Career Connections 2013 is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30 at the

2012 Career Connections

Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Organized by the career

services directors at the SCICU member colleges, this annual event provides an opportunity for employers to meet with accomplished graduati

ng seniors from the state's private non-profit colleges.

 

In order to increase the opportunities for each employer to maximize their outreach to students, Career Connections provides a networking and job fair program in the morning and personal interview periods in the afternoon. Employers also have the option of pre-selecting candidates for interviews from the searchable electronic resumé book or scheduling interviews with students that they meet during the networking event.

 

This year SCICU is partnering with the University of South Carolina to help maximize employer recruiting opportunities. By co-locating the events at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on successive days (USC on January 29 and SCICU on January 30), employers can reach twice as many students without making a separate recruiting trip. Employers participating in both events will receive a reduced registration fee for Career Connections.

 

Last year 50 employers and more than 370 students participated in SCICU's Career Connections. Registration for the 2013 event can be done on-line or by contacting Brenda Torrence  or Tess Miller at the SCICU office.

In a recent survey of subscribers to SCICU's News & Notes, participants said that they would like to see more content highlighting SCICU schools and a feature on the website to request information quickly and easily.

 

Overall, however, satisfaction with the newsletter-including length, content, visual appeal, and readability-scored 4.5 on a five-point scale with 5 being "very satisfied". More than 88% of the respondents said that they are "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the newsletter, and visitors to the organization's website rated their overall experience as 4.3 on the same 5-point satisfaction scale.

 

A majority (58%) of newsletter readers prefers the once monthly publication schedule and finds the articles and calendar of events of most value. The Business Partner updates and listings also scored high in value.

 

The majority of the visitors to the SCICU website  are looking for the  latest news, especially when the General Assembly is in session, or checking the calendar of events. Almost 30% of the viewers are looking for information about a member college, and 20% use the website to read SCICU publications like the 2012-2013 Interactive College Guide. About 10% of the visitors seek information about the Business Partners.

 

In order to bring attention to news from our member colleges and universities, we have added a section to the newsletter that provides links to the latest news releases from the schools. On the website, there is now a Member College News link in the news section of the front page. We encourage our members to send news from their campuses to  Tess Miller.

 

For those wanting to request information or make a comment through our website, we are in the process of adding a feature in the Contact section that will address this need.

 

Our goal at SCICU is to continue to inform, educate, and engage our college members, trustees, supporters, and the general public about the issues relevant to independent higher education in South Carolina in as clear, concise, and timely manner as possible. We very much appreciate all the responses we received to the communications survey.

Fewer Parents Qualify for PLUS Loans 

Like many of our college members and trustees, the staff of SCICU supports their local United Way. Giving hit the 100% level again this year as the staff of 4 completed their workplace campaign. SCICU President and CEO Mike LeFever is also a volunteer with the United Way of the Midlands Campaign Committee where he leads the Professional Associations unit.

SCICU features some of its member colleges and universities' news on our website each month. Here are some of the articles we featured this month:

• Benedict College to Host its Ninth Annual Xtreme Technology Event November 9  
• SMC to Open New Academic Building on Nov. 7 
• Psi Beta at SMC Inducts 17 New Members 
• Wofford Named a 'Best Value' by Kiplinger's  
•  Charleston Southern named to America's 100 Best College Buys, America's Best Christian Colleges 

To have your school featured in the "Member College News" section, please send your press releases to Tess Miller at tess@scicu.org. 

 
To see all of our Member College News, please click here. 

SCICU's on-line network of providers offers goods and services to the independent higher education community in South Carolina. The Business Partners program provides a convenient marketplace where SCICU member colleges and universities can preview offerings from some of the top companies in the country.