Graduate School Fair organized by the Maryville College Career Center a resounding success
Sept. 29, 2023
The Maryville College approach to encouraging students to study everything in order to prepare them for anything was reason enough for representatives of dozens of graduate programs to come to campus this week, partnering with the MC Career Center to offer Scots a glimpse of the adventures that await them after graduation.
Representatives from 18 different colleges and universities that offer post-baccalaureate studies across a variety of disciplines gathered in the Clayton Center for the Arts on the Maryville College campus Wednesday afternoon to take part in the inaugural Graduate School and Continuing Education Fair. Previously, said Dr. Niklas Trzaskowski — director of the Career Center — graduate school ambassadors took part in Maryville College’s annual Career Fair, but the growing number of partnerships the Career Center has developed with such programs, as well as student interest in exploring them, made it necessary to transform into its own event.
“We want our students to have a good understanding of the opportunities available to them as Maryville College graduates, because while they may not pursue a graduate degree right away, they may want to do so in the future,” Trzaskowski said. “Even if a student has already decided on a specific career path, we always encourage them to explore graduate programs, because they may want to earn additional credentials later in their career, and that may open opportunities to pursue different career paths that do require additional education.
“I’m proud of my team, especially Leah Hadder (MC career and internship coach), who played a pivotal role in promoting it. It truly was a team effort to make this happen, and events such as this one would not be possible without the outstanding help the Career Center receives from campus departments and organizations like Academic Affairs, the Center for Global Engagement and the Clayton Center.”
Representatives offered students information about graduate programs across 18 schools, including East Tennessee State University, Emory & Henry College, Johnson University, Lee University, Life University, Lincoln Memorial University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, Richmont Graduate University, South College, Southern Adventist University, Tennessee Technological University, Tennessee Wesleyan University, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Tusculum University and Maryville College, which offers a master of arts in teaching (M.A.T.) secondary STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
“I’ve seen a really nice group of ages,” said Thomas VerDow, coordinator of graduate marketing and recruitment at ETSU. “I’ve talked to everyone from first-years to seniors, and the first-year students have so many great questions and ideas. They seemed to be very focused on learning how to get to the next step, but they don’t know how, and that’s why we’re here — to help them get on their path.”
More than 80 students attended the fair, Trzaskowski said, and the feedback from attendees was roundly positive. MC undergraduates, Trzaskowski related, were inquisitive, engaged and open-minded to new and previously unconsidered degree paths that could meet their goals.
“I think that speaks highly to our students’ abilities to communicate effectively and to think critically about their futures,” he said. “Program representatives always enjoy speaking to our students because they are very goal-oriented. They have an idea what type of degree they want to pursue and why they want to pursue a specific academic credential.
“Moreover, the critical thinking, communication, and research skills that are frequently emphasized in many of the courses taught here, I believe, certainly play a role in the success students experience at the graduate level. Many program representatives have cited the education that students receive here at our institution as reason why they want to visit our campus for these types of events.”
Allyson Ford, a marketing recruitment coordinator with UT-Chattanooga, echoed those sentiments, citing the preparedness of MC alumni who go on to graduate studies at her institution. And it doesn’t look like that partnership is in any danger of faltering, she added: Halfway through the fair, every line on the sign-up sheet of students requesting additional information was full.
“There’s always a lot of interest online from Maryville College students, and it’s a huge feeder program for us in that sense,” agreed Macy Etter, the recruiting coordinator for the UT-Knoxville College of Social Work. “The partnership we have with Maryville College is really awesome, because the students always ask a lot of questions.”
And that, Trzaskowski added, is the nature of encouraging Scots to study everything.
Because of MC’s curriculum, all graduates are well-prepared to succeed in a graduate program,” he said. “Some of the key skills emphasized in almost every course — critical thinking, effective communication and researching information — prepare students not just to succeed in one specific graduate field, but translate well to a number of different degree paths and truly prepare students to continue to study everything even after they cross the graduation stage at Maryville College.”
