The Office of Career Services held its annual Dr. Irvine C. Gordon Student Recognition Banquet Monday in the Memorial Student Center ballroom to kick off Career Fair Week, Sept. 29 through Oct. 3.
Despite Hurricane Ike, postponing the career fair and some employers having to re-schedule for the spring semester, the turnout was still superb. Mr. Prairie View Oba Tsare Woodyard served as the Master of Ceremonies and introduced the program and its participants.
The banquet was instituted in 1990 to honor the late Gordon, who served as director of cooperative education at the university. Gordon’s legacy was to provide students with as many opportunities as possible in order to develop personal leadership skills and to participate in experiential activities that will enhance their professional growth and career development.
The banquet recognized students who participated in internships, co-ops assignments, military training, research assistantships and any other career experiential activities during 2007-2008. During the past year, more than 500 students participated in career development activities with major corporations, universities, medical schools, the military, government, and nonprofit agencies throughout the country and overseas.
Dr. Miron Billingsley, associate vice-president of student affairs, was the speaker.
Billingsley spoke of his trials as a young man in college and how he persevered his way through the distractions of college to achieve his goals. He informed students on the value of “relationships” as it applies to any career and how important it is for students to register with the Office of Career Services because of the great things such a service department did for him while he was in college.
Glenda Jones, director of career and outreach services, informed students how much career fair week is important in all majors, technical and non-technical.