Westminster’s networking, professional development symposium goes virtual in 2020

Westminster College’s Professional Networking Symposium—the successful annual networking event for alumni and students—may be going virtual this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that just means more enhanced offerings and opportunities for alumni from across the globe to participate.

The two-day virtual event will be held Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26, through a series of Zoom sessions. Friday’s sessions will give Westminster students a better understanding of potential paths after graduation, including career and graduate school options. The day will feature a career fair, breakout panels and networking opportunities with alumni and experienced professionals.

Saturday’s events are designed specifically for Westminster alumni looking to network and speak with industry professionals from around the globe. Saturday will also feature an awards ceremony recognizing alumni who have gone above and beyond to help with networking for Westminster students.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue to offer this program to our students through a virtual format. The digital approach has provided us with the unprecedented opportunity to involve alumni across the world as panelists and attendees, without the traditional barriers of distance and travel costs,” said Westminster College Senior Director of Alumni Engagement Kara Montgomery.

Bryan Greig, a 2016 Westminster College alumnus from Northern Ireland, is one of those far-reaching alumni anxious to participate in this year’s virtual symposium.

“I am involved in Westminster’s Professional Networking Symposium because of how useful and inspiring I found the event while I was a student,” said Greig, who currently is pursuing a post-graduate degree in software engineering and data science at Ulster University. “I am a very proud alum of WC. I view the college as a place that took a chance on me and would love to give back however I can.”

(To read more about Greig and his Professional Networking Symposium experience as a student, please click here.)

Westminster's Professional Networking Symposium was founded by Dr. Daniel Fischmar, professor of economics emeritus at Westminster College, and alumni Dr. Christie Nelson ’06, assistant research professor for the Professional Science Master’s Program along with a Department of Homeland Security Research Center (CCICADA.org) at Rutgers University, and Benjamin Nelson ’06, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s Investor Services.

While there is no fee to attend the symposium, registration is required. Students, alumni and guests can register online at www.westminster.edu/pns. Zoom links to each session will be emailed the week of the event. The deadline to register is Friday, Sept. 18.

If you represent a business and would like to host a virtual table at the career fair, please contact Jennifer Hough ’98, director of Westminster’s Professional Development Center, at 724-946-7339 or houghja@westminster.edu.

For more information about the schedule of events, visit www.westminster.edu/pns or contact Kara Montgomery at 724-946-7363 or montgokh@westminster.edu.

Above, scenes from past Symposiums.

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